Housing Prices Go Through the Roof!!! Housing Prices Go Through the Roof!!!
Housing price appreciation has been astronomical in many metropolitan areas of the
west. Areas like Las Vegas and much of California have seen median prices rise 25% to
40% in one year alone (through September of 2004), and this follows several years
where price gains have often been 4 to 8 times the rate of inflation. Housing demand
has been very high, driven by historically low interest rates. Extremely low adjustable
rate mortgage rates have enabled many people to become first-time homeowners,
despite the high home prices. The increasing availability of interest-only mortgages and
fairly liberal underwriting practices has made home purchasing even easier. These
same factors, though, provide for growing risks for borrowers and lenders. Home prices
could retract in some markets over the next year or two, particularly where prices have
accelerated most rapidly and new housing supply is not
significantly constrained. First-time homeowners and others
who purchase at or near peak housing prices and those
financing with ARMs that can reprice in the near-term are at
greatest risk. Already, ARM rates have started to rise in
recent weeks, causing mortgage application volume to
soften. If and when long-term rates rise, housing demand
likely will further decline, putting pressure on prices.
Over the past five years, 15 MSAs nationwide have seen
their median home prices more than double, and 13 of these
are in California (San Diego, Santa Barbara, Salinas, Napa,
and San Luis Obispo are all up by more than 110%). No
measure of relevant economic activity (e.g. personal income,
population growth, rent levels, etc.) has grown anywhere
close to home price appreciation rates, leading many to
suggest that prices in some areas may be susceptible to a correction. Given these
factors, lenders are encouraged to ensure cautious loan underwriting practices.
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco