Displaying items by tag: Mortgages

Thursday, 05 November 2020 10:34

The Housing Boom is Fading

(New York)

One of the most eye-opening aspects of the pandemic’s impact on the economy has been in housing. The housing market has been on fire since Spring, with a gigantic boom in suburban home sales. The big question is whether this is the start of a sustained trend or a more temporary one. Most analysts think it was just a short-term move. Overall mortgage applications have flattened in recent months at the same time as listings have been rising, showing that supply and demand are changing. Additionally, there is a divergence in the type of demand. Demand for high end homes is stronger, but for cheaper housing it is much weaker.


FINSUM: The pandemic has affected those at the lower end of the socio-economic latter more strongly than those at the top, and combined with how the virus itself has incented social isolation, it is no wonder suburban housing has boomed. That said, it seems temporary almost by definition.

Published in Eq: Real Estate
Friday, 17 July 2020 16:38

A Good Sign for the Housing Market

(Atlanta)

In what looks like a very positive sign for the housing market, US mortgage rates have just hit an all-time low. The 30-year rate for fixed rate mortgages is 2.98%. The stat comes from Freddie Mac and it is the first time ever that rates have fallen below 3%. The super low rates have sparked a refinancing boom and stoked confidence in the real estate market. Some have wondered why mortgage rates haven’t fallen faster given the plunge in the general yield environment. According to Freddie Mac, this is because banks have been so overwhelmed with demand for mortgages that lowering rates didn’t make sense. In Freddie Mac’s words “There is no point in lowering prices to gain business you can’t close anyway”.


FINSUM: It seems like rates may fall even further as lenders catch up with demand. Overall, the housing market is looking very strong.

Published in Eq: Real Estate
Thursday, 21 May 2020 13:27

A Big Mortgage Crisis Looms

(New York)

An event happened this week in the commercial real estate space that feels as though it might be seen as a canary in the coal mine for the forthcoming real estate crisis. The largest (and probably most famous) mall in the US—Mall of America—just fell behind on its $1.4 bn mortgage payments. The owner of the mall, which features over 500 stores and a theme park, missed its mortgage payments in both April and May, reports the Financial Times via Wells Fargo documentation. The owner, called TripleFive Group, has reported to Wells Fargo that it has suffered hardship because of COVID. Presently, nationwide about 1 in 5 loans bundled in CMBS are now on “watch lists”.


FINSUM: For context here, Macerich, which is one of the biggest mall owners in the country, disclosed that is has only collected 18% of rent it is owed in May.

Published in Eq: Real Estate
Friday, 15 May 2020 17:07

Here is How COVID Will Affect Real Estate

(New York)

There have been all kinds of predictions for how COVID will affect real estate. The virus’ implications for commercial real estate are clearly bearish, at least in the short-term, but residential is a different story. While viewings are done, supply of housing is so tight that prices in April actually rose from last year despite the huge disruption to the economy. Home owners don’t want to move right now, so either aren’t putting their homes on the market, or are taking them off.


FINSUM: The other key thing to bear in mind is that home equity/leverage was in a very healthy place as this crisis unfolded, so homeowners are not underwater like they were in the last big crisis. Thus, there is a lot less pressure to fire sale.

Published in Eq: Real Estate
Wednesday, 06 May 2020 12:21

A Commercial Real Estate Crisis is Brewing

(New York)

Hotels are increasingly in trouble. About a quarter of all hotels in the US are now behind on their loan payments. COVID has obviously had a huge effect on hotel occupancy rates, which is now causing financial difficulties for the hotels and their lenders. The situation echoes other data from across the commercial real estate sector. For instance, Vornado Realty Trust yesterday said that it had only collected 53% of retail rents in April, and 90% of office rents.


FINSUM: We think it is critical to remember that re-opening is not a sign that all is clear in commercial real estate. Even once they re-open, restaurants and retail stores are still very likely to be doing MUCH less business than before they closed, and since a lot of cash reserves have probably been used up, their financial situation and thus the sector are just going to grow more precarious.

Published in Eq: Real Estate
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