A Shift in Single-Family Market Share

 Overall we have seen across the county that single-family housing starts have slowed this year. In fact, the largest drop (percentage basis) has been seen in the larger populated areas. The hugest decrease was seen in the large metro-outlying counties which went from 23.6% in 2021 to -12.1% in 2022. Multi-family growth has been on the rise everywhere except highly densely populated areas according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Home Building Geography Index (HBGI).

We have seen changes since the pandemic in single-family marketing. A lot of people have been moving out of densely populated urban areas due to the pandemic. From the fourth quarter of 2019 to the fourth quarter of 2022, we saw a huge increase in Micro Counties from 6.0% to 7.4%. The biggest loss was in large metro-core counties which went from 18.4% to 16.0%.

Multi-family has remained in the positive and is above historical levels. In fact, six of the seven submarkets had growth above 15.0% during the last quarter of 2022. The smallest growth rate was seen in large metro-outlying counties which went to 35.7%. The trend is the same as single-family construction where even though it is still positive, there has been a drop since the fourth quarter of 2019. In fact, Large Metro-Core Counties went from 41.7% in 2019 to 36.7% in 2022.

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Housing Market Report for the Beginning of the New Year

 The New Year rang in with home values dropping 0.1% which made the average home value at $329,542 according to the Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI). This is down from the record-high of 18.8% that was reported last April.

This Zillow Home Value Index was the first reported on the new version. The new version is now based on the neural network-driven Zestimates that Zillow produces for nearly every home in the United States. So this means that the ZHVI closely tracks the vitality in the market when it is changing very fast and will be able to report a better picture for higher-priced sellers.

The mortgage rates are dipping which is great news for both buyers and sellers in the housing market. Year-over-year home value appreciation is highest in Florida. For the 50 largest metro areas the leaders included Miami (12.8%), Jacksonville (9.3%), Hartford (8.6%), Richmond (8.6%) and Orlando (8.4%). On the other end were Western and tech-centric metro areas the prices were down with San Francisco (-4.9%), Sacramento (-2.6%), San Jose (-2.3%) Austin (-1.1%) and Seattle (0.8%).

Buyers did begin to return to the market at the beginning of the year but the newly pending listings were still 20% lower than the same time last year. January saw a 30% increase from December when it came to newly pending listings. The strongest winter season was still reported pre-pandemic.

Unfortunately, sales were down the lowest this January since 2018. The year began with only 232,000 new listings where it was reported at 328,000 new listings in January 2021. The listing pool will probably stay on the low side due to a much lower “normal” volume of homes listed.

If you are in the market to list or buy a home, it is still a good market. Choosing a local real estate agent to help you with the process is a wise decision, especially in the current housing market.

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Another Drop in Mortgage Rates

 The end of March saw another rate drop for the second week in a row even with the uncertainty stemming from the economy and bank failures. According to Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.42% which was down from 6.60% the week prior. Unfortunately, this is still no match for the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rate from a year ago at 4.42%.

“Mortgage rates continued to slide down as financial market concerns came to the fore over the last two weeks,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist.

“If mortgage rates continue to slide over the next few weeks, look for a continued rebound during the first weeks of the spring homebuying season,” replies Khater.

The Fed will still likely boost the rates a little to offset the volatile economy we are currently in. Robust economic data suggested the Federal Reserve was not done in its battle to cool the US economy and would likely continue hiking its benchmark lending rate. The rate was raised by the Feds at the end of March by a quarter point but the Fed also said that the aggressive rate hikes will more than likely stop.

“Depending on the extent of the impact of a tighter banking sector, Powell expressed a ‘wait-and-see’ approach to further contractionary policy. However, the federal funds rate is expected to remain elevated through the end of the year, meaning that a higher interest rate environment is here to stay for the time being, including for home loans,” says Hannah Jones with Realtor.com.

The rate is based on the yield on 10-year US Treasury bonds which will move according to the Fed’s action. Basically, when the Treasury goes up, mortgage rates will also go up and when the Treasury goes down, so do mortgage rates.

“At the current price and mortgage rate level, the typical housing payment on a median-priced home is 43% higher than one year ago,”said Jones.

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Where To Go in Covington To Get Israeli and Lebanese Dishes

 Tavi, located at 330 N Hampshire Street in Covington is a Northshore cousin to Shaya. Chef Fariz Choumali, the executive chef at Tavi, has worked for BRG Hospitality as an executive chef. He and his wife moved to New Orleans after visiting the city and felt like it was home.

“Beirut, where I’m from, shares a French culture and vibrancy with New Orleans. The first time I went to the French Quarter, with its architecture, music and culture, I felt at home. People come from all over the world to eat food here. I knew this city was for me,” explains Choumali.

Tavi opened its doors in January in Covington and shares many dishes with Shaya but he has also added some Lebanese street dishes. “Here we have so many regulars. People were waiting for this food. Covington doesn’t have a place like New Orleans, so our opening was a big deal to the community,” he says.

Tavi is located in a former barber shop that has been converted into the 85-seat restaurant. There is tons of natural lighting along with a 10-seat bar and a wood-fire oven. Tavi is named after one of the partner’s grandsons and is the Hebrew word for good.

Patrons will enjoy foods like buttermilk-soaking fried chicken spiced with turmeric and coriander, hummus, house-pickled vegetables and wild mushrooms with sage brown butter in za’atar-spiced hazelnuts. The Lebanese dishes include arayes, a grilled pita sandwich stuffed with ground kafta or seasoned lamb. Confit chicken is another dish that is cooked in duck fat and served with basmati rice.

The 10-seat bar offers some unique cocktails for patrons. The Road to Kfar is made of sumac-infused tequila, pom liqueur, lime juice and hibiscus syrup. Wines are also served that are Californian, Lebanese, French and Israeli along with beer from Greece and Lebanon.

“I still call my mom with questions about recipes. She can cook everything,” says Choumali.

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Updating Homeowner’s Insurance Policy Is a Must After Making Renovations

 

According to a recent study around one-third of homeowners did not know that they should update their insurance policy after a renovation. A survey done by The Hanover revealed that 61% of US home insurance policyholders are planning on renovations, but only 34% know to update their homeowners’ insurance coverage once the renovation is complete.

“Proactive outreach throughout the year also results in powerful conversations that give customers peace of mind that their age3nts are continuously looking for ways to protect investments and add value to the relationship,” noted The Hanover report.

Renovations will raise the value of a home, so you might not have enough coverage with your original policy. If you suffer a major loss, this could hurt you and your pocket. Usually when a renovation is completed, there needs to be a modified Coverage A amount listed on the original policy. This is important because it is reported that around forty percent of homeowners will renovate and spend more than $50,000.

Homeowners are staying put in what they have due to higher interest rates and rising home prices. Around 28% of those that planned on purchasing a home in 2022 said that higher interest rates and home prices encouraged them to stay put. Around seventy percent of those who were going to purchase a home said that rising interest rates and home prices affected their decision.

“These trends should prompt agents to talk with their customers to ensure their homeowners’ policies reflect the true value of their home after a renovation, and that their policies protect the investments they have made to their home. These conversations can help create a strong customer experience that reminds customers of the value their agent provides,” says Richard W. Lavey, president of Hanover Agency Markets.

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