Home sales have plummeted across the country and builders are slowing new construction as the inventory of unsold homes continues to build. The tax credit that galvanized the market expired at the end of April.
Future construction indicators are also bleak, as new permits for single-family home starts declined for a third month in a row in June. The reasons for the market’s troubles range from underperforming stocks to the slowly recovering labor market to widespread global economic turmoil.
The housing market was at the center of the start of the current recession, but now the economy as a whole can be held accountable for blocking the Housing Market Mississauga recovery. Until the job market continues to grow, housing is unlikely to recover vigorously. This will put a heavy strain on manufacturing, retail, and other industries that rely heavily on homebuilding and consumer confidence.
A Wall Street Journal survey of 28 major metropolitan areas found that inventories were rising in many of these markets. Despite near-record low prices and interest rates, consumers are reluctant to enter the housing market. Last week, the average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 4.57%, the lowest since it was recorded. But demand for home loans has also fallen 44% over the past two months, to its lowest level in 14 years.
Last fall, the government extended the Home Buyers Tax Credit Program. Buyers were originally required to close by to qualify, but due to a backlog of sales to process, the deadline has been postponed. Analysts fully expected a lull in summer sales as the tax credit expired, but the decline far exceeded expectations.
But many other markets continue to boom amid rising foreclosures and sluggish job growth. Affordability is at its best over the past decade in many markets, but this has in many cases been offset by stricter lending standards. Banks typically require a 20% down payment and near-perfect credit scores, especially for jumbo loans that are too large to qualify for government assistance.
A major problem facing the market is overstocking and declining demand. More than 7 million homeowners have not paid at least one mortgage or are already in the process of foreclosure. More foreclosures will lead to lower prices as banks flood the market with affordable housing.