Wall Street Journal: Why It’s Time To Buy Homes

Rising home prices made renting cheaper than buying in many parts of the country. But that dynamic has begun to change: Housing affordability, as measured by the ratio of median home prices to median household incomes, has fallen below pre-housing bubble levels in just over two-thirds of the country, according to an analysis of more than 380 metro areas by Moody’s Analytics.

Renting is still cheaper than buying in most markets, but rising rents and falling house prices mean that, in some areas, this won’t be the case for long. Buying a home is already cheaper than renting in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and Orlando, Fla., according to Moody’s Analytics. In other markets, including Dallas, Las Vegas and Sacramento, Cailf., the equation is likely to soon turn in favor of homeownership if current trends persist, the firm says.

Miami Renters Fuel a Boom

When the real estate market collapsed five years ago, this city’s downtown soon became an emblem of the worst excesses of the building boom. Glittering new towers sat mostly vacant.

Those towers are filling up much sooner than some analysts predicted. The new arrivals, mostly renters, are spurring the establishment of restaurants, bars and shops.

Condo sales here began surging after property owners slashed prices about two years ago, sometimes by 50% or more. … Fewer than 4,000 out of the 22,000 new units built since 2003 remain unsold, according to Condo Vultures.

Buying Real Estate in the USA as a Foreigner

Foreign residents can buy and own USA property directly, but many investors prefer to own through a holding company, an LLC (limited liability company) usually set up in a tax friendly state like Texas, Delaware, or Nevada. In order to own property and collect rents or proceeds from sales, foreigners need to obtain a US Tax ID number and set up a bank account – both of which are easy once...

California (Southland) Home Sales Report

“Sales have been far below average for quite a while and there’s little doubt there’s pent-up demand out there. But too many people still aren’t in the mood or in a position to buy. They might be concerned about prices falling more, or can’t qualify for a loan. They might owe more on their homes than they’re worth and can’t move up. Others were foreclosed on in recent years and can’t re-enter the market yet.”

Although the market is still characterized by historically high levels of distressed property sales, investor purchases and tight credit, some indicators have been inching their way back toward normalcy.

Home Value Decline Percentages For 25 Largest Metro Areas

According to Q1 2011 Zillow® Real Estate Market Reports Largest 25 Metropolitan Statistical Areas Covered by Zillow Zillow Home Value Index Q1 2011 QoQ Change YoY Change Change From Peak United States $169,600 -3.0% -8.2% -29.5% New York, N.Y. $346,600 -1.6% -5.3% -24.2% Los Angeles, Calif. $386,400 -3.0% -7.6% -36.1% Chicago, Ill. $167,900 -4.8% -13.8% -38.1% Dallas, Tex. $125,400 -1.2% -6.9%...

Apartments: Market Conditions Tighten

The Market Tightness Index, which examines vacancies and rents, rose to a record 90 from 78 last quarter. For all indexes, a reading above 50 indicates improving market conditions. Almost four in five respondents (79%) said markets were tighter (lower vacancies and/or higher rents) and—for the first time ever—not a single respondent thought conditions were looser.

Resurgent USA: New Households Form at Fastest Rate Since ’07

New Households Form at Fastest Rate Since ’07 in Resurgent U.S. By Steve Matthews – May 1, 2011 6:01 PM CT Millions of young adults like Webb are starting to leave their parents’ homes, creating households at the fastest rate since 2007. They’re helping to provide a so-called shadow supply that may boost U.S. housing starts more than 50 percent by next year and spur consumption at a rate...

Apartments: Increased Occupancy, Rents, and Net Income

April 26, 2011 From the Associated Estates Realty Corp (AEC) conference call, an apartment REIT in IN, OH, MI and PA (ht Calculated Risk): Looking at certain performance metrics throughout our portfolio, we continue to see residents staying longer – on average, 18 months. Also, it has been well publicized, households have a greater propensity to rent versus own as renting allow for...

Price-to-Rent Ratio (Owners Equivalent Rent)

This graph shows the price to rent ratio. The Composite price-to-rent index is just above the May 2009 levels, and the CoreLogic index is back to January 2000. Owners’ Equivalent Rent (OER) is at about the same level as two years ago – so the price-to-rent ratio has followed changes in house prices since then. Rents have been increasing again, so the OER will likely show an increase...

Las Vegas: Might see 1/3 appreciation if you buy now.

More than half of this year’s purchases were all-cash transactions, a sign that investors are finding bargains at the low end of the market, said Robert Lang, a professor of sociology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.… “Prices are below the cost of materials and labor,” said Lang, also a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington. “If you’re betting the U.S. economy won’t go back to Armageddon, you might see one-third appreciation if you buy now.”