Freddie Mac: Loan Affordability Is a Warning Factor

With strong home sales—a projected 5.73M units, tops since 2007—and increased refinance activity, Freddie Mac expects the single-family housing market to do very well this year, raising its mortgage origination estimate to $1.45T for 2015, and $1.3T for 2016. With such lofty expectations, there's always a danger of a potential fall in overheated property values, as no single metric will indicate a potential price bubble forming, Freddie Mac chief economist Sean Becketti says, pointing instead to loan affordability as an indicatorCash-out refinances are up 7% from the previous quarter, which can be a double-edged sword for consumers long-term, Freddie Mac says. Despite the warning signals, people don't seem to care, as more and more borrowers are shortening loan terms with 40% choosing 15-or 20-year loans, up from 39% in Q1. And consumers seem solely focused on the financing rate of their recent home purchases. To avoid an economic free fall, Becketti says, affordability statistics should be treated as a warning, like a campground sign warning of forest fires. "We recognize when the danger is elevated," he says," but we can't predict for sure if or when someone will accidentally drop a match in the wrong spot."

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's National Newsletters
Related Stories

Wells Fargo Moves To Foreclose On $1.3B Workspace Property Trust Portfolio

Turner Construction Hit With Cyberattack, Hackers Claim Leaks Of Military Info, NDAs

Latest Round Of Fannie Mae Senior Staff Layoffs Has Multifamily Sector Anxious

Why Hines Is Restarting Its Development Engine

How Integrated Infrastructure Can Help AI Data Centers Deploy Faster, Build Smarter

Nvidia Buys Stake In Data Center Power Company

Invesco Cuts Fees, Adds Incentives To Quell Fund Redemption Requests

Investors Anchor Big Capital Into Marinas, Betting On Shallow Supply

Nike Closes 15 Stores Amid Tumultuous Year

Large Commercial Real Estate Sales Up 30% Despite Economic Headwinds

Evergrande Founder Sentenced To Life, 56 Others Sent To Prison In China

Loud And Clear: Why Aiphone Thinks Intercom Ownership Is Best For Multitenant Buildings