L.A. real estate news and insights.
The net value of property in Los Angeles County jumped 5.91% from last year to nearly $2 trillion, according to the county assessor's office.
It's the 13th consecutive year that the overall value of all taxable properties included in the more than 4,000-square-mile county has gone up, according to the Los Angeles County Assessor's 2023 Annual Report. The assessor's office estimates that it will collect $20 billion in property taxes to fund public services such as schools and medical care.
Pending home sales fell this fall to the lowest level since 2001. Pending deals dropped 8.5% year-to-year as the National Association of Realtors index fell to 71.4, the lowest mark reported since the trade group began tracking the metric in 2001.
My Take: There will be huge pent up demand in 2024.
Source: National Association of Realtors and The Real Deal
Fannie Mae has lowered their required down payment for owner-occupied, multi-family (2-4 unit) properties from 15% - 25% to 5%. This means you can buy a property with 5% down, live in one unit, and rent out the other 1-3 units.
The new policy took effect on November 18, 2023 and applies to several Fannie Mae mortgage types including conventional and renovation loans.
If you’ve wanted to buy a home but haven’t been able to figure out how to save enough for a down payment and meet your monthly mortgage payment requirements, your time has come.
Source: Crosscountry Mortgage
Mortgage rates fell again today, 11/14/23. The average rate on the 30-year mortgage fell 18 basis points to 7.40%.
The bond market rallied after government data showed inflation was lower than expected.
Wall Street has started to lower its expectations for more Federal Reserve rate hikes ahead.
Source: Diana Olick from CNBC
Mortgage rates have taken a big leap at the start of the new year. In the first week of 2022, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage jumped nearly 60 basis points higher than a year earlier, averaging 3.22% this week, Freddie Mac reports.
“Mortgage rates increased during the first week of 2022 to the highest level since May 2020 and are more than half a percent higher than January 2021,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “With higher inflation, promising economic growth, and a tight labor market, we expect rates will continue to rise. The impact of higher rates on purchase demand remains modest so far given the current first-time home buyer growth.”
The National Association of REALTORS® forecasts that mortgage rates will average 3.7% by the end of this year.
Source: Freddie Mac and “Instant Reaction: Mortgage Rates, January 6, 2022,” National Association of REALTORS® Economists’ Outlook blog
