Those are just a few, but suffice it to say prices are rising based on higher demand and abnormally low supply. Supply, ironically, is low because so far regular home sellers who don’t have to move would rather not sell into a market that is just beginning to recovery.

Also, many homeowners are still underwater on their mortgages, and therefore they would have to pay into their current homes in addition to paying for a new one.

(Read More: Old Ills Still Hit Big Banks)

But why are the price jumps so high? Some say it’s all relative.

“Market observers shouldn’t be fooled by the large headline numbers,” warned Alex Villacorta, director of research and analytics at Clear Capital, a data provider. “Last year was a turning point for the market where the year started with prices at virtually their lowest point and saw a very strong correction through the year. Much of the gains we see right now in the yearly trends are a reflection of the market lows in 2012, rather than a function of recent short-term momentum.”

Villacorta expects these big gains to subside as the market stabilizes and more supply comes up for sale. He sees the recovery of housing itself, not some broader economic resurgence, as housing’s main driver.

“Moderate improvements in the broader economic landscape likely haven’t offered potential homebuyers strong reason to jump back in at the start of the season. We do expect to see more buyers and sellers ready to take action over the next several months as rising prices continue to free up some underwater mortgages,” he offered.

Article source: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100715894

Renter household formation remains at the strongest level in decades. Roughly 1.32 million new renter households were formed in the past year (including owner conversions), while the number of owner-occupied households declined by 175,000. Resident turnover and move-outs to homeownership remain near historic lows for most operators. Incoming leasing traffic is more than offsetting move-outs while paying higher rates.

The home ownership rate declined yet again in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to a new report from the U.S. Census today. It now stands at 65.4 percent, down from 66 percent a year ago and from a high of 69.2 percent in 2004. If you include the 5.3 million borrowers who are delinquent on their mortgages or in the foreclosure process, per Lender Processing Services, the real home ownership rate is even lower.

“The fact that the housing recovery is being driven principally by investor demand means that the slight decline in the homeownership rate in the fourth quarter is unlikely to be the last,” notes Paul Diggle of Capital Economics.

(Read More: World’s Most Expensive City to Rent Is…)

There is also a tremendous amount of pent-up demand for the rental market, as nearly 23 million young adults, male and female, under age 35 (31 percent of the cohort) are currently classified as ‘living at home’ with parents, according to Raymond James’ analysis. As job growth improves, they will move to rental apartments; the homeownership rate for this group is only 34 percent.

(Read More: Rentals Chip Away at Home Builder Gains)

Investors are also concerned about a 49 percent jump in multi-family construction permits from a year ago, but those permits are still running well below normal levels, and every year about 150,000 units are removed from housing stock for various reasons, like age and damage.

Suffice it to say that the apartment sector and the multi-family REITs will likely see a surprise to the upside in 2013. Rents will still rise, despite housing affordability and growth in the single family market.

(Read More: Real-Estate Tips from a Mega-Broker to the Stars)

Article source: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100416547

Renter household formation remains at the strongest level in decades. Roughly 1.32 million new renter households were formed in the past year (including owner conversions), while the number of owner-occupied households declined by 175,000. Resident turnover and move-outs to homeownership remain near historic lows for most operators. Incoming leasing traffic is more than offsetting move-outs while paying higher rates.

The home ownership rate declined yet again in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to a new report from the U.S. Census today. It now stands at 65.4 percent, down from 66 percent a year ago and from a high of 69.2 percent in 2004. If you include the 5.3 million borrowers who are delinquent on their mortgages or in the foreclosure process, per Lender Processing Services, the real home ownership rate is even lower.

“The fact that the housing recovery is being driven principally by investor demand means that the slight decline in the homeownership rate in the fourth quarter is unlikely to be the last,” notes Paul Diggle of Capital Economics.

(Read More: World’s Most Expensive City to Rent Is…)

There is also a tremendous amount of pent-up demand for the rental market, as nearly 23 million young adults, male and female, under age 35 (31 percent of the cohort) are currently classified as ‘living at home’ with parents, according to Raymond James’ analysis. As job growth improves, they will move to rental apartments; the homeownership rate for this group is only 34 percent.

(Read More: Rentals Chip Away at Home Builder Gains)

Investors are also concerned about a 49 percent jump in multi-family construction permits from a year ago, but those permits are still running well below normal levels, and every year about 150,000 units are removed from housing stock for various reasons, like age and damage.

Suffice it to say that the apartment sector and the multi-family REITs will likely see a surprise to the upside in 2013. Rents will still rise, despite housing affordability and growth in the single family market.

(Read More: Real-Estate Tips from a Mega-Broker to the Stars)

Article source: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100416547

Developers are rushing to increase supply of multi-family apartments, as there are now more This even as single-family rentals continue to gain market share. Continued uncertainty in the housing market, tighter mortgage underwriting and weaker consumer wealth has pushed ever more Americans to rent; the foreclosure crisis forced others.

The boom in multi-family is already raising red flags.

“We are incrementally more cautious on the multi-family sub-sector, as we see a rising supply environment in 2014,” note analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald. “Although at this point, data indicate demand remains strong and absorption in check.

(Read More: One Overlooked Fact About the Housing Recovery)

Apartment demand increased “noticeably” in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to Reis Inc. This despite record-low mortgage rates and renewed faith in the housing market. Rents continued to rise, although at a slower pace than the previous quarter. They still managed to hit another all-time high, “propelled by strong demand, limited new supply growth, and a still weak for-sale housing market.”

The single-family housing market is rebounding off its historic lows, but the very limited supply of homes for sale gives cause for concern.

Low inventories are pushing prices higher, faster than expected. All-cash investors are pushing those gains, and in turn pushing out first-time home buyers. While non-investors are slowly moving back into the market, they are not arriving in the necessary numbers, and they are also not finding much to choose from.

(Read More: Home Builder Confidence Stalls)

Article source: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100388194

(Read More: Housing Recovery Is Leaving Behind First-Time Buyers)

Congress raised guarantee fees in 2011 to pay for a payroll tax cut. There is yet another plan to raise fees further to fund immigration reform, although the bill is widely expected to fail.

“Dipping back into the housing piggybank to pay for unrelated policy items on the backs of America’s homebuyers ends the wrong message at a time when the housing market is starting to show signs of recovery,” wrote David Stevens, President and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association in a statement last month.

(Read More: Big Money Is Making Big Bets on a Housing Rebound )

Raising guarantee fees is another way for government to wind down the two mortgage giants it still backs, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but that comes at a cost to borrowers who are already hampered by stricter underwriting standards.

“G-fees will continue to increase as a way to run down the GSEs’ role in the mortgage market,” writes Paul Diggle of Capital Economics. “Stronger mortgage demand suggests that would-be buyers are growing in confidence. Nevertheless, mortgage lending will continue to be held back by tight credit.”

(Read More: Home Builders Beg for Skilled Workers)

Article source: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100301299

“About two weeks ago we started getting calls, like 7 or 8 a day, and we’ve been asked to bring students to work sites,” says Linda Thomas, an employment liaison for Job Corps. “They said look just bring them with their resumes, we’ve got work, we’re pushing more contracts now. Business is doing well, building is doing extremely well in the area.”

(Read More: Pending Home Sales Surge to Five Year Highh)

This is a drastic change from just six months ago, when Thomas was still finding herself the beggar, not the chooser with home builders. Her main concern is that all this new momentum will come to a grinding halt should the nation’s economy go over the so-called “fiscal cliff.”

“A contractor, once he sets up a job, then he has to get money for that job because he has to buy the materials and so forth, so if a bank is a little scary or his lender is a little scary, a private lender, he may not have the funds to start the project, therefore we won’t have the jobs.”

(Read More: Top Destination States for Jobs)

Article source: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100271485