Sharon Shaw-Flores | Realty World-Premier Associates

Both 30- and 15-year mortgages reached record lows

Long-term mortgages were introduced to the U.S. market in the 1950s — and the 3.83 percent average for a 30-year loan reported by Freddie Mac last week is the lowest rate recorded since then.

The average for a 15-year mortgage dropped to a record low of 3.05 percent.

First quarter home sales highest in five years

According to NAR, home sales in the first three months of 2012 were the highest of any first quarter since 2007.  Home sales increased 4.7 percent from the fourth quarter of 2011 and were up 5.3 percent year over year from the same period in 2011.

Loan fees and delinquencies dropping too

Last week, the average fee for 30-year loans dropped from 0.8 to 0.7, although the fee for 15-year loans remained steady at 0.7.

At the same time, homeowners behind on their mortgage payments reached the lowest level in three years — only 5.78 percent of borrowers were late on payments for the first quarter of 2012. This is down from 6.19 percent year over year from 2011, and from 6.01 percent the quarter prior (the last quarter of 2011).

Via The Washington Post Blogs and Mortgage News Daily.

New foreclosures down more than 30% year over year

For months, economists and industry experts have been predicting a flood of foreclosures to upset the housing market once bank settlements and other distressed mortgage initiatives were ironed out. As it turns out, however, the March Mortgage Monitor report issued by LPS shows that although new foreclosures for March are up 8.1 percent over February, they are down 31.1 percent from the same time a year ago. (via Lender Processing Services)

Completed foreclosures down nearly 20% from last year

CoreLogic’s monthly foreclosure report shows that there were 69,000 completed foreclosures in March, compared with 85,000 last March — a decrease of 18.8 percent. According to CoreLogic’s CEO, the reduction in completed foreclosures, given that the foreclosure inventory is also shrinking, “suggests that loan modifications, short sales, deeds-in-lieu are increasingly being used as an alternative to foreclosures to clear distressed assets in our communities. This is what was envisioned with the recent National Foreclosure Settlement, and can often be a better outcome for both borrowers and investors.” (via CoreLogic National Foreclosure Report – March 2012)

Short sales outpace foreclosure sales

For the first time, it appears that lenders are finally catching on to the idea that “short sales should be the dominant way of disposing of assets [in distress],” as Jonathon Weiner of Lender Processing Services puts it. In January 2012, short sales were 23.9 percent of home purchases, while foreclosed homes accounted only for 19.7 percent. A year ago, foreclosures were 24.9 percent while only 16.3 percent of home sales were short sales. Weiner also observed that the growing preponderance of short sales is a positive sign that the country is finally making real progress working through its overwhelming inventory of distressed properties — and could be a sign that home prices will bottom out this year. (via Bloomberg Businessweek)

There are now 35 states represented on the Improving Markets Index — tracked and reported by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and First American Title Insurance.

To make the “improving market” list, a metropolitan area must show continuous improvement for six months in three areas:

• Housing permits (data from U.S. Census Bureau)
• Employment (data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports)
• Home prices (data from Freddie Mac reports)

This month’s index shows 101 metro area markets on the list in 35 states — a significant increase from the 12 markets that appeared on the list last September when the index was launched. Of the markets on the list from the previous month (March), 88 stayed steady, while 11 areas were dropped and 13 areas added.

“While housing markets across the country continue to struggle under the weight of overly tight lending conditions and other challenges, the April IMI indicates that at least 101 individual metros are showing measurable and consistent signs that they are headed in the right direction,” said NAHB Chairman Barry Rutenberg. “A total of 35 states are now represented on the list, with 10 states having four or more entries. This positive news is in line with what our builder members have observed regarding firming conditions and improved buyer interest in certain locations.”

It’s important to remember that the index focuses on improving markets, notes NAHB’s chief economist — as markets stabilize, their performance in the three areas tracked by the index will be less likely to improve from the previous month, which will drop them from the list.

For more on the Improving Markets Index, visit NAHB’s IMI page here.