Tagged: Housing

The mass retirement of baby boomers could trigger yet another housing crisis. Boomers were responsible for roughly 80% of home construction in the 80’s and 90’s, and many of those homes were big, too big for empty nesters transitioning to a fixed income. Enter a housing solution that’s been with us all along: mobile home communities, or trailer parks.

Modest improvement: that’s how a new report from the New Hampshire Housing Financing Authority sums up 2012.

Two hundred and ninety-seven homes fell into foreclosure in December, an 18% jump from a month earlier. But total foreclosures for the year are down sharply from their peak in 2010.

Jane Law with NH Housing says the overall economy is still driving a housing recovery.

At the start of a New Year, some numbers look good -- sales are steadily going up and prices are recovering.  But there are also less hopeful signs -- foreclosures remain a stubborn problem and new construction is slow.  We’ll take a look at the housing picture here in the Granite State.

Guests:

Brian Gottlob - Principal of Policon Research, an agency focusing on economic and public policy issues.

New data from NH Housing Finance Authority shows 263 New Hampshire homes fell into foreclosure in September. That’s a 13% decline from 2011 levels.

The report says the numbers are a sign that the worst of the housing crisis could be behind us.  

But, cautious optimism aside, there is some tangible good news here: total foreclosures are on track to be their lowest since 2009. Foreclosure auction notices are also way down.

Residential properties in New Hampshire continue to move at a strong pace. 

More than 1,100 homes sold in September. That’s a 7.5% jump from 2011 levels, fueled in part by very low mortgage rates.

Prices, though, remain flat. The average sale price last month was just under $200,000, a slight dip from August.

Ned Redpath with Redpath Realty in Hanover says buyers still control the market

New housing data suggests the New Hampshire market may be stabilizing, even while residential prices remain low.

The median sale price last month was $210,000. That’s the same price from August 2011--a signal that the number of houses for sale continues to outpace demand.

But a report from the New Hampshire Association of Realtors says the number of units sold is up more than 20% from last year. And gains are being seen in each of the state’s ten counties.