Blog Layout

Home affordability plummeted in fourth quarter 77% of counties are now labeled less affordable by ATTOM Data Solutions

Didier Malagies • Jan 05, 2022


Homeownership continues to swerve into unaffordable territory, with median-priced single-family homes becoming less affordable in three-quarters of the nation’s market, a report published by ATTOM Data Solutions last week said.


Per the report, between October to December 2021, median home prices in 440 of the 575 counties analyzed by the data vendor saw notable home-price growth. As a result, 77% of counties included in the report have now been labeled as less affordable by ATTOM, up from 39% of counties in the fourth quarter of 2020.


The data vendor also noted that in the third quarter of 2021, 428 counties from the same data set were labeled as less affordable, up from 224 counties in the fourth quarter of 2020.


On average, the median national home price grew by 17% over the past year to $317,500, according to the report.


Todd Teta, chief product officer at ATTOM, said in a statement that the financial comfort zone for homebuyers continues to shrink as home prices rise and mortgage rates tick upwards.


How lenders can accelerate access to credit for marginalized communities

For those in marginalized communities, it can be much more challenging to achieve the American dream of homeownership. Here’s a look at a lending technology that can help forge a pathway for underserved populations to build generational wealth through homeownership. 


Presented by: Equifax

 “Historically low rates and rising wages are still big reasons why workers can meet or come very close to standard lending benchmarks in a majority of counties we analyze,” Teta said. “ But the portion of wages required for major ownership expenses nationwide is getting closer to levels where banks become less likely to offer home loans.”


ATTOM found that ownership costs have risen in the fourth quarter of 2021, with the typical home consuming 25.2% of the average national wage of $65,546. In comparison, the fourth quarter of 2020 saw ownership costs at 21.5%.


However, ATTOM noted that the latest level is still within the 28% standard lenders prefer for how much homeowners should spend on mortgage payments, home insurance and property taxes.


The report added that house hunters unscathed financially by the pandemic have buoyed housing costs, as they “surged into the market amid a combination of mortgage rates hovering around 3 percent and a desire to trade congested virus-prone areas for the perceived safety of a house and yard, as well as the space for growing work-at-home lifestyles.”



“Amid very uncertain times, with the pandemic again threatening the economy, we will keep watching this key measure of housing market stability,” Teta concluded.



Start Your Loan with DDA today
Your local Mortgage Broker

Mortgage Broker Largo
See our Reviews

Looking for more details? Listen to our extended podcast! 

Check out our other helpful videos to learn more about credit and residential mortgages.

By Didier Malagies 25 Mar, 2024
Home equity levels among homeowners aged 62 and older are at record levels following the end of the pandemic. As a result, reverse mortgages may no longer be considered a “loan of last resort” as financial planners aim to highlight their uses as part of a comprehensive financial plan in retirement. This is according to a column published this week by Investment News, soliciting input from planner professionals well known to the reverse mortgage business, including Wade Pfau. But other data suggests convincing borrowers of the benefits remains very challenging. Reverse mortgage use as part of a broader financial plan “is really the intention in the financial planning space,” Pfau told the outlet. While reverse mortgage customers benefit greatly from low rates, the current high-rate environment doesn’t fully cancel out their potential use as a planning tool, he explained. “It’s all about the sequence-of-returns risk in retirement planning […] Spending from the home equity helps you preserve more investments, so there is going to be a bigger legacy at the end,” Pfau told the outlet. “The beneficiaries can get more. They can pay off the loan and still have a net windfall.” This perspective is consistent with prior statements Pfau has provided to other outlets, including to RMD . Other financial planners adjacent to the reverse mortgage space offered their own thoughts, including Steve Resch, vice president of retirement strategies at Finance of America Reverse (FAR). “The goal is for the client or the family to always retain an equity position in that property. […] Years ago, that wasn’t the case,” Resch said in the story, describing the housing crisis of 2008 as a “reckoning” for the reverse mortgage industry as well as the larger housing ecosystem. Resch explained that the ballooning length of retirement in America contributes to the potential utility of a reverse mortgage for qualifying borrowers. “It’s simply a matter of demographics,” he told Investment News. “We have an enormous population that is moving into retirement. We’ve got a massive amount of equity available. We’re looking at 20- to 30-year retirements. Bringing home equity into that plan really makes sense.” Another financial planner, Gateway Wealth Management founder David Foster, cited Pfau’s work in particular as helping to bring him around on the product category as a planning tool for clients, but convincing them to take a closer look at a reverse mortgage remains a major challenge. “I think reverse mortgages might be the single most underutilized retirement planning tool,” he told the outlet. “I have found it extremely difficult to have a rational conversation with my clients about reverse mortgages. Most people who’ve paid off their house just cannot fathom the idea of going back into debt. “No amount of logic will be able to convince them that it is wise to borrow against their house in retirement after having worked so hard to pay off their home prior to retirement,” Foster added. “I’ve even had people get borderline angry with me for even suggesting the idea.” Last year, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage released survey data suggesting that education hurdles remain very steep for the reverse mortgage industry when aiming to connect with a variety of different borrowers on multiple potential use cases. 
By Didier Malagies 25 Mar, 2024
You have Conventional Mortgages, FNMA/FHMC, FHA, VA, Reverse Mortgages, Bank Statement loans, DSCR, Reverse Mortgages, and 1099 mortgages. Depending on your particular situation, could be a choice based on credit scores, income, funds to close Buying a home using Bank statements to qualify for a mortgage Buying a home using a 1099 only to qualify for a mortgage Using rental income to qualify for a mortgage Or being a first-time home buyer with just 1% down to purchase a home tune in and learn more at https://www.ddamortgage.com/blog didier malagies nmls#212566  dda mortgage nmls#324329
By Didier Malagies 18 Mar, 2024
What if you refinanced your lower-rate first mortgage into a higher rate but consolidated all of your debt into one low payment. Getting rid of credit cards, car loans, installment loans, and student loans. What would your savings be a month and how much would you save? Then if property values were ever to plummet and rates came crashing down. Just go back to 2007 when we were able to refinance everyone on the HARP program. I just break things down to worse-case scenarios and how you can stay ahead of the game with your finances no matter what. I think it is time to get the house in order and save money, doesn't seem like food , medical or anything is going down but instead still going up Maybe everything we are told is not exactly correct tune in and learn https://www.ddamortgage.com/blog Didier Malagies nmls212566 DDA mortgage nmls#324329
Show More
Share by: