Mobile technology dominates home buying process, REALTOR® survey finds

LOS ANGELES (July 17) – Demonstrating the proliferation of mobile technology into nearly every facet of our lives, more than eight out of 10 home buyers are accessing home information on their smart phones and computer tablets, according to the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ (C.A.R.) “2013 Survey of California Home Buyers.”

“With more and more consumers using mobile devices and mobile technology, such as apps and social media platforms, buyers are increasingly using their smartphones and computer tablets to view comparable house prices, search for properties, take photos, and create videos of homes and amenities, as well as research communities and real estate agents,” said C.A.R. President Don Faught.  “As a result, home buyers today are more informed and have a greater sense of control over what could be a daunting process.”

The survey found 85 percent of buyers used a mobile device during the home buying process, with the majority of buyers (70 percent) accessing the Internet from their smart phones and 15 percent accessing it from their tablets. 

While the majority of buyers (61 percent) found their home through an agent, the percentage who found their home online more than doubled from 16 percent in 2012 to a record high of 37 percent in 2013.

Almost one-third (30 percent) of buyers rated Realtor.com as the most useful website, followed closely by Zillow at 28 percent.  Broker and agent websites were also helpful in the home buying process as buyers increasingly seek local expertise and information.

The use of social media in the home buying process continued to increase, with three-quarters of buyers now using it, compared to 52 percent who used social media in 2011.  Buyers primarily used social media for buying tips and suggestions from friends (43 percent), neighborhood information (42 percent), and to view their agents’ Facebook pages (41 percent).  The use of social media as a form of communication is expected to grow, with 91 percent of buyers saying they are receptive to receiving information about the home buying process from their agent via social media.

The survey also found that buyers spent nearly six months considering a purchase before contacting an agent, nearly twice as long as last year. They took more time investigating homes and neighborhoods before contacting an agent, spending just over seven months on researching, compared to about 1.5 months last year. Additionally, buyers spent nearly 10 weeks looking for a home with their agent, a week longer than last year. More than eight out of 10 buyers (85 percent) made offers on other homes, and one-third said they settled for the best option given the limited supply of houses.

“The lengthier consideration time and home search illustrates the impact of low housing inventory and increasing home prices,” said Faught.  “These factors caused buyers to weigh their options more carefully before making their home purchase.”
           
Additional findings from C.A.R.’s “2013 Survey of California Home Buyers” include:

• Buyer optimism about the future direction of home prices continued to grow, with the majority of buyers (60 percent) believing prices will go up in five years and 36 percent seeing prices rise in one year, up from 41 percent and 25 percent, respectively, last year.
• Buyers cited price decreases (38 percent), favorable prices/financing (12 percent), and the desire for a better location (10 percent) as top reasons for purchasing a home.
• Reflecting the prevalence of tight lending standards, buyers experienced extreme challenges in obtaining financing.  On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being extremely difficult, buyers rated their difficulty in obtaining financing at 8.6 on average, the highest in the survey’s history.
• Higher down payments are the market norm these days, with buyers putting an average of 25 percent down on their home purchase.  The average down payment has been greater than the traditional 20 percent since 2009.
• Ninety-one percent of buyers obtained a fixed-rate loan, up from 84 percent in 2011, reflecting low rates and the desire for certainty as the market gets back to basics.

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The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is allowing borrowers who went through a bankruptcy, foreclosure, deed-in-lieu, or short sale to reenter the market in as little as 12 months, according to a mortgage letter released Friday.

Borrowers who experienced a foreclosure must wait at least three years before getting a chance to get approved for an FHAloan, but with the new guideline, certain borrowers who lost their home as a result of an economic hardship may be considered even earlier.

For borrowers who went through a recession-related financial event, FHA stated it realizes “their credit histories may not fully reflect their true ability or propensity to repay a mortgage.”

In order to be eligible for the more lenient approval process, provided documents must show “certain credit impairments” were from loss of employment or loss of income that was beyond the borrower’s control. The lender also needs to verify the income loss was at least 20 percent for a period lasting for at least six months.

Additionally, borrowers must demonstrate they have fully recovered from the event that caused the hardship and complete housing counseling.

According to the letter, recovery from an economic event involves reestablishing “satisfactory credit” for at least 12 months. Criteria for satisfactory credit include 12 months of good payment history on payments such as a mortgage, rent, or credit account.

The new guidance is for case numbers assigned on or after August 15, 2013, and is effective through September 30, 2016.

House flipping heats up in the High End Market

If house flippers flooding all ranks of the real estate market eight years ago was the sign of the impending market downturn, then what does it mean that investors are embracing high-end flipping today?
Reuters this week ran a story that looked at a growing trend in the flipping of high-end homes. “Flipping” is the term we give when someone buys a house at a low price, usually invests a bit – or a lot – of money in remodeling, then sells for a nice profit.
Flipping was once a street sport where you’d find just about anyone regardless of investing or real estate experience partaking in markets across the U.S. But it faded out pretty quickly when the downturn hit the housing market.
Even Jeff Lewis, star of Bravo’s “Flipping Out” has since pivoted to a design services model.
It’s back – but in a different form. And it could mean better things for the market rather than being an ominous sign for rampant speculation and decline.
This time, what Reuters reports is more flipping with luxury homes. According to Reuters, the number of flipped homes valued at $1 million or more has risen nearly 40% nationwide since 2011. It’s important to note that RealtyTrac defines a flip as a home that’s been purchased and sold within six months.
RealtyTrac cites a few specific markets where high-end flipping is rampant. Luxury house flipping was up 867% in Orlando between 2011 and 2012, and increased 456% in Phoenix. To get a deeper sense of what these percentages mean, the number of flipped high-end homes in Orlando went from 3 to 29 during this time, from 27 to 150 properties in Phoenix, and from 10 to 73 properties in Las Vegas.
What’s driving this activity?
Well, as one source tells Reuters, the opportunity in flipping at the low end has all but dried up. And despite more risk with more dollars at the high end, the investments have paid off handsomely for those investors who know what they’re doing.
I like to look at it as another example of why real estate is never just one story. With so many markets each centering on different local economies and so many different levels of each of those markets – low to high end – it’s almost impossible to make blanket statements about the state of housing.
But it’s easy to see how the growth in investment at the high end is a positive overall. If nothing else, the confidence investors must have going into these high-end deals is a wonderful strength that eventually will help strengthen overall confidence in the greater housing market.
Gino Blefari & LPF Team