Home Affordability Reaches An All-Time High

Mark Taylor — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:45:00 +0000

Home affordability moved higher last quarter, boosted by the lowest mortgage rates in history, a rise in median income, and slow-to-recover home prices throughout Arizona and the country.

According to the National Association of Home Builders, the quarterly Home Opportunity Index read 75.9 in 2011’s fourth quarter. More than 3 in 4 homes sold between October-December 2011, in other words, were affordable to households earning the national median income of $64,200.

Never in recorded history have U.S. homes been as affordable on a national level. Even on a regional and local level, affordability soared.

Affordability was highest in the Midwest; 7 of the 10 most affordable markets nationwide were in the nation’s heartland.

The Top 5 most affordable U.S. cities in Q4 2011 were:

Kokomo, IN (99.2% home affordability)
Fairbanks, AK (97.5% home affordability)
Cumberland, WV (96.9% home affordability)
Lima, OH (96.0% home affordability)
Rockford, IL (95.5% home affordability)

These are each considered “small markets”. The most affordable “major market” was the Youngstown, Ohio area, where 95.1% of homes sold were affordable to households earning the area’s local median income.

Not surprisingly, America’s “least affordable cities” were regionally-concentrated, too, with 7 of the 10 least affordable markets located in either California or Texas.

San Francisco (#3), Santa Ana (#4), and Los Angeles (#5) led for the Golden State but, for the 15th consecutive quarter, the New York metropolitan area took “Least Affordable Market” honors.

Just 29 percent of homes in and around New York City were affordable to households earning the area’s median income last quarter. It’s a large jump from the quarter prior during which 23 percent of homes were affordable.

The rankings for all 225 metro areas are available for download on the NAHB website.

The Most Expensive ZIP Codes In The County (2011 Edition)

The Most Expensive ZIP Codes In The County (2011 Edition)

Mark Taylor — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:45:00 +0000

In the housing market, amenities and location have as much to do with a home’s value as the everyday forces of supply-and-demand. Whereas the latter causes home values to rise and fall over time, the former creates a starting point for said values.

Where you live — and the features of your home — determine your home’s price range. Naturally, homes in some areas are consistently higher-valued than homes in others.

Using data compiled by real estate market data firm Altos Research, Forbes Magazine presents America’s 10 most expensive ZIP codes. California and the New York Metro area dominate the list.

Alpine, NJ (07620) : $4,550,000
Atherton, CA (94027) : $4,295,000
Sagaponack, NY (11962) : $3.595,000
Hillsborough, CA (94010) : $3,499,000
Beverly Hills, CA (90210) : $3,469,891
New York, NY (10012) : $3,392,574
New York, NY (10013) : $3,317,962
Water Mill, NY (11976) : $3,300,000
Montecito, CA (93108) : $3,099,348
Old Westbury, NY (11568) : $3,095,000

In fact, of the top 50 most expensive ZIP codes, only 6 are located outside of California and New York regions. 3 are Colorado resort towns — Snowmass (81654), Aspen (81611) and Telluride (81435) — one is in Maryland, one is in Florida, and the last is in Washington State.

Chicago-suburb Kenilworth (60043) is the top-ranked Midwest ZIP code. It placed 86th overall.

The Forbes list may be interesting but, to home buyers or sellers in Mesa , it should not be the final word in home values. Real estate is a local market which means that — even within a given ZIP code — prices can vary based on street and neighborhood.

Look past general data and get specific. Talk to your real estate agent for local market pricing.

The Most Expensive ZIP Codes In The County (2011 Edition)

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Home Affordability Reaches An All-Time High

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The Most Expensive ZIP Codes In The County (2011 Edition)

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