Real Estate Archives

NAR: Existing Home Sales Slip 2.3% In April

Existing home sales for April slipped 2.3 percent according to The National Association of Realtors. This comes on the back of the sharp correction in new home sales reported yesterday by the Census Bureau. Existing home sales for April posted at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.57 million units. While down from the previous month, this was roughly 1.6 percent higher than last year. Lawrence Yun, NAR's chief economist, pegged the sales softness on a lack of affordable homes... "Homes in the lower- and mid-market price range are hard to find in most markets, [...]

By Aaron Layman|2017-08-19T10:32:21+00:00May 24th, 2017|Real Estate, Texas Home Prices, Texas Real Estate|0 Comments

New Home Sales Tumbled In April, Unchanged Year-Over-Year

So much for the Trump bump euphoria. New home sales tumbled in April, posting at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 569,000. This was 73,000 below the revised March figure and far below analysts expectations. Then again analysts haven't been paying attention to the real economy, so this latest data is not a surprise to anyone who doesn't have their head in the sand. Year-over-year, new home sales for April are back to unchanged according to the latest Census figures. And just like that, the "pent up demand" that pundits have been talking about has [...]

By Aaron Layman|2017-12-22T01:42:08+00:00May 23rd, 2017|Development, Mortgage Rates, New Home Sales, Real Estate, Texas Home Prices, Texas Real Estate|0 Comments

Housing Bubbles A Global Problem

Housing bubbles are easy to see, unless of course you are one those people in the real estate industry who feign ignorance for the sake of sales. For those who care to look, it is blatantly obvious that there is an echo bubble in real estate prices. It's a global problem that poses a number of challenges, and the potential capital destruction that would result from its collapse is probably larger than many want to admit. Everyone has to dance to the music, until the music stops. Looking at an updated index of San Francisco [...]

By Aaron Layman|2017-08-19T10:36:20+00:00April 26th, 2017|Housing Market, International Real Estate, Markets, Real Estate, Spin Cycle, Texas Home Prices, Video|0 Comments

New Home Sales Rise In March, Back To 1971 Levels

The Census Bureau reported that March new home sales posted at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 621,000 units. This was up 5.8 percent from revised February numbers and the third consecutive month of sales gains for new homes. Combined with the March rise in existing home sales it would appear the first quarter of 2017 has been net positive for home sales despite the backdrop of higher mortgage rates. Preliminary new home sales for March were up 15.6% year-over-year. The average price of a new home contracted in March was $388,200, while the median [...]

By Aaron Layman|2017-08-19T10:39:59+00:00April 25th, 2017|Development, Economy, Mortgage Rates, New Home Sales, Real Estate, Texas Real Estate|0 Comments

Census: New Home Sales Rise With Decline In Median Price

The Census Bureau reported new home sales for February that were 12.8 percent higher than a year ago. New home sales posted at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 592,000, with the bulk of the sales increase coming from the Midwest region.. The median price of a new home contracted in February was $296,200, down from $311,300 last year. The average price of a new home contracted in February posted a surprisingly large increase to $390,400. The big decline in median prices (down over $15,000) from last year likely helped to boost February sales. Mortgage [...]

By Aaron Layman|2022-08-06T13:29:35+00:00March 23rd, 2017|Economy, Existing Home Sales, Housing Market, New Home Sales, Real Estate, Texas Home Prices|0 Comments

NAR: Existing Home Sales Cool In February

The National Association of Realtors reported that existing home sales cooled to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.48 million in February. Sales of existing homes fell 3.7 from January levels but were 5.4 percent higher year-over-year. NAR continues to fret about an inventory shortage when the real culprit is elevated home prices in general. Existing home sales are still treading at levels well below the previous cycle peak. As I have said repeatedly, there is no shortage of homes for sale. There is a shortage of affordable homes for sale, homes that real working [...]

By Aaron Layman|2017-12-22T01:45:05+00:00March 22nd, 2017|Economy, Existing Home Sales, Housing Policy, Mortgage Rates, Real Estate, Relocation|0 Comments

Financialization Of Housing And The Disturbing Gap In New Home Sales

The financialization of the U.S. housing market has led to a rather disturbing gap in new home sales relative to existing home sales. This is a subject I was referencing this week when I mentioned the problem builders are facing with the lack of affordable land to build new homes on. Today the Census Bureau reported new home sales for January came in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 555,000. Previous months were also revised lower, with November taking a significant haircut. On a year-over-year basis January new home sales were up 5.5 percent. [...]

By Aaron Layman|2022-08-06T13:30:06+00:00February 24th, 2017|Economy, Housing Policy, In the Press, Markets, New Home Sales, Politics, Real Estate, Regulation, Spin Cycle, Video|0 Comments

NAR Finally Gets Real About Home Affordability Issues

The National Association of Realtors is out with a new method of gauging home affordability. As part of NAR's look at the the growing rift between housing availability and home affordability, NAR has developed a new affordability distribution curve and a home affordability score. The new monthly research is designed to look at home affordability conditions among different income percentiles, gauging how many homes on the market are actually affordable to various buyer income groups. The new affordability distribution curve and score show that many U.S. homes are no longer affordable to typical prospective buyers. [...]

By Aaron Layman|2022-08-06T13:30:36+00:00February 20th, 2017|Economy, Housing Policy, In the Press, Markets, Mortgage Rates, New Home Sales, Politics, Real Estate, Spin Cycle, Texas Employment|0 Comments

Texas Realtors Unwittingly Paying For Bad TAMU Economic Research

Texas Realtors are paying for some bad economic research. That's the only conclusion I can come to after looking at the current situation where highly educated economists are giving short shrift to the underlying causes of Texas home price inflation and market distortions. While the Fed has abdicated its responsibility to the American public, TAMU economists seem to be cooperating with the Fed in offering "alternative facts" surrounding the declining affordability of housing and real estate market imbalances. In a previous post I posited a guess as to why this is happening. After looking at [...]

By Aaron Layman|2021-04-21T11:24:58+00:00February 8th, 2017|Education, Housing Policy, Politics, Real Estate, Spin Cycle, Video|0 Comments

Monkey Business – Expert Says Affordable Homes Are Going Away
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Monkey Business – Expert Says Affordable Homes Are Going Away

Economy, Housing Policy, Humor, In the Press, Markets, Mortgage Rates, Real Estate, Spin Cycle, Texas Employment

Monkey Business – Expert Says Affordable Homes Are Going Away

Affordable homes are going away. With the prospect of rising rates, now is the time to buy a home. That is apparently the opinion of Dr. Luis Torres, a research economist with the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M. Torres, in a rather interesting piece in the Houston Business Journal seems to be confident that Houston's real estate market is on the road to recovery: “I can say this with some certainty that the worst of the downturn is behind us.” I'm not surprised that HBJ would print a piece like this (after all it is [...]

By Aaron Layman|2017-12-22T01:16:40+00:00February 5th, 2017|Economy, Housing Policy, Humor, In the Press, Markets, Mortgage Rates, Real Estate, Spin Cycle, Texas Employment|1 Comment

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"Could not have been more pleased with the entire process of selling my Katy house. Aaron was very professional and went out of his way to help kennel my dog before showings while I was at work. He had an outstanding knowledge of the entire real estate transaction process and was always very responsive to my questions. Would definitely recommend Mr. Layman to anyone I know!!"

Matt B., Home Seller

"Aaron helped us narrow down our choices and navigate the market. He is very knowledgeable about making a wise decision. He will help you find a house that you love and is a good financial decision."

Kristina R., Home Buyer

"Aaron was our realtor when we bought our house 13 years ago and he was our realtor when we sold our house in 2014. He is honest about the market and very helpful with all aspects of buying/selling a home. We would recommend him to anyone in need of realty services."

Paula O., Home Buyer & Seller

"We had several agents to choose from as we'd been in the area for several years. Aaron was an easy choice as he's knowledgeable and wasn't afraid to go after what's best for us, his clients! He kept us well informed throughout the process and was always prompt in answering questions from start to finish. We definitely recommend Aaron!"

Shanna K., Home Buyer

"Working with Aaron was the best decision we made when looking for a new home and selling our previous home. He is one of the most knowledgeable realtors in the area. He knows the numbers, the trends, and always has data to back up his recommendations and decisions. Likewise, he made the process simple and understandable at the same time. Aaron was always in our corner and always did his best to get the best outcome for us. I have recommended Aaron to many friends and family and would recommend him to anyone looking to buy or sell their home."

Angelo G., Home Buyer & Seller

Denton County Realtor Aaron Layman

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Monkey Business – Expert Says Affordable Homes Are Going Away