Stock Corrections and Housing

stock corrections and housing
Foreign Home Buyers Investing in the USA

Each time the stock market plunges there’s speculation about a wide spread economic contagion.  Talking heads and news headlines predict doom and gloom, as well as speculating about the effects on the housing market.  Because Wall Street reacts to all types of news and events, the effect of a stock crash on the housing market can vary. But are stock corrections and housing slumps connected?

If you want to see direct effects of stock corrections and housing slumps, you need only look at the stock market corrections in 2015 and 2018. Both stock market shocks were reactions to events in the US and globally.  The extended stock sell-off during 2015 was a reaction to China’s currency devaluation as a result of their low GDP as well as poor economic data that came from the EU.  The steep equities decline that happened during August through September of that year was bad timing for the housing market, as it occurred when the fall market was gearing up.  Consumer confidence dropped and home buyers were concerned about home values. As a result, home sales slowed during the fall of 2015.

Moving forward, February 2018 is one of the most volatile trading months in recent history.  That month saw two of the largest daily losses of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (both over 1,000 points).  The market correction was due to Fed rate increases and concerns of inflation.  The stock market correction occurred before spring home buyers were out in full force, so the short-lived event had minimal effect on home sales.  Although home prices continued to post gains, existing home sales declined the second half of the year after an active spring and summer.

Are stock corrections and housing slumps connected?

This month’s stock market one-day plunge was likely tied to tariffs, trade and currency wars.  The large decline occurred after China devalued its currency so as to make its consumer goods cheaper in the face of increasing tariffs.

Regardless of the impact of equities, it’s important to point out that home sales have been inconsistent throughout the year.  A July 23rd NAR press release indicated that existing home sales are 2.2 percent lower than last year.  Chief NAR economist Lawrence Yun stated, “Home sales are running at a pace similar to 2015 levels – even with exceptionally low mortgage rates, a record number of jobs and a record high net worth in the country…”   Although it may feel like we are repeating the housing cycle of 2015, it’s for different reasons.  Like then, home sale inventory is low and home buyers are anxious about increasing home sale prices.  However, differences include low mortgage rates, high consumer sentiment, and a stronger economy. 

Although the overall effects of current stock volatility on the housing market may be minimal, equities corrections are typically harsher on upper bracket and luxury homes.  Demand for starter homes will remain high, while upper tier homes will have to adjust pricing.  Yun stated “Imbalance persists for mid-to-lower priced homes with solid demand and insufficient supply, which is consequently pushing up home prices…”

Although stocks rebounded the next day, we really don’t know yet if this is the beginnings of stock correction or a one-day event, so there is no way to gauge an immediate effect on home buyers.  However, A July 17th NAR report indicated that foreign home buyers have been affected by a slowing global economy and low US home sale inventory.  The NAR Profile of International Transactions in U.S. Residential Real Estate 2019 indicated a 36 percent decline of foreign investment in U.S. residential real estate from last year.  It’s likely that foreign investment may further erode as a currency war develops.

By Dan Krell
Copyright © 2019

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Disclaimer. This article is not intended to provide nor should it be relied upon for legal and financial advice. Readers should not rely solely on the information contained herein, as it does not purport to be comprehensive or render specific advice. Readers should consult with an attorney regarding local real estate laws and customs as they vary by state and jurisdiction. Using this article without permission is a violation of copyright laws.

It’s Mr. Trump’s housing market now

Trump's housing market
Dodd-Frank regulation (from uschamber.com)

Change is not always easy.  Sometimes we choose to change and other times we are forced to change.  The Great Recession forced massive change to many aspects of our lives – mostly financial.  Many found themselves out of work because of the recession, and many home owners lost their homes to foreclosure; while the rest of us searched for ways to cope.  It’s Mr. Trump’s housing market now.

As a result, the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was quickly pieced together and signed into law in 2010.  “Dodd-Frank”, contained over two-thousand pages of regulations and rules, many of which were to be created at a later time by many agencies and unelected bureaucrats.  Dodd-Frank also created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which took over RESPA, lending and consumer finance markets enforcement responsibilities.  The CFPB created the “Qualified Residential Mortgage” and “Know Before You Owe” rules that significantly impacted the mortgage and housing industries.

The purpose of Dodd-Frank and the CFPB was well intentioned as Congress sought a solution to prohibit future crises.  In the uncertain financial atmosphere that ensued, consumers wanted accountability from Wall Street and mortgage lenders.  While some continue to generally blame Wall Street and the mortgage industry for the financial crisis, the reality is that the dynamics that created the financial crises were complex.  And one can surmise from the many hearings, books, dissertations, and working papers that the crux of the financial crisis was widespread fraud that took advantage of a hot real estate market and easy money.

Six years after Dodd-Frank, the rules and regulations keep coming.  Writing for the US Chamber of Commerce’s “Above the Fold,” J.D. Harrison pointed out that Dodd-Frank has created over 27,000 new federal regulations by thirty-two federal agencies impacting many industries (Dodd-Frank’s Regulatory Nightmare in One Rather Mesmerizing Illustration; uschamber.com).  Compared to the previous Wall Street reform in 2002, which had two agencies issuing regulations to only five industries.  Harrison stated that the Sarbanes-Oxley Act “basically sought more corporate transparency and accountability.”

Many have associated Dodd-Frank with the ongoing slow economic recovery, citing increased consumer costs and restricted lending – which effects the housing market, home buyers and sellers.

An example of increasing consumer costs is the CFPB’s TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure.  The Mortgage Bankers Association (mba.org) recently reported that compliance with TRID costs on average $210 per mortgage, some of which is recouped from the consumer.  The rule is also responsible for “slower application to closing times.”

A recent appellate case highlighted some of these Dodd-Frank outcomes.  The CFPB sought fines against a mortgage lender for their years of compliance with HUD’s interpretation of a rule; the fines were imposed retroactively for not complying with a new CFPB reinterpretation of the same rule. Additionally, the court focused on the CFPB’s unilateral ability to impose rules and fines without oversight.

It’s Mr. Trump’s housing market now.

Repeal and Replace is a talking point that is not exclusively for the Affordable Care Act.  Shortly after Donald Trump’s election as the forty-fifth President of the United States, many industry insiders and pundits are already anticipating the future of Dodd-Frank and the CFPB.  Mr. Trump’s plan for financial services is posted to the President-Elect’s site (greatagain.gov) stating: “The Dodd-Frank economy does not work for working people.  Bureaucratic red tape and Washington mandates are not the answer.  The Financial Services Policy Implementation team will be working to dismantle the Dodd-Frank Act and replace it with new policies to encourage economic growth and job creation.

Copyright © Dan Krell

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Commercial real estate bubble bust

by Dan Krell &copy 2009
www.DanKrell.com

If Wall Street is considered by some to be the “life blood” of the United States economy, then commercial real estate can be described as the economy’s lungs. If you can take a pulse of the economy by looking at Wall Street’s progress, then you can measure how well the economy “breathes” and thrives by looking at the state of commercial real estate. Even though Wall Street’s markets have somewhat rebounded from last fall’s correction, a bust in commercial real estate can correct Wall Street’s correction with another dip into the recession bin.

Owners of commercial real estate depend on cash flow to service their debt; this means that they depend on their business to pay their mortgages. For owners of retail and office centers, this means that the key to paying their mortgages is to collect the rents from businesses leasing space. When the economy is strong, vacancies are low and lessees pay their rents. As the economy slipped into a recession, vacancies increased and owners of retail and office centers found it more difficult to service their debt.

Commercial real estate financing is much different than residential real estate financing. Unlike residential mortgages, where typical terms are 30 years and underwriting guidelines are standardized for many programs; the terms and conditions of commercial real estate mortgages are often tailored to the risk level of the individual project or property.

Because commercial real estate mortgages are due in shorter periods (usually a balloon note), owners of commercial property are always looking for better rates and terms to improve their cash flow. As liquidity dried up in the last year due to bank fall outs and shake ups, some commercial real estate owners are finding it more difficult to refinance their notes that are coming due.

This double whammy is the reason for many real estate analysts’ predictions of a bursting commercial real estate market. As Lingling Wei and Peter Grant pointed out in their August 31st Wall Street Journal commentary (Commercial Real Estate Lurks as Next Potential Mortgage Crisis), delinquencies in commercial mortgage backed securities (bundled loans sold to investors such as hedge funds and pension plans) rose 600% to a delinquency rate of 3.14% in July 2009 as compared to the same time the previous year.

Wei and Grant also point out that an additional $1.7 trillion worth of commercial mortgage notes are being held by banks. As notes become due, bank losses are also expected to increase because of the inability to re-finance mortgages. Many commercial real estate owners and their lenders are finding that commercial properties are increasingly burdened by vacancies, making it more difficult to service the debt, while commercial real estate values are being driven down due to increasing defaults and foreclosures.

The good news is that like residential real estate, commercial real estate data is regional (depending on local market activity). Local commercial Realtor, Cory Hoffman (of Thur and Associates located in Mclean, VA) was optimistic when he said that “the commercial real estate market will get worse before it gets better…but the Washington D.C. commercial market will not be as hard hit as the rest of the country…” because of the strong government job market and stronger local economy.

This column is not intended to provide nor should it be relied upon for legal and financial advice. This article was originally published in the Montgomery County Sentinel the week of September 28, 2009. Copyright © 2009 Dan Krell