The Federal Housing Administration on Dec. 2 announced that for 2021 its loan limit for high-cost areas and for Home Equity Conversion Mortgages for reverse mortgages will increase from $765,600 to $822,375, and the floor from $331,760 to $356,362. Current FHA regulations don’t allow HECM loans to vary by metropolitan statistical area or county.

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Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told the House Financial Services Committee Dec. 2 that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac need “significant capital” to get out of conservatorship, but noted that no definitive plans have been made for the government-sponsored enterprises, HousingWire reported. The Federal Housing Finance Agency plans to stay its course even with the incoming Biden presidency.

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By Jacob Passy

When the coronavirus pandemic first reached U.S. shores earlier this year, worries abounded about how it would affect the country’s housing market.

 ATTOM Data Solutions, curator of the nation’s premier property database and first property data provider of Data-as-a-Service (DaaS), today released its third-quarter 2020 special report analyzing qualified Opportunity Zones established by Congress in the Tax Cuts and Jobs act of 2017 (see full methodology below). In this report, ATTOM looked at 1,737 zones with sufficient sales data to analyze, meaning they had at least five home sales in the third quarter of 2020.

The report found that median home prices increased from the third quarter of 2019 to the third quarter of 2020 in 74 percent of the zones and rose by more than 10 percent in slightly more than half the zones.

Every metro area tracked by the National Association of Realtors® during the third quarter of 2020 saw home prices increase from a year ago, according to NAR’s latest quarterly report, released today.

Due in large part to record-low mortgage rates and depleted nationwide housing inventory, median single-family home prices grew year-over-year in all 181 metropolitan statistical areas1 tracked by NAR, as every measured market showed sales price gains.

Moody’s Analytics today announced new forecasts for commercial real estate (CRE) rents and vacancies, covering eight property types and more than 3,000 submarkets across the United States. The forecasts reflect the latest Q3 data on US CRE markets collected and curated by the Moody's Analytics CRE Solutions group.

Throughout 2020, industrial properties such as warehouses used for storage and distribution of goods have likely benefited from an acceleration of e-commerce sales, even as brick-and-mortar retail floundered amid the coronavirus pandemic. The sector will likely not remain unscathed over the next year as a surge in COVID-19 cases forces further shutdowns and a fall in international trade volumes weighs on the manufacturing industry. Industrial property vacancy rates are expected to rise to 11.8% in 2021, and the sector is predicted to incur its biggest drop in effective rents in 10 years, down 4.5% in 2021.

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• Admissions and Designation Qualifications Committee: Stephen D. Roach, MAI, SRA, AI-GRS (Jan. 1, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2021 term).
• International Relations Committee: Ernst. Ulich H. Bergmann, MAI, SRA (Sept. 10, 2020 to Dec. 31, 2021 term).
• Audit Committee:  Robert L. Moorman, MAI, SRA, AI-GRS beginning Nov. 13, 2020.  Moorman’s term will continue through Dec. 31, 2022.
• Strategic Planning Committee Chair:  Robert R. Elliott, MAI, SRA (Nov. 13, 2020 to Dec. 31, 2021).

 Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC) released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), showing that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 2.78 percent, the lowest rate in our survey’s history which dates back to 1971.

“Mortgage rates hit another record low, the twelfth time this year, due to economic and political ambiguity,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist. “Despite the uncertainty that we’ve all experienced this year, the housing market, buoyed by low rates, continues to be a bright spot.”

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By Michael Tucker

Real Capital Analytics, New York, reported commercial real estate price growth increased at a 1.4 percent annualized pace in September as gains in apartment and industrial sector prices offset declines in retail and office price.

The Trepp CMBS delinquency rate continued to trend notably lower in October. After two huge jumps in May and June, the rate has now declined for four consecutive months.

The CMBS Delinquency Rate in October is 8.28%, a decline of 64 basis points from the September number. About 1.00% of that number represents loans in the 30 days delinquent bucket – down 40 basis points for the month.

By Michael Tucker

The Urban Land Institute, Washington, D.C., said a consensus of real estate economists surveyed expect a short-lived recession and above-average GDP growth in 2021 and 2022.

AI will continue to compile vital information about this ever-changing environment. On our Coronavirus Updates page, you’ll continue to find news and updates from government-sponsored enterprises and agencies. You’ll also find all of AI’s resources that are relevant to the pandemic including: AI Answers, webinars, ANO articles, guides, summaries and emails.

Please visit the Coronavirus Updates page on AI’s website.

By Bendix Anderson

Though the majority of properties were still close to fully occupied, over-eager developers had squeezed too many new projects into growing cities like Phoenix and Orlando, Fla., which put some downward pressure on rents. Then the initial chaos caused by the pandemic rents down further.

As you’re probably aware, the topic of diversity and alleged bias in the valuation profession has been covered in the media recently, and it’s an issue that AI continues to take very seriously.

As the nation’s largest professional association of real estate appraisers with over 17,000 professionals, and with more than 73,000 appraisers in the U.S., there’s no way we, or anyone else, can categorically say that no bias exists in the profession and that no individual appraiser has any bias. “Good” appraisals are credible and well supported – as you know, value is not a fact to be found. Attempting to find a non-appraiser’s opinion of the “correct” value sends us quickly down a rabbit’s hole. Instead, we are springing into action with a range of programs meant to attack whatever unconscious individual biases may exist; addressing matters of diversity within the profession; and developing policy solutions relating to mortgage financing and community and economic development.

In NAIOP’s sixth monthly survey tracking the effects of the pandemic on the commercial real estate industry, respondents reported continued gradual improvement in deal activity, but also reported more tenants seeking rent relief, particularly in the office sector. 

The survey was completed by 203 NAIOP members between September 15 - 18, 2020. Respondents represent a range of professions, including developers, building owners, building managers, brokers, lenders and investors.

The Fannie Mae (FNMA/OTCQB) Home Purchase Sentiment Index® (HPSI) increased 3.5 points in September to 81.0, rising for the second consecutive month and continuing the rebound from late spring. Three of the six HPSI components increased month over month, with consumers reporting a substantially more optimistic view of home-selling conditions, expected home price growth, and the labor market, but a more pessimistic view of homebuying conditions and mortgage rate expectations. Year over year, the HPSI is down 10.5 points.

“The HPSI has recovered more than half of the early pandemic-period decline, mirroring the strong home purchase activity of the past few months,” said Doug Duncan, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist. “Consumers’ home price expectations were up strongly this month, with high home prices playing an increasingly – though unsurprisingly – important role in driving both the increase in ‘good time to sell’ sentiment and the decline in ‘good time to buy’ sentiment. Going forward, we believe the wild card to be whether enough sellers enter the market to continue to meet the strong homebuying demand. The home purchase market requires the proper mix of home price growth and continued economic recovery to achieve sustainable levels of housing activity.”

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The Appraisal Institute, the American Society of Appraisers, the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers and the Massachusetts Board of Real Estate Appraisers today announced their collective support for the development of additional training that addresses unconscious bias in valuation, and for each organization to individually review its Code of Ethics and other governing documents to further ensure awareness and compliance among its membership and the valuation profession as a whole.

“During this important time in our nation’s history, our organizations stand together to enhance existing training and ethics initiatives and work even harder to ensure that the appraisal process is free of bias or discrimination of any kind,” said Appraisal Institute President Jefferson L. Sherman, MAI, AI-GRS.

Specifically, the professional organizations pledge to develop training programs for appraisers covering unconscious bias issues, helping to increase awareness by connecting the appraisal community with thought leaders on bias and discrimination.

“Acknowledging that bias exists is but one small step. Together with our partners, we commit to doing the hard work of educating our members about the various ways bias can affect their work, and provide them the tools necessary to overcome bias. By doing this as a profession, and not merely as individual organizations, we hope to underscore to our members and the public just how important this issue is to all of us,” stated American Society of Appraisers International President Lorrie Beaumont, ASA.

Each of the organizations also commit to take steps to enhance their respective Code of Ethics to more firmly or overtly address bias and discrimination issues with protected classes.

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