Housing

Census Bureau: New 2012-2016 American Community Products Available

The U.S. Census Bureau has scheduled for the release of the 2012-2016 American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample, the 2012-2016 variance replicate tables and the Puerto Rico Community Survey. The Public Use Microdata Sample files provide a 5 percent sample of the U.S. population for users to create their own tabulations. The 2012-2016 variance…

HUD and Census Bureau: Residential Construction Activity in December 2017

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau jointly announced the following new residential construction statistics for December 2017. Building Permits: Privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in December were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,302,000. This is 0.1 percent (±1.4 percent)* below the revised…

HUD: $25 Million Offered to Clean Up Dangerous Lead in Public Housing

Funding to make low-income housing lead safe The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is offering $25 million in grants to identify and eliminate lead-based paint hazards in public housing. Read HUD’s Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA). These funds are offered through HUD’s Public and Indian Housing Lead-Based Paint Capital Fund Program. This…

HUD: Record $2 Billion Awarded to Thousands of Local Homeless Assistance Programs Across U.S.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today awarded a record $2 billion to support more than 7,300 local homeless assistance programs across the nation. HUD’s Continuum of Care grants provide critically needed support to local programs on the front lines of serving individuals and families experiencing homelessness. View a complete list of all…

FHFA: Index Shows Mortgage Rates Increased in November 2017

Nationally, interest rates on conventional purchase-money mortgages increased from October to November, according to several indices of new mortgage contracts. The National Average Contract Mortgage Rate for the Purchase of Previously Occupied Homes by Combined Lenders Index was 4.05 percent for loans closed in late November, up 7 basis points from 3.98 percent in October….

Federal Reserve: Assessing the Severity of Rent Burden on Low-Income Families

Jeff Larrimore, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System,1 and Jenny Schuetz, Brookings Institution Housing costs are a severe financial burden to many low-income families. The typical renter in the bottom quintile of the income distribution spends more than half of monthly income on rent and has less than $500 dollars left after paying…

FHFA: House Price Index Up 0.5 Percent in October 2017

U.S. house prices rose in October, up 0.5 percent from the previous month, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) seasonally adjusted monthly House Price Index (HPI). The previously reported 0.3 percent increase in September was revised upward to 0.5 percent. The FHFA monthly HPI is calculated using home sales price information from mortgages…

FHFA: Third Quarter 2017 Foreclosure Prevention Report Shows Foreclosure Preventions Top 3.9 Million

Hurricanes Impact Delinquency Rate The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today released its third quarter Foreclosure Prevention Report, which shows that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) completed 41,465 foreclosure prevention actions in the third quarter of 2017, bringing the total number of troubled homeowners helped to 3,972,689 since the start of the conservatorships…

FEMA: Disaster Assistance in Puerto Rico 90 Days After Hurricane Maria

GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico– More than $870 million in federal funds has been provided to Puerto Rico survivors of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. This includes money paid out in FEMA grants, U.S. Small Business Administration low-interest loans and National Flood Insurance Policy claims. These funds help make it possible to begin rebuilding homes and restoring communities….

HUD: Guide Released to Help Struggling Homeowners Avoid Foreclosure

Guide helps borrowers and disaster victims to understand mortgage options and avoid scams The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today released the Homeowners Guide to Success as part of a public-private partnership between federal agencies and industry partners. The guide provides homeowners with information on the critical first steps to take if they…