First American says low mortgage rates are driving home price growth

In September, home prices rose 0.9%, declining 7.6% year over year, First American said in its Real House Price Index. According to the company, unadjusted house prices sit 8.1% above the housing boom peak.

Consumer buying power, which measures the influence of income and interest rate changes on house-hold spending, increased by 0.2% between August and September, rising 15.8% year over year.

When consumer house-buying power is factored in, home prices are actually 42.2% below their 2006 peak and 18.8% below prices from January 2000.

Although housing affordability improved during the month, Mark Fleming, First American’s chief economist said the growth just wasn’t enough.

“Two of the three key drivers of the Real House Price Index, household income and mortgage rates, modestly swung in favor of increased affordability in September, yet affordability declined month over month,” Fleming said.

This is because September’s home price growth outpaced improvements in overall affordability, according to Fleming.

“The 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage fell by 0.01 percentage points and household income increased 0.03 % compared with August 2019,” Fleming said. “When household income rises, consumer house-buying power increases. Declining mortgage rates have a similar impact on consumer house-buying power.”

“However, nominal house price appreciation jumped 1.1% in September, outpacing the benefits of rising house-buying power on affordability,” Fleming said. “Accordingly, the RHPI increased 0.9% month over month.”

Increases in the RHPI indicate a decline in affordability, and September ‘s was the largest month-over-month affordability decline since November 2018, Fleming said.

While declining mortgage rates have increased house-buying power throughout the year, Fleming said it has also led to a greater demand of supply, which has put pressure on the nation’s home prices.

“When demand increases for a scarce (limited or low supply) good, prices will rise faster,” Fleming said. “While year-over-year, the RHPI shows an improvement in affordability, the increase in house-buying power in September was not enough to offset nominal house price gains compared with August.”

~Alcynna Lloyd, Housing Wire

Your home may not be a mansion. But you might still have to pay a ‘mansion tax’

Beginning in January, homeowners in Washington state will soon pay a real estate tax that increases based on the sale price of their home.

Under the new provision, the tax rate on properties that sell above $1.5 million will more than double, rising from 1.28% to 2.75%. Homes that sell for more than $3 million will be taxed at 3%.

And Washington isn’t the only state changing the way it taxes real estate. New York also recently expanded its “mansion tax” — an additional tax that targets higher-end home sales.

Most real estate deals in the US trigger what is known as a transfer tax. But certain states — including Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Vermont and New York — also levy a mansion tax on homes that sell above a certain price.

What is a mansion tax?

The aim of a mansion tax is to make the state and local tax systems fairer and to raise money, says Samantha Waxman, a policy analyst at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. The additional taxes can be used to fund things like schools or roads, or can be specifically targeted toward things like affordable housing projects.

“Mansion taxes are one way for states to provide for their long-term future,” she said.

But how expensive does a home have to be to trigger a mansion tax?

Washington state made its transfer tax progressive in 2019, according to CBPP, with graduated rates that increase for homes sold that are worth over $500,000, $1.5 million, and $3 million. These new rates will apply as of January 1, 2020. The state cut the rate for homes worth less than $500,000.

Who pays a mansion tax?

Using transfer taxes to raise public funds is nothing new, says Kim S. Rueben, director of the State and Local Finance Initiative at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. But more recently, some states and cities are adopting tax rates that go up as the value of the property increases, similar to income tax rates that go up as your income increases, rather than a flat tax.

In deciding who should pay these taxes, lawmakers are considering two things, said Rueben.

First: How badly does the state need the money?

“If you need the money for basic services, like Vermont, you need a lower threshold to get more people to pay,” Rueben said.

The second factor is income inequality and how housing prices in the area are widening the gap.

In Washington state, the real estate excise tax is typically paid by the seller of the property, although the buyer is liable for the tax if it is not paid, according to the state Department of Revenue.

~Q13 Fox News