Posts tagged as:
Case Shiller Index Boston
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[post_content] => Greater Boston home prices continued their rise in the current reading of Massachusetts home values recently released by Standard and Poors. The seasonally adjusted S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for Boston jumped 1.2% in February 2013, the most recent month for which price data is available for the Index.
Demographics support rising home prices?
Local home prices have been on a tear throughout 2013.
Prices are up over 5% from their recent lows back in November 2011 on the seasonally adjusted Boston Index.
And the recent run-up in area home values may be just a foretaste of things to come. We may all benefit from a pronounced long term market shift towards higher home values. That’s one of the exciting insights offered in an excellent article in Barron’s on the economic coming of age of the Millennial generation.
Housing next to benefit from demographic trends
As outlined in the Barron’s article, Millennials currently range in age from 18 to 37. As a demographic group they are 7% LARGER than the massive Baby Boom generation which had such a large impact on housing in the last quarter of the 20th century.
The Barron’s article details the positive effects the huge Millennial demographic cohort will have in coming years on housing, the stock market and the US economy in general. “Housing could be the next major industry to benefit from their size and maturation” the article notes.
“We're big believers in this housing recovery"
Regarding US housing, the Barron’s article makes several bullish projections:
♦ More young adults living in their parents’ homes will pack their bags and move out. That will spur an increase in U.S. household formation.
♦ Greater financial security could mean an increase in the birth rate. "A lot of Millennials put off having babies, and now they will get to work," one demographer quoted in the article says.
♦ Most significantly, there will be more home buyers than sellers in the 12 years ending with 2019, giving the housing market a huge boost.
Don’t bet against demographics
Demographic trends are very powerful forces in the social and economic development of any society. In every decade of the latter half of the 20th Century, the US experienced the profound influence of the Baby Boom generation (both for the good and the bad). Now we may stand poised to benefit in coming decades from the economic and social vitality about to be unleashed by the Millennial Generation as they come of economic age. There are many reasons for optimism about our futures!
Copyright ©2013 02038.com
[post_title] => Why housing may stay on the rise
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[post_content] => Greater Boston home prices have risen 1.7 percent in the last 12 months as tracked by the seasonally adjusted S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for Boston. However, Boston homes prices were up only marginally last September (the most recent month for which price data is available from Standard and Poors, the publisher of the Index).
12 month results mask recent strength
The Index‘s mildly upbeat performance over the last 12 months actually understates the recent strength of Boston, Mass home prices. That’s because the results for the last 12 months reflect a number of months of price weakness during the latter half of 2011. Since last February however, metro-Boston home prices have gone a tear, rising a robust 3.5 percent before cooling off a bit in September.
Unadjusted Boston Index starts seasonal decline
Standard and Poors publishes a second version of the Index for Boston. Unlike the seasonally adjusted version of the Index we reviewed above, this second version is not seasonally adjusted. It does not adjust Greater Boston home prices to strip away seasonal volatility in Massachusetts home sale prices.
The unadjusted Index typically starts it's seasonal decline every year around September and this year was no exception. Unadjusted for seasonal volatility, home prices in Greater Boston fell 0.7 percent in September.
The unadjusted Index clearly shows how MA home prices tend to rise in the spring and summer and fall back in the fall and winter regardless of any underlying strength or weaknesses in the real estate market. These rhythmic fluctuations are statistical in nature and can be misleading.
That's why the seasonally adjusted Index gives you a much more accurate read on how MA home prices are faring. And the news so far in 2012 has been pretty good!
Copyright ©2012 02038.com
[post_title] => Greater Boston home prices up 1.7 percent in last 12 months
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[post_content] => Greater Boston home prices rose a half a percent last July. July’s 0.5% increase marked the 4th straight monthly advance in the seasonally adjusted S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for Boston. (July is the most recent month for which price data has been provided by Standard & Poors.)
One and half years of losses erased in 4 months
Since February, the Index is up 3.5%. This strong rise in MA home prices rise has essentially erased most of the decline in Bay State home values that started in the middle of 2010 and continued in fits and starts until this spring.
As shown in the area shaded pink in the chart above, MA home prices from January 2009 through April 2010 were artificially supported by a series of Federal tax credit programs. These programs ran in various forms from January 2009 until they expired on April 30, 2010.
As the chart illustrates, MA home prices went into a prolonged slump after the expiration of those Federal home buyer tax credits. By December 2011, Greater Boston home prices had fallen back nearly as low as they were in February 2009 at the worst point of the world-wide financial crises.
Base from which to build?
The recovery in Massachusetts home prices back up almost to where they were at the end of the Federal home buyer tax in credits in 2010 has been strong and swift. In of itself, this is good news for home sellers. What's more important, the recent rise may have formed a good base from which to build further gains in MA home prices!
Unadjusted Boston Index up sharply
There is another version of the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for Boston. This version gives a less reliable reading on MA home prices because it does not adjust for pronounced seasonal variations in Bay State home values.
The non-seasonally adjusted Boston Index shows a huge 8.5% increase in Greater Boston home prices over the last 5 months.
On an annual basis, this amounts to over a 20% gain. That's a gross overstatement of the present direction of home values in Massachusetts! And that nicely demonstrates what the seasonally adjusted Index gives a more reliable read on where MA home prices are heading.
Thinking of selling?
If you own a home or investment property in Massachusetts and are thinking of selling, follow the hotlink to ask for a free, no obligation value analysis of your property. Warren uses cutting edge techniques to sell homes and is a smart choice for your real estate agent!
Copyright ©2012 02038.com
[post_title] => Boston home prices rise 4 months in a row
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[post_date] => 2012-09-27 10:17:16
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[post_content] => Greater Boston home prices rose again in July, continuing an upward trend which began earlier this year. According to heartening new figures just released by Standard and Poors, seasonally adjusted metro Boston home prices rose another 0.8% in July, marking the 5th straight monthly rise in the seasonally adjusted S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for Boston.
Greater Boston home prices up 2.8% since February
As tracked by the seasonally adjusted Boston Index, home prices in metro Boston are 2.8% above where they were last February.
The rise in Massachusetts home prices reflects ongoing robust demand for homes in the Bay State. Year-to-date home sales volume is up a brawny 22% so far in 2012 over 2011 levels. Home sales in August were an eye-popping 55% ahead of what they were back in August 2010.
Unadjusted Index up 7.7% since February
The news is even better when you look at Greater Boston sale price figures that have not been adjusted for seasonal variation.
Without removing seasonal influences, the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for Boston rose 1.8% in July and now stands 7.7% above its recent low set back in March.
Take these non-seasonally adjusted gains with a grain of salt. Massachusetts home prices fluctuate with the seasons, exaggerating price swings in the unadjusted Boston Index.
Very positive news either way
Whether you look at the seasonally adjusted Boston Index or its unadjusted version, the upward direction of home prices in 2012 is very encouraging.
Higher home values should help spur more prospective home sellers to take the plunge and list their homes for sale. In turn, more homes for sale will increase choices for home buyers, making for a healthier, more balanced real estate market in Massachusetts than we have seen over the past several years.
Follow the hotlinks to search for homes for sale in Franklin, MA organized by school district and by house style.
Copyright ©2012 02038.com
[post_title] => MA home prices on the rise
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[post_date] => 2012-09-06 17:24:17
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[post_content] => It was tempting to put a provocative headline to this post along the lines of “Boston home prices soar 2.5% in one month!” or “Does the 2.5% jump in Boston home prices mean you’ve missed the housing market bottom?”
Misleading headlines a disservice
Such inflammatory headlines would garner attention but would be deceptive and a disservice to you. Yes, there was a large jump in home prices recorded in June by the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for Boston. But statistics can be misleading and in this case the huge spike in June prices does not accurately depict the current direction of home values in the Bay State . . . at least not yet!
2.5% leap in Boston home prices in one month
In a report issued last week by Standard and Poors, the Case-Shiller Home Price Index for Boston rose to 154.43 in June 2012.
That’s a whopping 2.5% increase over the 150.67 reading on the Index for the prior month. At face value, the increase seems decisive evidence of a rebound in MA home values.
Unadjusted home prices ebb and flow with the seasons
But home price statistics in Massachusetts are heavily impacted by seasonal influences. The S&P/Case-Shiller Index for Boston typically goes up in the spring and summer and tends to decline in the colder, darker months of fall and winter.
So if you take seasonality into account, the Boston Index SHOULD have gone up sharply in June - after all the Index has surged every June for the last four years!
Smaller rise in Boston home prices on seasonally adjusted Index
The need to account for seasonal distortions in home prices is the reason why Standard and Poors publishes an alternative, seasonally-adjusted version of the Case-Shiller Home price Index for Boston. The seasonal distortions are stripped out of the seasonally-adjusted version of the Boston Index shown below.
The seasonally adjusted version of the Index shows that Greater Boston home prices rose o.5% in June. That’s much more modest than that gaudy 2.5% gain in the unadjusted Index, but it represents a more accurate and reliable read on how metro-Boston home prices are really performing in 2012.
2% rise since February
As tracked by the seasonally-adjusted version of the Index, Greater Boston home prices are up 2% in the four months from February to June. That's encouraging news for home sellers but certainly not an 'I-missed-the-market-bottom' cause for regret on the part of prospective MA home buyers.
Home prices in Massachusetts may continue to edge higher for the rest of 2012. Some experts are calling for higher prices in 2013 as well, counting on the MA economy to continue to improve.
So home buyers should take note: stop looking for home prices to continue to fall. Your bigger opportunity lies in taking advantage of today's historically low interest rates and buying a home or investment property at a price which will probably look like a great bargain just a few years from now.
Copyright ©2012 02038.com
[post_title] => Does a 2.5 percent surge in Greater Boston home prices mean less than appears?
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[post_date] => 2012-08-02 12:07:32
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[post_content] => Boston home prices edged up for the 3rd month in a row according to figures just released by Standard and Poors. The seasonally adjusted S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for Greater Boston rose 0.7% in May, putting the Index a healthy 1.5% above where it was last February.
Home prices rise as sale volume surges
The 3 month rise in Greater Boston home prices reflects vigorous conditions in the overall Massachusetts real estate market. The first half of 2012 saw strong gains in home sale volume, with home sales soaring 20% over year-ago levels. With homes selling quickly, it seems natural that we would see home prices rise in the face of such active demand.
Non-seasonally adjusted Boston Index rises also
Stripped of adjustment for seasonal influences, metro-Boston home prices rose sharply in May.
The 2.4 % increase in non-seasonally adjusted prices could be termed perfectly routine and perhaps even expected given that home prices on the unadjusted Boston Index typically do rise each spring, only to fall back every winter.
The rhythmic seasonal rises and falls of Boston home prices greatly reduce the reliability of the unadjusted version of the Case-Shiller Index as a home price tracking tool.
What will Fall 2012 bring?
Whether the Case-Shiller Index for Greater Boston will keep rising in 2012 depends on the pace of home sales for the rest of the year.
After the prime spring selling season, Massachusetts homes typically have their second-best home marketing season each fall. How well homes sell in the second half of August through the end of October this year would seem to hold the key to the direction of home prices for the balance of 2012.
If Massachusetts home sales in the second half of 2012 keep up the strong pace they set in the first 6 months of the year, we should see home prices continue to creep higher. In turn, this might set the stage for better things to come in 2013.
Copyright ©2012 02038.com
[post_title] => Greater Boston home prices up 1.5 percent since February
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[post_date] => 2012-03-28 15:39:25
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[post_content] => The seasonally adjusted S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for Boston rose a miniscule 0.1% in January 2012, breaking a months-long slide. The seasonally adjusted Boston Index for January inched up to 149.34 (from 149.16 the month before).
First rise in 5 months
January's tiny uptick was the first rise in the Boston Index since August 2011 when it stood at 152.83.
The seasonally adjusted Boston Index currently stands 2.3% below where it was last August.
Greater Boston home prices hover above April 2009 low
The Index now stands a scant 0.5% higher than its April 2009 nadir. From its low of 148.59 back in April 2009, the seasonally adjusted Boston Index rose in fits and starts during the lifespan of the now-defunct Federal home buyer tax credits (shaded in pink in the chart above).
Once the tax credits expired, the Index settled right back down again. While in hindsight the Federal home buyer tax credits did little to lift home values in any meaningful manner over the long term, they did enable real estate markets across the US to stabilize at a time of intense crisis in 2009.
January a strong month for MA home sales
January’s rise in the seasonally adjusted Index coincided with strong home sales activity in MA for that month. January’s single family home sales and pendings in Massachusetts rose sharply over year ago levels. This was followed by another month of active sales in February. So there’s the potential for a another rise in the seasonally adjusted Boston Index when the February reading is released next month.
Unadjusted Index lower
Standard and Poors produces home price indices for 20 different US metro areas. S&P maintains two versions of Case-Shiller index for each of the 20 metro reporting district. One version is seasonally adjusted while the second version is not adjusted for seasonal variations in home prices.
The news media report seemingly exclusively on the unadjusted Case-Shiller indices.
This is unfortunate for us in Massachusetts as the unadjusted version of the Boston Index provides a very unreliable reading on MA home prices. It is strongly influenced by seasonal ups and downs. The unadjusted Index historically rises in the spring and summer and declines in the fall winter in a pronounced rhythmic pattern.
As you see in the graph above, the unadjusted Boston Index fell again in January. That decline is not all that meaningful as the unadjusted Boston Index usually is weak in January.
We'll keep monitoring both versions of the Boston Index with an eye for any meaningful movements in home prices in Massachusetts!
Copyright ©2012 02038.com
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[post_date] => 2012-02-03 10:44:44
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[post_content] => January is the month of Janus, the classical Roman god with the power to look back into the past while also seeing future events. Observers of the MA real estate scene should be excused if they invoked this 2-faced deity late last month, confronted as they were with contradictory news reports about where home prices are headed in the metro-Boston region.
Looking ahead
On the one hand, the Boston Globe gave prime placement in the January 29 edition of its Sunday Globe West insert to an article recounting rising home prices and sales volume in top-drawer towns west of Boston.
The article describes upward price pressure and bidding wars among avid homebuyers in upscale west-of-Boston suburbs such as Newton and Lexington.
The Globe article forecasts that home buyers will head further west beyond Rte 128 this spring in search of bargains, spreading the home-buying demand and encouraging more home sellers to try the market. All in all an upbeat view of the future for real estate in Greater Boston!
Looking behind
Just two days after publication of the Globe article described above, the newest monthly edition of the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for Greater Boston was released by Standard and Poors. The Index looks back in time to sales data two months old, in this case metro-Boston home sales in November, 2011.
The Greater Boston Index for November 2011 paints a picture of relative gloom. Metro-Boston home sales prices trended down again in November, continuing a decline that started earlier in the fall.
The Massachusetts real estate market was socked last November by widespread power outages caused by a freak late October snow storm which downed tree branches and power lines across the Bay State.
The storm damage and disruptions in electric service certainly slowed the November real estate market in Massachusetts and likely worsened the price performance for that month.
Which view is right?
Certainly, if you have to choose between older information and newer news, you go with the most recent dispatch when judging the current condition of any market. So The Globe's reporting on the active January real estate market in Greater Boston trumps the older take on Boston home prices provided by the November Case-Shiller Home Price Index.
Additional good news hit the Internet just today: January’s US employment report was much stronger than expected.
Quoting Reuters:
“(Reuters) - The economy created jobs at the fastest pace in nine months in January and the unemployment rate dropped to a near three-year low of 8.3 percent, providing some measure of comfort for President Barack Obama who faces re-election in November.”
The jobs report is very good news for the overall US economy and real estate in particular. An improving jobs outlook will boost consumer confidence which in turn should convince hiring managers to add still more employees. If hiring and consumer spending build momentum this spring, we'll see positive results in Massachusetts real estate.
You’ll be able to read all about it here at 02038.com!
Copyright ©2012 02038.com
[post_title] => Where are MA home prices headed?
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[post_date] => 2011-12-01 17:30:59
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[post_content] => Real estate is a lagging economic indicator. Home prices and property sales usually trail movements in the general economy. When a new up cycle gets underway, real estate is typically one of the last sectors of the economy to benefit.
So it was no surprise earlier this week when several upbeat developments in the US economy made the news at the same time that Standard and Poors announced a lackluster performance for Greater Boston home prices for the month of September.
Boston home prices slip
Greater Boston home prices fell 0.7% in the latest edition of the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index released this week by Standard and Poors.
Both the seasonally adjusted S&P/Case-Shiller Index for Boston . . .
. . . and in the non-seasonally adjusted version of the Boston Index . . .
. . . showed the same percentage drop in values for September.
Both the seasonally adjusted and the non-seasonally adjusted versions of the Index show identical declines for the last 12 months as a whole. Both Indexes are down -1.2% compared to September 2010. On both Indexes however, Boston home prices remain above their lows set back in March/April 2009.
Good economic news belies weak home prices
During the same week as Standard and Poors made its announcement about the drop in Greater Boston home prices, several items of good economic news hit the wires.
US car sales strong
Sales of automobiles in November were very brisk with several automakers reporting double digit gains.
Early Holiday retail sales up sharply
Consumer spending was very strong in the days after Thanksgiving. The all-important Holiday spending season is getting off to a booming start this year. The consumer is king in the American economy. U.S. businesses are currently very profitable but management has been reluctant to hire new workers in the face of sluggish consumer spending. If Holiday sales continue strong, 2012 may be much better year for everyone.
US now a net fuel exporter
The startling news that the US is now a net fuel exporter marked a potential sea change in world economics. If we can permanently reduce (or even eliminate) our decades-long massive trade deficits in oil in coming years, the US economy will reap profound benefits.
Look beyond the near term
There are many reasons to be optimistic about America's future. And the Massachusetts economy is doing much better than many other regional economies in the US.
So don't get caught up in the short term ups and downs of area home prices. Because of the enduring strengths in Massachusetts and America as a whole, the value of MA real estate likely will be a lot higher in a 3 - 5 years than it is now!
Copyright ©2011 02038.com
[post_title] => Boston home prices lag improving economy
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[post_content] => Greater Boston home prices essentially held steady according to the August rendition of the widely-followed Case-Shiller Index for Boston released recently by Standard and Poors. The pause in MA home prices follows a nearly 6% rise in Greater Boston home values over the prior three months, but comes at a time when some are predicting an upcoming “third dip” in property values nationwide.
Greater Boston home prices take a breather
Metro-Boston home prices as documented by the folks at S&P/Case-Shiller were flat in August (down a minuscule 0.1%).
This stability comes on the heels of a cumulative 5.9% increase in the Index from April through June of 2011. The Massachusetts economy has outperformed the US economy for the past few years, helping support local real estate.
The national “third dip” scenario
On October 31, newsfeeds displayed scary headlines predicting an imminent “third dip” for US home values.
The forecast was issued during a CNN/Money interview with the top economist at Fiserv Inc, a company that advises and supports the financial services industry.
In explaining his forecast third dip, the Fiserv economist described the two prior dips in national home values that have occurred since the 2006 market peak.
First dip
The first dip culminated at the height of the world-wide financial panic; by early 2009 the Case-Shiller National Home Price Index had plummeted 31% off its 2006 high.
Second dip
The second dip came in mid-2010 after a rebound in US home prices caused by the two Federal home buyer tax credits. After the tax credits expired at the end of April 2010, US home prices began to dip for a second time. All the price gains engendered by the Federal tax credits were eventually lost. The 2009 national market bottom failed to hold as the National Index slipped below where the first dip had left prices in 2009. Home prices fell further and the National Index now finds itself down 33% from the 2006 market top.
Third dip coming?
Fiserv’s “third dip” forecast sees a additional 3.6% decline in the National Index by mid-2012. Fiserv believes the second half of 2012 will usher in a mild rebound in home values that will extend at least to mid-2013.
Where MA fits in the “third dip” scenario
The chart below highlights some important differences between what has transpired over the last 5 years or so with Massachusetts real estate as opposed to the US market as a whole:
At their worst, Greater Boston home prices were "only" about 20% off their 2005 price peak, nowhere near the 31% or 33% decline seen in the US as a whole. The Boston Index now stands 14.7% below its September 2005 high.
The relative strength and stability of the MA housing market may lessen the scope of any “third dip” in Massachusetts for 2012 – and might help us avoid one at all.
The chart above also shows the strong seasonal swings up and down that affect the Boston Index. These up and down swings make it hard to spot a "second dip", much less enable one to predict a meaningful "third dip" with confidence.
Seasonally adjusted prices show clearer picture
The next chart uses the seasonal adjustments applied by Standard and Poors to the Boston Index. These seasonal adjustments smooth out the price undulations caused by the passing of the New England seasons and give a clearer view of the MA real estate market since 2000:
Here we see the something vaguely approaching a double dip in Greater Boston home prices; but the "second dip" looks very muted.
The chart shows a market peak in 2006, a bit later than the non-seasonally adjusted Index. The following decline ("first dip") bottomed in early 2009 at the crescendo of the world financial crises.
Greater Boston home prices did rebound in late 2009 through early 2010 just as overall US home prices did. Like the nation as a whole, the local market was buoyed by the stimulation provided by the two Federal home buyer tax credits.
MA market bottom held
Once the tax credits expired at the end of April 2010, the stimulation ended and the Greater Boston Index weakened.
But it was not as severe a decline as that experienced by the National Index.
The moderate decline in MA (a "second dip" if you wish) ended in April 2011. The Boston Index stopped declining at a point just above its low set back in 2009. The Massachusetts real estate market achieved what the overall US housing market could not: MA home prices did not drop below the 2009 low. The 2009 Massachusetts market bottom held.
Since last April, the seasonally adjusted Boston Index has started to rise again.
2012 - 2013 outlook better for MA RE?
The seasonally adjusted Boston Index presents a market that looks like it wants to trend higher.
No one knows what the future will bring. We might well see a weakening in home prices in 2012, followed by a 2013 rebound exactly as forecast by Fiserv.
But it seems likely that the relative strength of the Massachusetts economy will keep conditions in the Massachusetts real estate market markedly better than they are for the US as a whole.
The Massachusetts real estate market seems positioned to outperform the US market as a whole in 2012 and beyond.
Copyright ©2011 02038.com
[post_title] => Where MA home prices may head in 2012 if US enters a "third dip"
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[post_date] => 2013-05-03 17:34:58
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[post_content] => Greater Boston home prices continued their rise in the current reading of Massachusetts home values recently released by Standard and Poors. The seasonally adjusted S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for Boston jumped 1.2% in February 2013, the most recent month for which price data is available for the Index.
Demographics support rising home prices?
Local home prices have been on a tear throughout 2013.
Prices are up over 5% from their recent lows back in November 2011 on the seasonally adjusted Boston Index.
And the recent run-up in area home values may be just a foretaste of things to come. We may all benefit from a pronounced long term market shift towards higher home values. That’s one of the exciting insights offered in an excellent article in Barron’s on the economic coming of age of the Millennial generation.
Housing next to benefit from demographic trends
As outlined in the Barron’s article, Millennials currently range in age from 18 to 37. As a demographic group they are 7% LARGER than the massive Baby Boom generation which had such a large impact on housing in the last quarter of the 20th century.
The Barron’s article details the positive effects the huge Millennial demographic cohort will have in coming years on housing, the stock market and the US economy in general. “Housing could be the next major industry to benefit from their size and maturation” the article notes.
“We're big believers in this housing recovery"
Regarding US housing, the Barron’s article makes several bullish projections:
♦ More young adults living in their parents’ homes will pack their bags and move out. That will spur an increase in U.S. household formation.
♦ Greater financial security could mean an increase in the birth rate. "A lot of Millennials put off having babies, and now they will get to work," one demographer quoted in the article says.
♦ Most significantly, there will be more home buyers than sellers in the 12 years ending with 2019, giving the housing market a huge boost.
Don’t bet against demographics
Demographic trends are very powerful forces in the social and economic development of any society. In every decade of the latter half of the 20th Century, the US experienced the profound influence of the Baby Boom generation (both for the good and the bad). Now we may stand poised to benefit in coming decades from the economic and social vitality about to be unleashed by the Millennial Generation as they come of economic age. There are many reasons for optimism about our futures!
Copyright ©2013 02038.com
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by Warren Reynolds on May 3, 2013
Greater Boston home prices continued their rise in the current reading of Massachusetts home values recently released by Standard and Poors. The seasonally adjusted S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for Boston jumped 1.2% in February 2013, the most recent month for which price data is available for the Index. Demographics support rising home prices? Local home [...]
Tagged as:
Case Shiller Index Boston,
Massachusetts Home Prices
by Warren Reynolds on November 29, 2012
Greater Boston home prices have risen 1.7 percent in the last 12 months as tracked by the seasonally adjusted S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for Boston. However, Boston homes prices were up only marginally last September (the most recent month for which price data is available from Standard and Poors, the publisher of the Index). 12 [...]
Tagged as:
Case Shiller Index Boston,
Massachusetts Home Prices
by Warren Reynolds on November 7, 2012
Greater Boston home prices rose a half a percent last July. July’s 0.5% increase marked the 4th straight monthly advance in the seasonally adjusted S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for Boston. (July is the most recent month for which price data has been provided by Standard & Poors.) One and half years of losses erased in [...]
Tagged as:
Case Shiller Index Boston,
Massachusetts Home Prices
by Warren Reynolds on September 27, 2012
Greater Boston home prices rose again in July, continuing an upward trend which began earlier this year. According to heartening new figures just released by Standard and Poors, seasonally adjusted metro Boston home prices rose another 0.8% in July, marking the 5th straight monthly rise in the seasonally adjusted S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for Boston. [...]
Tagged as:
Case Shiller Index Boston
by Warren Reynolds on September 6, 2012
It was tempting to put a provocative headline to this post along the lines of “Boston home prices soar 2.5% in one month!” or “Does the 2.5% jump in Boston home prices mean you’ve missed the housing market bottom?” Misleading headlines a disservice Such inflammatory headlines would garner attention but would be deceptive and a [...]
Tagged as:
Case Shiller Index Boston
by Warren Reynolds on August 2, 2012
Boston home prices edged up for the 3rd month in a row according to figures just released by Standard and Poors. The seasonally adjusted S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for Greater Boston rose 0.7% in May, putting the Index a healthy 1.5% above where it was last February. Home prices rise as sale volume surges The [...]
Tagged as:
Case Shiller Index Boston
by Warren Reynolds on March 28, 2012
The seasonally adjusted S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for Boston rose a miniscule 0.1% in January 2012, breaking a months-long slide. The seasonally adjusted Boston Index for January inched up to 149.34 (from 149.16 the month before). First rise in 5 months January’s tiny uptick was the first rise in the Boston Index since August 2011 [...]
Tagged as:
Case Shiller Index Boston,
Massachusetts Real Estate
by Warren Reynolds on February 3, 2012
January is the month of Janus, the classical Roman god with the power to look back into the past while also seeing future events. Observers of the MA real estate scene should be excused if they invoked this 2-faced deity late last month, confronted as they were with contradictory news reports about where home prices [...]
Tagged as:
Case Shiller Index Boston,
Massachusetts Home Prices,
Massachusetts Real Estate
by Warren Reynolds on December 1, 2011
Real estate is a lagging economic indicator. Home prices and property sales usually trail movements in the general economy. When a new up cycle gets underway, real estate is typically one of the last sectors of the economy to benefit. So it was no surprise earlier this week when several upbeat developments in the US [...]
Tagged as:
Case Shiller Index Boston,
Massachusetts Home Prices
by Warren Reynolds on November 3, 2011
Greater Boston home prices essentially held steady according to the August rendition of the widely-followed Case-Shiller Index for Boston released recently by Standard and Poors. The pause in MA home prices follows a nearly 6% rise in Greater Boston home values over the prior three months, but comes at a time when some are predicting [...]
Tagged as:
Case Shiller Index Boston,
Massachusetts Real Estate