Foreign buyers purchased $4.8 billion of U.S. commercial real estate in 2018. The median value for a buyer-side transaction was $600,000, while the median value for a seller-side transaction was $1 million.
Older Boomers, buyers aged 64 to 72 years, made up 14 percent of all home buyers in 2018 again this year. Within this group, they had the third largest share of single female buyers at 20 percent.
At the national level, housing affordability is up from last month but down from a year ago. Mortgage rates were down from last month at 4.60 percent this February, and up 4.1 percent compared to 4.42 percent a year ago.
Based on NAR’s home affordability index, the Midwest has been the most affordable region to own a home, which is comprised of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Younger Boomers, buyers aged 54 to 63 years, made up 18 percent of all home buyers in 2018, consistent with the previous year.
With mortgage rates on the decline and home prices appreciating at a slower pace, REALTORS® reported that homebuying traffic increased in February 2019 compared to one year ago.
Existing homes, unlike new homes, are homes that are owned and occupied before coming onto the market.
Gen Xers, buyers aged 39 to 53 years, made up the second largest share of home buyers by generation at 24 percent of all home buyers in 2018, down from 26 percent last year.
Respondents to the February REALTORS® Confidence Index expect home prices to typically increase by 1.9 percent nationally, up from 1.4 percent in the January survey.
While most industries are experiencing a new high in total jobs in their sectors, the construction industry is still not back to its prior peak.
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