The housing market and the U.S. economy are closely linked to national employment. As the jobs market has improved since 2010, the U.S. housing market has reversed its slide, and the economy appears ripe for a strong 2013 and 2014.
The relationship between jobs and housing is one which foreshadows a housing market, but also one which may lead mortgage rates higher throughout the country. Today’s low mortgage rates may be as good as it gets.
The Jobs Market: 5.1 Million Jobs Added Since 2010
On the first Friday of each month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes its Non-Farm Payrolls report. Most commonly known as “the jobs report”, Non-Farm Payrolls highlights employment changes across 10 private sectors including insurance and finance, which also includes government hiring statistics. The Non-Farms Payrolls report shows which economic sectors are expanding and which are shrinking… and, lately, most sectors are expanding.
Between 2008-2009, the U.S. economy fell into recession, highlighted by the failure of Lehman Brothers; the near-collapse of mortgage lending; and the movement of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into conservatorship by the Federal Home Finance Agency (FHFA). The U.S. economy shed 7.4 million jobs during that period.
Since 2010, however, more than 5.1 million jobs have been added back. Wow, that is a 70% recovery. Furthermore, more than half of those jobs have been created since October 2011, which marks the same month as the housing market’s bottom.
As jobs have gone, so has gone the housing market…
RELATED: Michigan Mortgage Calculator- Figure your payment with current mortgage rates.
Job Growth Can Add To Homeowner Ranks
Job growth benefits the economy and housing in two ways. The first is economic; the second is psychological.
The economic link between jobs and housing is pretty straight-forward. A person with a full-time job earns a periodic paycheck, and a periodic paycheck is required to get a mortgage approval. Note, you must only be on the job for one day, though. With just one day of work, you will get mortgage approved. In this way, a recently unemployed person who has since found full-time work, or a household relocating on an offer letter is instantly mortgage-eligible — both for refinancing via the FHA Streamline Refinance program or via HARP 2, for example, or for purchase of a new home.
More people earning paychecks, therefore, can unlock growing demand for housing and — all things equal — growing demand spurs home prices higher. We’re seeing this relationship in action right now. Home supplies are dwindling as buyer demand rises to multi-year highs. Home builders, for example, report the highest levels of buyer traffic and interest since 2006.
The psychological link between jobs and housing is a little less clear. It’s not just unemployed Americans that don’t search for new homes, for instance. Neither does a person who’s scared and uncertain. When people worry for their job, or when they expect to take a pay cut, they’re much less likely to join the national buyer pool.
Fearing for your job stops the home buying process almost as effectively as not having a job at all. In a recovering economy, therefore, as the ranks of the employed increase, so does the potential number of home buyers nationwide.
Jobs are a key link in the housing market’s turnaround.
RELATED: Grand Rapids Mortgage Rates - See current mortgage rates in Michigan.
Friday’s Jobs Report Will Shift Mortgage Rates
Last month, the economy added 157,000 jobs. This month, it’s expected to add 171,000. And, although the economy has yet to replace all of the jobs lost last decade, the U.S. workforce has expanded over 28 straight months. The Unemployment Rate has dropped nearly one percentage point in one year.
With every newly-added, tax-paying worker, the U.S. economy gets a boost. It’s yet one more reason to be optimistic for the 2013 housing market. For mortgage rates, though, it may mean 30-year fixed rate home loans in the mid-4 percent range.
Today, mortgage rates remain low. Homes are relatively inexpensive. The same may not be said 6 months from now. If you’re planning to buy a home, consider moving up your time frame. See how much home you can afford. Start with a mortgage rate quote today from Riverbank Finance.
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