Recent Posts by Mark Fleming

Mark Fleming is the chief economist for First American Financial Corporation and leads First American’s Decision Sciences team.

Can Stock Market Volatility Help Home Buyers?

By Mark Fleming on January 21, 2019
In December, the market potential for existing-home sales in December increased 1.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 6.15 million compared with a year ago, but the housing market still underperformed its potential by 9.6 percent, according to our Potential Homes Sales Model. Month over month, the gap between actual existing-home ... Read More

Interest Rates Federal Reserve Homeownership Potential Home Sales

Blame The Homebodies: Why Are Homeowners Staying In Their Homes So Long?

By Mark Fleming on January 11, 2019
It’s been over six years since house prices hit their trough and the housing market bottomed out. Since then, house prices have recovered nationally and reached historic highs. The price recovery has most recently been driven by a supply shortage. The availability of homes for sale is running near historic lows because single-family housing ... Read More

Housing Homeownership Potential Home Sales

Defect Risk Jumps Nationally, Partially Influenced by Rising Defect Risk in California Wildfire Areas

By Mark Fleming on December 26, 2018
In November, the Loan Application Defect Index for purchase transactions continued its string of month-over-month increases, rising for the third month in a row. Yet, year over year, the Defect Index for purchase transactions remains 7.7 percent below its level in November 2017. The Defect Index for refinance transactions also increased 2.8 ... Read More

Fraud Loan Application Defect Index

How Does a Strong Economy Slow the Housing Market?

By Mark Fleming on December 21, 2018
For the second consecutive month, all three key drivers of the Real House Price Index (RHPI), household income, mortgage rates, and the unadjusted house price index, increased compared with a year ago. The 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage and the unadjusted house price index increased by 0.9 percentage points and 7.3 percent respectively. Even though ... Read More

Interest Rates Real House Price Index Affordability

Will Homebuilders Deliver the Gift of More Housing Supply this Year?

By Mark Fleming on December 19, 2018
Yesterday, the Census Bureau released its Residential Construction report for November. Housing completions decreased 3.9 percent compared with last November and continue to fall short of the number of new housing units necessary to keep pace with household formation. Housing starts also decreased 3.6 percent in November compared with a year ago. ... Read More

Housing housing starts Homeownership

What Do Previous Rising Mortgage Rate Eras Tell Us About Today's Housing Market?

By Mark Fleming on December 17, 2018
In November, the housing market underperformed its potential by 7.4 percent, marking 40 straight months the market remained below its potential, according to our Potential Homes Sales Model. Month over month, the gap between actual existing-home sales and the market potential for home sales narrowed by 1.2 percent, but the housing market still has ... Read More

Interest Rates Federal Reserve Homeownership Potential Home Sales