It has been nearly two months since the public release of the BPC Housing Commission report, and the overwhelmingly positive response we have received has been very gratifying. I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to review the report and provide feedback on what we got right, what we got wrong, and what we may have missed. The commission’s work continues – we are fine-tuning our recommendations, drilling down deeper into some of the issues raised in our report, and examining new approaches to meeting America’s urgent housing needs.
As a former HUD Secretary, I thought I would share some quick reflections on the 2014 budget proposed by President Obama as it relates to housing.
First, some context: According to HUD’s most recent findings, nearly 8.5 million unassisted lower-income households have “worst case” housing needs, meaning these households pay more than half of their income on rent or live in severely inadequate housing, or both. “Worst case” needs have grown 19 percent since 2009 and a staggering 43 percent since 2007. For those at the bottom of the income ladder, a major factor contributing to high housing costs is the great shortage of available and affordable rental units.
I recently had the privilege of returning to my old stomping ground, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, to testify on a subject that is vital to our nation’s economic recovery: housing finance reform.
Interestingly, the title of the hearing took the form of a question: “Bipartisan Solutions for Housing Finance Reform?” Of course, the BPC Housing Commission’s report, with its detailed recommendations on a new finance system for both the single-family and rental markets, is tangible proof that bipartisan solutions are indeed possible.
Throughout the week, the BPC Housing Commission highlights news items that address critical developments in housing policy. Any views expressed in the content posted on this forum do not necessarily represent the views of the Commission, its co-chairs or the Bipartisan Policy Center.
What We're Reading posts include a compilation of useful links in the Housing Visualized section below. These resources offer the latest economic indicators, expert insight, and statistical trends related to the U.S. housing market.
Housing Visualized
2010 Census l Mapping the Census l Comparing Recessions and Recoveries
Infographic: Rental Housing Market Trends l Housing by the Numbers
Infographic: Household Formation Gap l Who Gains Most From Tax Breaks
Infographic: Housing's Economic Impact l Measuring Economic Mobility
Past Commissions and Reports l Trulia’s Housing Barometer
Credit Conditions l U.S. Housing Summary l Mortgage Data
Changes in Home Prices l Wells Fargo Monthly Economic Outlook
WF Real Estate & Housing Reports l Prices and Inventory by Metro Area
The Devastating Impact of Sequestration on the Poor and Vulnerable
By Nan Roman
Huffington Post
"Sequestration comes at a bad time for those who need help to pay the rent. The federal government just this week reported that 8.5 million extremely poor households pay more than half of their income for rent - a number that has gone up 40 percent since 2007. This is not because they are doing anything wrong, but because there are millions fewer low cost housing units than there are households who need them." Read more here.
Throughout the week, the BPC Housing Commission highlights news items that address critical developments in housing policy. Any views expressed in the content posted on this forum do not necessarily represent the views of the Commission, its co-chairs or the Bipartisan Policy Center.
What We're Reading posts include a compilation of useful links in the Housing Visualized section below. These resources offer the latest economic indicators, expert insight, and statistical trends related to the U.S. housing market.
Housing Visualized
2010 Census l Mapping the Census l Comparing Recessions and Recoveries
Infographic: Rental Housing Market Trends l Housing by the Numbers
Infographic: Household Formation Gap l Who Gains Most From Tax Breaks
Infographic: Housing's Economic Impact l Measuring Economic Mobility
Past Commissions and Reports l Trulia’s Housing Barometer
Credit Conditions l U.S. Housing Summary l Mortgage Data
Changes in Home Prices l Wells Fargo Monthly Economic Outlook
WF Real Estate & Housing Reports l Prices and Inventory by Metro Area
Mixed-Use Neighborhoods May Be Safer, Too
By Emily Badger
The Atlantic
"Neighborhoods with a mix of residences, offices and retail outlets are now conventionally thought to have a host of benefits, a departure in thinking from the years of urban planning when cities sought to segregate uses of land, with the houses in one corner of town and the shopping district in another. Mixed-use neighborhoods enable people to walk more, with downstream health benefits. They help cut down on traffic congestion, and therefore pollution. For many people, they create livelier communities and a higher quality of life." Read more here.
Throughout the week, the BPC Housing Commission highlights news items that address critical developments in housing policy. Any views expressed in the content posted on this forum do not necessarily represent the views of the Commission, its co-chairs or the Bipartisan Policy Center.
What We're Reading posts include a compilation of useful links in the Housing Visualized section below. These resources offer the latest economic indicators, expert insight, and statistical trends related to the U.S. housing market.
Housing Visualized
2010 Census l Mapping the Census l Comparing Recessions and Recoveries
Infographic: Rental Housing Market Trends l Housing by the Numbers
Infographic: Household Formation Gap l Who Gains Most From Tax Breaks
Infographic: Housing's Economic Impact l Measuring Economic Mobility
Past Commissions and Reports l Trulia’s Housing Barometer
Credit Conditions l U.S. Housing Summary l Mortgage Data
Changes in Home Prices l Wells Fargo Monthly Economic Outlook
WF Real Estate & Housing Reports l Prices and Inventory by Metro Area
A New Housing Boom? Don’t Count on It
By Robert J. Shiller
The New York Times
"The bottom line for potential home buyers or sellers is probably this: Don’t do anything dramatic or difficult. There is too much uncertainty to justify any aggressive speculative moves right now. If you have personal reasons for getting into or out of the housing market, go ahead. Otherwise, don’t stay up worrying about home prices any more than you do about stock prices." Read more here.
Throughout the week, the BPC Housing Commission highlights news items that address critical developments in housing policy. Any views expressed in the content posted on this forum do not necessarily represent the views of the Commission, its co-chairs or the Bipartisan Policy Center.
What We're Reading posts now include a compilation of useful links in the Housing Visualized section below. These resources offer the latest economic indicators, expert insight, and statistical trends related to the U.S. housing market.
Housing Visualized
2010 Census l Mapping the Census l Comparing Recessions and Recoveries
Infographic: Rental Housing Market Trends l Housing by the Numbers
Infographic: Household Formation Gap l Who Gains Most From Tax Breaks
Infographic: Housing's Economic Impact l Measuring Economic Mobility
Past Commissions and Reports l Trulia’s Housing Barometer
Credit Conditions l U.S. Housing Summary l Mortgage Data
Changes in Home Prices l Wells Fargo Monthly Economic Outlook
WF Real Estate & Housing Reports l Prices and Inventory by Metro Area
National foreclosure inventory falls 18% from last year
By Kerri Ann Panchuk
HousingWire
"The U.S. continues to watch its foreclosure inventory slowly evaporate as fewer homes make it through the foreclosure process. The country had approximately 1.2 million homes, or 3% of all properties with a mortgage, in its national foreclosure inventory in November, a sharp 18% drop from a year ago, CoreLogic said." Read more here.
Throughout the week, the BPC Housing Commission highlights news items that address critical developments in housing policy. Any views expressed in the content posted on this forum do not necessarily represent the views of the Commission, its co-chairs or the Bipartisan Policy Center.
What We're Reading posts now include a compilation of useful links in the Housing Visualized section below. These resources offer the latest economic indicators, expert insight, and statistical trends related to the U.S. housing market.
Housing Visualized
2010 Census l Mapping the Census l Comparing Recessions and Recoveries
Infographic: Rental Housing Market Trends l Housing by the Numbers
Infographic: Household Formation Gap l Who Gains Most From Tax Breaks
Infographic: Housing's Economic Impact l Measuring Economic Mobility
Past Commissions and Reports l Trulia’s Housing Barometer
Credit Conditions l U.S. Housing Summary
Changes in Home Prices l Wells Fargo Monthly Economic Outlook
WF Real Estate & Housing Reports l Prices and Inventory by Metro Area
Mortgage Interest Deduction, Once a Sacred Cow, Is Under Scrutiny
By Peter Eavis
The New York Times
"Given the apparent sturdiness of the higher end of the housing market, politicians may decide there are few risks in effectively capping mortgage deductions for high earners. Limiting tax breaks in a way that could reduce mortgage relief would be a change for Washington, which has done so much to support housing." Read more here.
Throughout the week, the BPC Housing Commission highlights news items that address critical developments in housing policy. Any views expressed in the content posted on this forum do not necessarily represent the views of the Commission, its co-chairs or the Bipartisan Policy Center.
What We're Reading posts now include a compilation of useful links in the Housing Visualized section below. These resources offer the latest economic indicators, expert insight, and statistical trends related to the U.S. housing market.
For the latest look at BPC's Housing by the Numbers indicators dashboard, click here.
Housing Visualized
2010 Census l Mapping the Census l Comparing Recessions and Recoveries
Housing by the Numbers l Infographic: Household Formation Gap
Who Gains Most From Tax Breaks l Infographic: Housing's Economic Impact
Measuring Economic Mobility l Past Commissions and Reports
Trulia’s Housing Barometer l Credit Conditions l U.S. Housing Summary
Changes in Home Prices l Wells Fargo Monthly Economic Outlook
WF Real Estate & Housing Reports
NAR calls for easier mortgage lending
By Kerri Ann Panchuk
HousingWire
"Regulators and lenders could spur the creation of 250,000 to 350,000 jobs by easing tight lending standards that are causing an overcorrection in the space, the National Association of Realtors said Monday. If there is one complaint NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun gets the most from Realtors, it's that the mortgage market is too tight with 53% of August loans going to borrowers with credit scores above 740, according to NAR survey data." Read more here.
Throughout the week, the BPC Housing Commission highlights news items that address critical developments in housing policy. Any views expressed in the content posted on this forum do not necessarily represent the views of the Commission, its co-chairs or the Bipartisan Policy Center.
What We're Reading posts now include a compilation of useful links in the Housing Visualized section below. These resources offer the latest economic indicators, expert insight, and statistical trends related to the U.S. housing market.
Housing Visualized
2010 Census l Mapping the Census l Housing Market Indicators
Infographic: Household Formation Gap l Who Gains Most From Tax Breaks
Infographic: Housing's Economic Impact l Measuring Economic Mobility
Past Commissions and Reports l Trulia’s Housing Barometer
Credit Conditions l U.S. Housing Summary l Changes in Home Prices
Wells Fargo Monthly Economic Outlook l WF Real Estate & Housing Reports
Poll Finds Voters Want Mortgage-Interest Deduction Untouched
By Matthew Cooper
National Journal
"A new study shows voters overwhelmingly opposed to changes in the mortgage-interest income tax deduction — an idea that’s been widely discussed as Washington seeks to tame the national debt. According to the survey sponsored by the National Association of Homebuilders that was released on Tuesday, 73 percent of voters oppose eliminating the mortgage-interest deduction. Broken down by party, 77 percent of Republicans, 71 percent of Democrats, and 71 percent of independents shared that belief." Read more here.
