By Brent Ruffner | Daily Independent
November could be advantageous to potential Valley homebuyers as supply is expected to continue rising.
As a result, homebuyers could have momentum swing their way as the housing analyst predicts the Valley will enter a “baby buyer’s market” next month, according to Tina Tamboer of The Cromford Report in Phoenix
The fourth quarter is traditionally slow and it’s been “slower than normal” so far for this time of year, she said. The pace is slow in part because of the positive jobs report released by the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity on Oct. 17, Tamboer said.
Overall, Arizona employment increased by 65,900 jobs since September 2023, a press release stated.
That had a detrimental impact on mortgage rates for the region, Tamboer said.
“It didn’t help at all when the employment report came out,” Tamboer said.
As of Oct. 17, the U.S. weekly average for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage was 6.44%, according to the Freddie Mac website. By contrast, mortgage rates were 6.1% as of Sept. 19.
If mortgage rates dip to the low 6% range, the Valley should see measurable growth next month, Tamboer said.
“(Last month) when rates were around 6.1% to 6.2%, we saw 12% growth on the number of accepted contracts,” Tamboer said.
Positive employment means higher interest rates, but homebuyers that can stomach the current interest rates can be away from the sidelines, Tamboer said.
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