Tag Archives: Hanley Wood Market Intelligence

The percentage of homes purchased with cash slid down this year from its 2011 peak, suggesting heightened demand from non-investors.

On Wednesday the Treasury Department released a statement announcing that the Small Business Lending Fund had provided Bank of Houston Holdings, Inc. with a $23.9 million capital infusion, with the hope that it will signal a boost in lending to small businesses.

Job growth slammed into a wall last month, with employment figures dropping and the number of jobless rising a grim indication that the housing markets may lose steam. According to Census data, the economy added only 18,000 new jobs in June, falling short of expectations that data would trump the 25,000 jobs brought on in May. Numbers for job loss in April and May also hit 9.2 percent and 9.1 percent, with economists saying that the market still needs a net gain of about 150,000 jobs.

The health of the labor market has a far-reaching impact on many areas of housing. When the economy is growing and the number of employed rises, so do home sales and mortgage originations. According to the research firm Hanley Wood Market Intelligence, there's also a definitive link between employment and home prices. The firm's analysts examined metro area job data juxtaposed with price trends for new homes, and their conclusions illustrate that jobs and housing "are joined at the hip."