I am going to share a report from Clear Capital that was recently published about the difficulties the housing market continues to experience.  And it seems that what is partially responsible for the continuing trend, is due to the West Coast’s inability to see any kind of recovery.

For seniors who may have a mortgage on their property and may be considering applying for a Reverse loan, I would encourge them not to wait any longer.   If they continue to lose equity they may find themselves unable to qualify for a Reverse loan and will have to continue making their mortgage payment each month and wait for housing values to increase sometime in the future.

Here is the article in it’s entirety:

U.S. Home Prices Continue Slight Decline as West Region Drags Nation Down According to the Clear Capital™ HDI Market Report
“While national home prices have appreciated 4.2% since early 2009, the West region is poised to double dip by the end of Q1 2011 if trends continue.
TRUCKEE, CA – March 10, 2011 – Clear Capital (www.clearcapital.com) released its monthly Home Data Index™ (HDI) Market Report, and reports a quarter-over-quarter national price change of -1.4 percent.

The HDI Market Report provides the most current (through February 2011), granular and relevant analysis of how local markets performed compared to the national trend in home prices.

Report highlights include:
· National home prices continue to drift downward, largely due to the West’s quarter-over-quarter declines (-4.5%) that could lead the region into double dip territory as soon as next month.
· National home prices are up 4.2% from two years ago, yet the gains of other positive market indicators have yet to extend to the greater housing market.

“Despite distressed inventory pressure and traditional winter inactivity, current trends are continuing to show a softening of price declines,” said Dr. Alex Villacorta, director of research and analytics at Clear Capital.

“The 3.9 percent quarterly decline we observed in December has given way to moderating declines with the national price index now down only 1.4 percent, suggesting a leveling of prices is on track for spring.”
“From a larger perspective, prices are still up 4.2 percent off of the absolute lows of the housing crash, a sign that long term gains can be realized amidst the volatile behavior of the last two years,” added Villacorta. “Yet, when comparing this growth to other economic indicators over the same time period, it is clear that the housing market still has a long way to go toward a sustained recovery.”

Clear Capital – Elizabeth Ecker