Homebuying Optimism Survey; Higher Rates Not Fed’s Fault; Blockchain Mortgage; Construction Spending Drops

Homebuying Optimism Survey; Higher Rates Not Fed’s Fault; Blockchain Mortgage; Construction Spending Drops

A steadily declining number of prospective homebuyers hope to actually buy within the next 12 months according to the second quarter National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Housing Trends Report (HTR). The percentage of those among the more than 15,400 prospects sampled in the survey intending to make such a decision declined from 24 percent in the fourth quarter 2018 survey to 17 percent in the first quarter of 2018, and 14 percent in the survey conducted in June and July. NAHB says that percentage varies widely by age group, with Millennials being the most likely , at 22 percent, to have immediate plans to purchase. Among Gen Xers, 14 percent gave positive responses while only 8 percent of Boomers and 3 percent of seniors did so. The HTR measures prospective homebuyers' perceptions about