Record home price increases and higher interest rates combined to constrain California housing affordability to the lowest levels in 10 years, the California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.) said today.The percentage of home buyers who could afford to purchase a median-priced, existing single-family home in California in second-quarter 2018 fell to 26 percent from 31 percent in the first quarter of 2018 and was down from 29 percent in the second quarter a year ago, according to C.A.R.’s Traditional Housing Affordability Index (HAI). This is the 21st consecutive quarter that the index has been below 40 percent. California’s housing affordability index hit a peak of 56 percent in the second quarter of 2012.C.A.R.’s HAI measures the percentage of all households that can afford to purchase a median-priced, single-family home in California. C.A.R. also reports affordability indices for regions and select counties within the state. The index is considered the most fundamental measure of housing well-being for home buyers in the state.
Read Full Article