ATTOM Data Solutions published its 2Q19 US Home Affordability Report, which reveals median home prices last quarter weren’t affordable for the average American in 74% (353 of 480 counties) of the counties analyzed.
The most unaffordable counties, the reported noted, were in Los Angeles County, California; Cook County (Chicago), Illinois; Maricopa County (Phoenix), Arizona; San Diego County, California; and Orange County, California.
“Despite falling mortgage rates and rising wages, the cost of owning the typical home remains out of reach or a significant financial stretch for the nation’s average wage earners,” said Todd Teta, chief product office with ATTOM.
House price appreciation outpaced weekly wage growth in 40%, or 192 of the 480 counties, including Maricopa County (Phoenix), Arizona; Riverside County, California; San Bernardino County (Riverside), California; Tarrant County (Dallas-Fort Worth), Texas; and Wayne County (Detroit), Michigan.
For Americans who feel financially overwhelmed with unaffordable housing, the report does show 26%, or 127 counties examined, had affordable housing in Harris County (Houston), Texas; Wayne County (Detroit), Michigan; Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania; Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), Ohio; and Franklin County (Columbus), Ohio.
ATTOM calculated the affordability of each county by examining the amount of income needed to make monthly house payments (assume a 3% down payment and a 28% maximum “front-end” debt-to-income ratio) — including mortgage, property taxes, and insurance.
We noted in a recent report that most American renters now believe that purchasing a home is “financially out of reach.”