19-Feb-17 – Eight years after the Great Recession hit the nation’s housing market, it appears that home and condominium buyers are America’s most cautious consumer group.

Young prospective first-time buyers who sat on the fence during 2016 were shocked when mortgage rates vaulted above four percent following a long-anticipated interest rate hike in December by the Federal Reserve Board.

In mid-February, benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage rates rose to 4.17 percent. A year ago, at this time, the 30-year loan rates averaged 3.65 percent.

Now, home and condo hunters are scrambling to buy before rates move above a forecasted 4.5 percent by year’s end. Apparently, some buyers are finding the American Dream. A whopping 1,956 homes and condos were sold in January in Chicago, the highest number of transactions since January 2008.

Wealthy Americans were happy when the stock market rallied after the election of President Donald Trump. Now, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average bouncing well above 20,000, wealthy Chicago home sellers and developers are wondering when the luxury housing market will take off.

Belgravia Group, one Chicago developer that has had great success in the new-construction boutique condo niche, is bullish. The company recently launched 360 West Erie, a 38-unit development in River North, where three-bedroom units are priced from $1.2 million.

Homes For Sale @ 360 W Erie St

To spark sales, several developers of luxury condos in downtown Chicago are offering incentives in early 2017. At The Legacy at Millennium Park, the 355-unit high-rise at 60 East Monroe Street in the Loop, Mesa Development’s 2017 sales incentive is a free parking space and close-out pricing. Two-bedroom units are priced from $640,000 and three-bedroom layouts start at $935,000. (Right) The Legacy at Millennium Park, seen from Nichols Bridgeway at Art Institute of Chicago. Homes For Sale @ 60 E Monroe St

Ultra-luxe condo shoppers at Ritz-Carlton Residences, 118 East Erie Street, will find a wide assortment of elegant amenities at this high-rise tower on the Magnificent Mile. In the Landmark Club, residents are offered everything from tea service to a private chef experience. The 24-hour concierge service can arrange every luxury from climate-controlled wine storage and butler service to dog walking, in-home housekeeping, and personal training.

Prices start at $810,000 for a one-bedroom unit, $1.1 million for two bedrooms, and $1.77 million for three-bedroom layouts. (Left) A Ritz-Carlton residence.

Homes For Sale @ 118 E Erie St

Modest profits in Chicago from home sales

Nationwide, home sellers in 2016 pocketed the highest profits since 2007 – an average gain of 21 percent, or $38,206 – reported the Year-End 2016 U.S. Home Sales Report by ATTOM Data Solutions.

While California home sellers in San Jose and San Francisco realized the highest home price gain at 69 percent and prices skyrocketed 49 percent in Los Angeles and Seattle, folks in Chicago were not as lucky.

Here, the median price of a home rose only 4.2 percent in 2016 to $272,000 from $261,000 in 2015, reported Midwest Real Estate Data LLC.

“Three months after the presidential election, measures of consumer optimism regarding personal financial prospects and the economy are at or near the highest levels we’ve seen in nearly seven years,” said Douglas Duncan (right), senior vice president and chief economist at Fannie Mae.

However, housing experts are wondering if the feel-good outlook is strong enough to overcome limited housing affordability in hot markets like California.

Since 2012, the average median home price nationwide has grown 60 percent, while average weekly wages have increased only one percent, according to the ATTOM Data Solutions report.

“If consumers’ anticipation of further increases in home prices and mortgage rates materialize over the next 12 months, we may see housing affordability tighten even more,” warned Duncan.