The California buyer purchasing power index (BPPI) figure decreased to -10.33 in September 2013. first tuesday forecasts the BPPI figure will remain negative through mid-2014, when it will likely return to zero, stopping a year-long loss of buyer purchasing power.
A negative index figure translates to a reduced amount of mortgage funds available. The BPPI is calculated using the average 30-year fixed rate mortgage (FRM) rate from Freddie Mac (Western region) and the median income in California.
September’s dip represents a year-over-year decrease of 10.33% in mortgage funds available to today’s buyers. This is down slightly from -9.23 in August and from +7.58 one year ago, when the BPPI figure was near its height.
The sudden drop is due to the recent steep rise in mortgage rates, which began to cool off at the end of September 2013. The average 30-year FRM rate was a full percentage point higher in September 2013 than one year earlier.
Buyer purchasing power is down a further 26% for buyers of low-tier homes, 21% for mid-tier homes and 16% for buyers of high-tier homes due to a 12-month rise in home prices. Pricing conditions are temporarily positive for sellers since the upward home price momentum will persist a few more months due to buyer expectations.
By the end of 2013, pricing will trend flat or down, a result of reduced purchasing power, price increases beyond the rate of consumer inflation (payrolls) and waning market participation by buyer occupants.
In 2015, the BPPI figure will continue a decades’ long period of negative descent which began prematurely this June, as long-term rates rise consistent with renewed growth in our dynamic economy. Sellers will continue to experience downward pressure on prices, as buyers will be able to borrow less over the coming decades with the same income.
Chart update 09/30/13
| Sep 2013 | Aug 2013 | Sep 2012 | |
| Buyer purchasing power index (BPPI) | -10.33 | -9.23 | +7.58 |
About the BPPI
A positive index figure means buyers can borrow more money this year than one year earlier.
A negative index figure translates to a reduced amount of mortgage funds available.
An index figure of zero means there was no year-over-year change in the amount a buyer can borrow. At a BPPI figure of zero, homebuyers cannot purchase at higher prices than one year before unless they resort to adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) or greater down payment amounts.
To keep the homes for sale inventory moving at the same pace, sellers will have to lower prices or pull their properties off the market. Around 0.25% of California’s 6.8 million owner-occupied SFR inventory are listed for sale monthly.
As the BPPI figure declines in the current trend, buyers’ capacity to borrow purchase-assist funds is reduced. In turn, buyers needing purchase-assist financing can only pay a lesser price for a home.
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first tuesday journal online is a real estate news source. It provides analyses and forecasts for the California real estate market, and has done so since 1978.
