Are Millennials Itching to Leave Downtown?

(RECAP: A recent USC housing expert’s study reveals that Millennials have begun moving out of downtown area and into more single-family homes as the market loosens and the economy improves. Millennials in cities nationwide have flocked to fill downtown apartments over the past decade, but the study predicts that the real estate market should brace for a major migration out of core urban areas. Last year marked a major turning point as the country’s urban centers reached “peak” millennial saturation. The study, published in the journal Housing Policy Debate, examined population data in the American Community Survey, the Current Population Survey; building permit data from the U.S. Census Bureau; and employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as well as surveys by the National Association of Realtors.)

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FHFA Again Eases Up on Multifamily Cap for GSEs

(RECAP: The FHFA announced Wednesday it had raised a cap on the amount of multifamily loans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can buy from lenders, boosting it to $35 billion effective immediately. The adjustment from the previous cap of $31 billion is warranted “based on increased estimates of the overall size of the 2016 multifamily finance market,” the agency said. The cap is supposed to ensure the government-sponsored enterprises don’t crowd private investors out of the multifamily market. The multifamily cap was set last May when FHFA chose to exclude subsidized affordable housing, manufactured housing communities, small multifamily properties (5-50 units) and certain other affordable rentals from the limit. Those exclusions will remain in place. Due to these exclusions, Fannie financed $42.3 billion in multifamily loans and Freddie financed $47.3 billion in 2015 without exceeding the cap. The Mortgage Bankers Association welcomed FHFA’s choice.)

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Warner, Kaine announce $3 million for low-income housing in Virginia

(RECAP: U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development will receive $3,140,000 from HUD’s Housing Trust Fund. The funding is aimed at preserving the supply of low-income housing and increasing homeownership for low-income families across Virginia. Kaine, a former honest housing attorney, requested increased funding last year for the HTF in a letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development.)

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