Young consumers and people of color continue to struggle with rent hikes. Housing costs is a component of measuring inflation. Last month, the shelter index rose at its fastest year-over-year pace since April 1991. Rent increased 4.8% in April over the last 12 months. The U.S. inflation rate hit 8.5% in March over the last year. The rising costs for housing and shelter are worrisome, and rent is expected to be significantly higher in 2022.
The Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park on the west Detroit riverfront will feature a bear slide, an otter slide, and a slide in the form of a beaver. The park will include swings, trails, a treehouse, a replica of Fort Wayne and an outdoor classroom. The park broke ground on Tuesday afternoon, a month after ground was broken on the Southwest Greenway, a trail being built to connect southwest Detroit neighborhoods to the riverfront. These amenities that come with these projects will help property values, based on many studies that show that the proximity of a public park increases a home’s value. They should also be a catalyst for development in the area.
Birmingham’s downtown transformation continues with the four-story building planned at 294 E. Brown. Part of the development will house a new, multi-story RH showroom. The building with include office and residential space, underground parking, and rooftop use that will include a pool. The Birmingham planning board reviewed and recommended the final site plan for approval at its April 27 meeting. Some residents are concerned about the development’s spread into their residential neighborhood.
On April 26, the Plymouth Township Board of Trustees voted 4-2 to approve the Toll Brothers’ and Pomeroy Living’s Plymouth Walk planned 369-unit townhouse/apartment development, despite the concerns of residents. Neighbors expressed concerns about increased traffic issues in the area and the elimination of green space. The developers agreed to spend $1.8 million to pave the dirt roads and add sidewalks to the Eastlawn subdivision north of the development. That willingness swayed the decision of at least two of the trustees.
Metro Detroit home prices have increased, up 14.6 percent in February when compared to last year. The increase is the highest they’ve been in decades. The managing director for S&P Dow Jones Indices has gone on record saying they’re in the top decile of growth for Detroit over 30 years of tracking. The country is also showing the highest increases on record, up 19.8 percent. Detroit metro’s median increase is 5.1 percent, higher than the 4.7 percent national median. Read estate brokers agree that home ownership is becoming out of reach for new buyers and people of color.
High rent is pushing people to look for new homes, but buying is a challenge. Multiple offers come in over the list price and over the budgets of many of the buyers, and that’s if they can find something within their budget. Renters and first-time buyers are especially struggling. Insufficient new construction, zoning rules that limit where housing can be built as well as wage growth that hasn’t kept up with inflation contribute to keeping the supply low. Average sales prices of homes in Michigan have risen 84 percent between January 2013 and October 2021. Pre-pandemic, nearly one in five homeowners spent more than 30 percent of their income on housing. That figure worsened over the pandemic.
A lack of affordable housing in northern Michigan is cramping the style of northern Michigan’s businesses. Short’s Brewing Company needs to hire summer workers, but future employees have nowhere to live. In a creative problem-solving move, the brewery bought the Bellaire Inn and is converting and updating the 26 units as space for its incoming hires. They’ll offer local businesses an opportunity at the remaining units. Each unit will be fully furnished with a bathroom, fridge and microwave. All utilities will be included. The brewery will hire a full-time, on-site inn keeper.
The Coalition for Property Tax Justice released a report outlining a series of ideas for ways the city could compensate overtaxed homeowners. It included survey results from more than 200 Detroiters. Ideas included property tax credits, Section 8 rental vouchers, home repair grants, Detroit Land Bank Authority’s rehabbed homes, and as-is Land Bank homes paired with home repair grants or cash payments. Although cash payments to overtaxed homeowners was a main focus, Detroit’s top attorney has indicated that the city cannot use general fund monies to compensate individuals. State law prohibits direct support from the general fund for private purposes.
Rising mortgage rates are not dampening buyer demand. However, getting an offer accepted is no small feat. The rising mortgage rates haven’t brought down prices yet. Buyers could be feeling a sense of urgency to find a home before rates increase further.
According to Jeanette Schneider, RE/MAX of Southeastern Michigan president, homebuyers are becoming realistic. They’re less likely to waste time looking at homes that do not address their needs. This shift is in contrast to last year when buyers were willing to take what was available out of fear of not getting a house. Inventory is still limited and prices continue to rise. March’s median sales price was up 10.7 percent from last year. However, the increase is lower than the previous year. The number of sales fell in March by 8.7 percent, but pending sales were up 2.3 percent.