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Home prices rose 9 percent year-over-year for the first quarter of this year, according to FNC, Inc.'s Residential Price Index, which measures sales activity for non-distressed homes in the 100 largest metros in the country. On a monthly basis, prices rose 0.6 percent in March.

On an annual basis, Western states continue to lead the nation with drastic price gains. FNC reported a 40 percent rise in prices in the sand states over the past two years.

On the other hand, the Midwest has experienced very little price relief since the start of the recovery, according to FNC.

In the FNC 30-MSA Composite, Sacramento, California (26.8 percent); Riverside, California (21.8 percent); and Las Vegas (21.3 percent) posted the greatest price increases over the year in March.

Only two of the 30 cities posted price declines year-over-year in March: St. Louis (-0.5 percent) and Cleveland (-2.9 percent).

In addition to rising prices among non-distressed homes, FNC reported declining foreclosure sales and smaller discounts in asking prices. Foreclosure sales made up 12.6 percent of sales in April, down from 13.4 percent in March, according to FNC.

Additionally, asking price discounts in April averaged 2.0 percent, down from 2.6 percent in March.

Non-distressed sales are rising "moderately," according to FNC.

For more information contact

Jerry Gusman, The Gusman Group

(888) 213-4208

Where Can the Middle Class Buy a Home?

For the majority of homes, buying is cheaper than renting. But as home prices rise faster than incomes and mortgage rates slowly head upwards, the question of national affordability becomes ever more germane. Compared to the longer-term past, homeownership still looks relatively affordable as home prices remain undervalued and mortgage rates remain near historic lows. However, affordability for the middle class in some areas of the nation is becoming problematic.

In a blog post, Trulia's Jed Kolko notes that certain discrepancies do arise, specifically along the coasts, for middle class homeownership. Kolko explains his methodology of defining what counts as middle-class, and what counts as affordable before breaking down nationwide trends.

Affordability is based on whether a home's monthly payment, which includes mortgage, insurance, and property taxes, was less than 31 percent of the surrounding metro's median household income. The designation "middle class" is fluid, dependent upon each metro's local median household income.

Kolko found that the middle class is getting priced out of California, but finds more success in the Midwest. In 80 of the 100 largest U.S. metros, most of the homes for sale are within reach of the middle class.

In the most affordable housing markets, more than 80 percent of homes are within reach. Akron, Ohio tops the list at 86 percent of homes affordable for the middle class. "The 10 most affordable markets include eight in (or near) the Midwest, plus the southern markets of Columbia, South Carolina, and Little Rock, Arkansas. Five of the top 10 are in Ohio," Kolko writes.

Indeed, the top three metros for affordability include Akron, Toledo, and Dayton, Ohio, each sporting percentages above 80 percent of homes as affordable for the middle class in May 2014.

Seven of the 10 least affordable markets reside in California. Not surprisingly, the rest of the top ten is rounded out by New York City, Fairfield County, Connecticut; and Honolulu, Hawaii. San Francisco remains on top as the least affordable city in the nation, with only 14 percent of homes for sale in San Francisco affordable to the middle class, despite higher median incomes.

Education also plays a factor, affecting income which in turn directly reflects one's ability to afford a home.

"Household income is strongly correlated with education. Median household income is $33,500 for households headed by someone with a high school degree or less, $49,300 with some college or an associate's degree, $77,500 with a bachelor's degree, and $100,000 with a graduate degree," Kolko commented.

He notes that the higher the education of a metro's population, the more homes will be available for purchase with a median income: "Take the Washington, D.C., metro area as an example: for a high-school-or-less household, just 23% of homes for sale are affordable, compared with 75% for a bachelor’s-degree household and 83% for a graduate-degree household."

Furthermore, the supply of available homes matters, with lower affordability markets experiencing a low supply from a lack of new construction, driving prices upward and out of the range of middle class families. For America's most expensive markets to come down in price, there would have to be a subsequent drop in demand or an increase in construction. Cities like San Francisco, south Florida, and parts of the Northeast are geographically limited by their availability to construct new homes, and thus, are inherently limited in their ability to construct new homes, according to Kolko.

Unfortunately, his conclusions aren't exactly great news for the middle class family looking to purchase a home in more expensive markets. "In all, today's unaffordable markets are likely to stay unaffordable. A collapse in demand is nothing to wish for; geographic constraints are nearly impossible to change; and strong political forces make building regulations difficult to relax," he writes.

For more information contact

Jerry Gusman, The Gusman Group

(888) 213-4208

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While The Share Of Flipped Homes Is Shrinking, Profits Are Growing!

"Investors appear to have recalibrated their flipping strategy, accounting for the slower home price appreciation even if that means fewer flips. This is another good sign that this housing recovery is behaving much more rationally than the last housing boom." - Daren Blomquist VP at RealtyTrac

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Zillow: Buying a Home Beats Renting After 2 Years

Zillow's break-even horizon analysis came to an interesting conclusion: in half of U.S. metros, buying a home is a better financial decision than renting for buyers intending to stay in their home at least two years. The company’s analysis includes all costs associated with buying versus renting, including upfront payments, closing costs, anticipated monthly rent and mortgage payments, taxes, utilities, maintenance, and renovation costs.

The group also takes into account different asset streams associated with different housing situations. For example, a buyer's home equity is factored into the final figure, while a renter's ability to invest some of the money they would have spent on a purchase is factored into the final figure for comparison.

"Rents keep rising, and mortgage interest rates remain very low, which is helping to skew the rent vs. buy decision toward buying for those who can afford it. Many renters may ask themselves why renew a lease, when you can break even on the same home in less time in many areas," said Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Stan Humphries.

"However, some renters still have to overcome significant hurdles before they can pull the trigger on homeownership. For those renters who can't qualify for a mortgage or aren't able to save enough for a down payment on a house, renting can be a more flexible, and often far less frustrating option," Humphries added.

Metros with some of the shortest break-even times include Riverside, California (less than 1 year); Orlando, Florida (1 year); Tampa, Florida (1.1 years); and Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Florida (1.2 years).

Large metros with the longest break-even time include Washington, D.C. (4.2 years); Boston, Massachusetts (4 years); Phoenix, Arizona (3.3 years); San Diego, California (3.2 years); and both Minneapolis, Minnesota and Baltimore, Maryland (3.1 years).