Home Purchase Sentiment Index Reaches New Survey High of 85.3 in May

Fannie Mae’s Home Purchase Sentiment Index™ (HPSI) increased 1.6 points to 85.3 in May, reaching a new all-time survey high and rebounding from an 18-month low in March. Three of the six HPSI components increased in May, led by a 7 percentage point increase on net in the share of consumers reporting that their income was significantly higher than it was 12 months ago. In addition, the net share of consumers who expect that home prices will go up over the next 12 months rose 5 percentage points, followed by a 3 percentage point increase in the net share of consumers who expect mortgage interest rates to go down over the next 12 months. Changes in the HPSI Good Time to Buy, Good Time to Sell, and job security components were minimal in May. The HPSI Good Time to Buy figure fell 1 percentage point on net, reaching an all-time survey low again in May. Slightly more consumers reported concern about losing their job compared to April, but the overall trend has continued to decrease.

“Continued home price appreciation has been squeezing housing affordability, driving a two-year downward trend in the share of consumers who think it’s a good time to buy a home,” said Doug Duncan, senior vice president and chief economist at Fannie Mae. “The current low mortgage rate environment has helped ease this pressure, and fewer than half of consumers expect rates to go up in the next year. While the May increase in income growth perceptions could provide further support to prospective home buyers as the spring/summer home buying season gains momentum, the effect may be muted by May’s discouraging jobs report.”

On this webpage you will find a news release with highlights from the HPSI and NHS results, the latest Data Release highlighting the consumer attitudinal indicators, month-over-month key indicator data, an overview and white paper about the HPSI, technical notes providing in-depth information about the NHS methodology, the questionnaire used for the survey, and a comparative assessment of Fannie Mae’s National Housing Survey and other consumer surveys.

May News Release
May 2016 National Housing Survey Data Release (PDF)