Logan is the primary creator analyst at HousingWire. Here are his takeaways on the current state of the housing market from his recent appearance on CNBC’s ‘Squawk Box’ In his segment, he discussed the impact of current, high mortgage rates and what it means for housing starts in the future. Mohtashami’s unique background and experience tracking key housing market factors and mortgage rates provide critical insights for key industry stakeholders and policymakers.
In the context of this discussion, Mohtashami used July’s housing starts data, recapping it was a tepid market. He noted that the languid high mortgage rates are scaring away a large number of would-be homebuyers. As a consequence, new housing projects are sinking. This new decline in activity, per Mohtashami, is the biggest hurdle to resetting and rejuvenating such an important industry.
What’s more, he said, higher mortgage rates are causing a domino effect throughout the market. As he put it, increased borrowing costs leave many buyers with no choice but to adjust their buying plans. Either way, people’s demand for homes goes down. This hesitancy is reflected in the recent housing starts numbers, which show a standstill in new residential construction.
Throughout his short appearance on ‘Squawk Box’, Mohtashami provided a great high level breakdown. He described the ways different conditions create an overall health of the housing market. His frequent insights into U.S. housing trends illustrate his deep understanding of the factors influencing both current market conditions and future forecasts. Mohtashami’s work often underscores key indicators that signal the housing market’s performance, making his observations particularly relevant for those within the housing and mortgage industries.
Mohtashami is a data scientist with a special knack for parsing housing starts data. His expertise always yields big picture, data-driven insights that help decision-making across the stakeholders. And he extrapolates future trends by studying what’s happening today—ugh, I mean right now—in the economy. This deeper analysis then allows him to understand their disproportionate impact on housing.