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ECONOMIC REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

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Figure 2-19<br />

National House Price Indexes, 2000–2015<br />

Index, Jan-2012=100<br />

160<br />

150<br />

140<br />

130<br />

120<br />

110<br />

Standard & Poor's/<br />

Case-Shiller<br />

(Nov-2015)<br />

Zillow<br />

(Dec-2015)<br />

CoreLogic<br />

(Dec-2015)<br />

100<br />

90<br />

80<br />

Federal Housing<br />

Finance Agency<br />

(Nov-2015)<br />

70<br />

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016<br />

Note: Shading denotes recession. The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller, Federal Housing Finance<br />

Agency, and CoreLogic indexes all adjust for the quality of homes sold but only cover homes that are<br />

bought or sold, whereas Zillow reflects prices for all homes on the market.<br />

Source: Zillow; CoreLogic; Federal Housing Finance Agency; Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller.<br />

(measured relative to the general rise in consumer prices), house prices still<br />

remain roughly 20 percent below their pre-recession peak.<br />

Continued house price increases improved owners’ equity relative to<br />

the debt they owe on their houses. Homeowners’ equity as of December 2015<br />

equaled slightly more than half of the total value of household real estate (57<br />

percent), 20 percentage points higher than the recessionary trough and near<br />

the average of 60 percent in the two decades prior to the Great Recession.<br />

As of 2015:Q3, rising home prices since 2012:Q4 helped lift more than 7<br />

million households out of a negative equity position (Gudell 2015). The<br />

overall share of single-family homeowners with an underwater mortgage<br />

(when mortgage debt exceeds the value of their house) was 13.4 percent in<br />

2015:Q3, down from a high of 31.4 percent in 2012. In addition, the number<br />

of delinquent home mortgages (when the homeowner misses at least one<br />

monthly payment) has fallen to its lowest level since 2006, though the share<br />

of mortgages that are seriously delinquent (payment more than 90 days<br />

overdue with the bank considering the mortgages to be in danger of default)<br />

remains somewhat elevated. This improvement supports overall economic<br />

growth because homeowners with underwater or delinquent mortgages are<br />

less likely to spend or relocate in search of better-paying jobs.<br />

Single-family homes remained more affordable in 2015 than the historical<br />

average, as rising incomes and low and steady mortgage rates partially<br />

The Year in Review and the Years Ahead | 85

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