Strong Wage Growth Boosts Housing Affordability

Strong wage growth more than offset an increase in mortgage interest rates to boost nationwide housing affordability in the first quarter of 2018, according to the NAHB Housing Opportunity Index (HOI).

In all, 61.6% of new and existing homes sold between the beginning of January and end of March were affordable to families earning the U.S. median income of $71,900. This is up from the 59.6% in the fourth quarter of 2017.

In Greater Greenville, a slight drop in housing prices coupled with a $4,400 increase in annual wages resulted in an improvement to the index from 70.6% to 75.7% during the first quarter.  House prices dropped from $202,000 to $194,000 as builders responded to demand from millennials for housing that they can afford.  Greenville is the 107th most affordable housing market in the country, down from 98th last quarter as other markets even better improvements.

Charleston's affordability also improved as wages rose by nearly 10 percent.  Charlotte also improved, along with Atlanta.  Columbia's affordability fell slightly to 82.5%.  Columbia is among the 50 most affordable housing markets in the country and 10th in the Southeast.

“Continued job growth, rising wages and strong consumer confidence are fueling housing demand. In turn, this should lead to more buyers entering the housing market in the coming months,” said NAHB chairman Randy Noel. “However, builders continue to face chronic labor and lot shortages, rising prices for building materials and excessive regulations.”

“At the national level, median family income rose an impressive 5.7% to $71,900 in 2018 from $68,000 last year, and this wage growth helped to boost housing affordability,” said NAHB chief economist Robert Dietz. “A growing economy, along with tight inventories and increasing household formations, will lift housing production in the year ahead. But we also expect mortgage rates to continue to rise, and this will place downward pressure on affordability.”

Average mortgage rates jumped by nearly 30 basis points to 4.34% from 4.06% in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Of the 237 metropolitan areas recorded in the first quarter HOI, 167 markets registered a gain in affordability from the fourth quarter of 2017, 68 posted a loss and two were unchanged.

See nahb.org/hoi for tables, historic data and details.

Rising Housing Prices Affect Affordability

Firming home prices in many housing markets resulted in a modest drop in nationwide housing affordability in the second quarter of 2015, according to the latest NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI).

“Home price appreciation in many markets across the nation are a sign that the housing recovery continues to move forward,” said NAHB Chairman Tom Woods. “At the same time, the cost of building a home is rising due to higher costs for buildable lots and skilled labor.”

In Greater Greenville, even as housing prices have risen, the index improved from 77.7% during the first quarter 80% in the second quarter.  Like the nation, house prices increased to $158,000 from $154,000.  Income remained the same at $58,000.  Greater Greenville's national rank as most affordable among all housing markets improved to 76th nationally from 107th in the last quarter.  Greenville is now 17th in the Southeast, an improvement from 32nd in the first quarter.

Meanwhile, Charleston's affordability declined as housing prices continued to rise.  Charlotte's affordability also also declined, along with Atlanta.  Columbia's affordability improved slightly to 88.7%.  Columbia is among the 50 most affordable housing markets in the country and 10th in the Southeast.

In all, 63.2% of homes sold nationwide between the beginning of April and end of June were affordable to families earning the median income of $65,800. This is down from the 66.5% of homes sold that were affordable to median-income earners in the first quarter.

The national median home price increased from $210,000 in the first quarter to $230,000 in the second quarter as average mortgage rates edged slightly lower from 4.03% to 3.99% in the same period.

“Though affordability edged slightly lower in the second quarter, the HOI remains well above 50, where half the households can afford half the homes sold,” said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. “Low mortgage rates, pent-up demand and continued job growth should contribute to a gradual, steady rise in housing throughout the year.”

Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, Ohio-Pa. was rated the nation’s most affordable major housing market, and Kokomo, Ind., claimed the title of most affordable small housing market in this year’s second quarter. There, 95.5% of homes sold were affordable to families earning the area’s median income of $55,200.

For the 11th consecutive quarter, San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, Calif., was the nation’s least affordable major housing market. There, only 11% of homes sold in the second quarter were affordable to families earning the area’s median income of $103,400.

Please visit nahb.org/hoi for tables, historic data and details.

NAHB: Housing Affordability Improves Nationally, but Falls in Greenville

Lower interest rates and home prices contributed to a solid boost in nationwide affordability in the first quarter of 2015, according to the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI) released today.

“Consumers benefited from continued low mortgage rates and some fall in the price of homes sold in the first quarter, as these conditions offer a great time to buy,” said NAHB Chairman Tom Woods.

In Greater Greenville, the index fell from 80.4% during the fourth quarter of 2014 to 77.7% in the first quarter of 2015.  Like the nation, house prices dropped to $154,000 from $161,000, and income also fell slightly to $58,000.  As a result, Greater Greenville's national rank as most affordable among all housing markets fell from 64th in the fourth quarter to 107th last quarter.  Greenville is now 32nd in the Southeast, off from 13th in the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, Charleston's affordability continued to improve as income rises in that market.  Charlotte's affordability also improved, again the result of rising wages.  Atlanta's affordability also improved on rising wages.

“The past two quarters have seen an improvement in affordability as mortgage rates remain low,” said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. “Eighty-five percent of the metropolitan areas measured experienced an increase in affordability. Along with favorable home prices and pent-up demand, this broad improvement should help encourage more buyers to enter the marketplace.”

In all, 66.5% of new and existing homes sold between the beginning of January and end of March were affordable to families earning the U.S. median income of $65,800. This is up from the 62.8% of homes sold that were affordable to median-income earners in the fourth quarter.

The national median home price declined from $215,000 in the fourth quarter to $210,000 in the first quarter. Meanwhile, average mortgage interest fell from 4.29% to 4.03% in the same period.

For the second straight quarter, Syracuse, N.Y. remained the nation’s most affordable major housing market, as 95.6% of all new and existing homes sold in the first quarter of 2015 were affordable to families earning the area’s median income of $68,500.

Also ranking among the most affordable major housing markets in respective order were Toledo, Ohio; St. Louis; Akron, Ohio; and Harrisburg-Carlisle, Pa.

Meanwhile, Sandusky, Ohio topped the affordability chart among smaller markets in the first quarter of 2015. There, 96.3% of homes sold during the first quarter were affordable to families earning the area’s median income of $69,600. Other smaller housing markets at the top of the index included Cumberland, Md.-W.Va.; Elmira, N.Y.; Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, Iowa-Ill.; and Kokomo, Ind.

For a 10th consecutive quarter, San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, Calif. was the nation’s least affordable major housing market. There, just 14.1% of homes sold in the first quarter were affordable to families earning the area’s median income of $103,400.

Other major metros at the bottom of the affordability chart were Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif.; Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif.; New York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.-N.J.; and San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif.

All five least affordable small housing markets were in California. At the very bottom was Santa Cruz-Watsonville, where 21.6% of all new and existing homes sold were affordable to families earning the area’s median income of $87,000. Other small markets included Salinas, Napa, San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, and Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta; in descending order.

Please visit nahb.org/hoi for tables, historic data and a complete listing of markets sorted alphabetically or ranked by affordability.

NAHB: Housing Affordability Improves Slightly in the Fourth Quarter

Slightly lower interest rates and home prices contributed to a slight increase in nationwide housing affordability in the fourth quarter of 2014, according to the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI) released today.

In all, 62.8% of new and existing homes sold between the beginning of October and end of December were affordable to families earning the median income of $63,900. This is up from the 61.8% of homes sold in the third quarter.

The national median home price declined from $220,800 in the third quarter to $215,000 in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, average mortgage interest rates decreased from 4.35% to 4.29%.

In Greater Greenville, the index rose from 78% during the third quarter of 2014 to 80.4% in the fourth quarter.  Like the nation, house prices dropped slightly to $161,000 from $163,000, while income remained at $58,200.  As a result, Greater Greenville's national rank as most affordable among all housing markets improved to 64th nationally, and 13th in the Southeast.

Meanwhile, Charleston's affordability fell slightly as housing prices continued to rise in that market.  But Charlotte's affordability improved, also the result of falling home prices.  Atlanta's affordability also improved.

“This upturn in affordability is a positive development, and in line with what we are hearing from builders in the field: More prospective buyers are starting to move forward in the marketplace,” said Tom Woods, Chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

“Affordable home prices, historically low mortgage rates and an improving job market will release pent-up demand and help keep the housing market moving forward in the year ahead,” said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe.

Syracuse, N.Y. claimed the title of the nation’s most affordable major housing market, as 92.8% of all homes sold in the fourth quarter of 2014 were affordable to families earning the area’s median income of $67,700.

Also ranking among the most affordable major housing markets: Akron and Dayton, Ohio and Harrisburg-Carlisle and Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pa, with the latter two tied for fourth place.

Cumberland, Md.-W.Va. topped the affordability chart among smaller markets: 96.2 percent of homes sold during the fourth quarter were affordable to families earning the area’s median income of $54,100. Other smaller housing markets at the top of the index include Kokomo, Ind.; Wheeling, W.Va.-Ohio; Binghamton, N.Y.; and Salisbury, Md.

For a ninth consecutive quarter, San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, Calif. was the nation’s least affordable major housing market. There, just 11.1% of homes sold were affordable to families earning the area’s median income of $100,400.

Other major metros at the bottom of the affordability chart were Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, and San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara — all in California — and New York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.

All five least affordable small housing markets were in California. At the very bottom was Napa, where 12% of homes sold were affordable to families earning the area’s median income of $70,300. Other markets on the list included Santa Cruz-Watsonville, Salinas, Santa Rosa-Petaluma, and San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles; in descending order.

Rising Home Values Impact Affordability in Second Quarter

Nationwide housing affordability slipped several notches as recovering markets witnessed significant firming of home prices in the second quarter, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI), released today.

In all, 69.3 percent of new and existing homes sold between the beginning of April and end of June were affordable to families earning the U.S. median income of $64,400. This is down from the 73.7 percent of homes sold that were affordable to median-income earners in the first quarter, and the first time that the measure has fallen below 70 percent since late 2008.



In the Greenville MSA, the index fell to 80.1 as the median price of a new home rose more than 10 percent to $160,000.  Greenville is ranked 104 nationally for housing affordability.

“Housing affordability has been hovering near historic highs for the past several years, largely due to exceptionally favorable mortgage rates and low prices during the recession,” observed NAHB Chairman Rick Judson, a home builder from Charlotte, N.C. “Now that markets across the country are recovering, home values are strengthening at the same time that the cost of building homes is rising due to tightened supplies of building materials, developable lots and labor.”

“Rising home prices signal the improving health in housing markets, and the median price of all new and existing U.S. homes sold in this year’s second quarter, at $202,000, was well ahead of the second quarter 2012 median price of $185,000,” observed NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. “Together with rising mortgage rates, this contributed to affordability slipping to the lowest level in more than four years. Such movement would be less concerning were it not for ongoing discussions regarding potential changes to the mortgage interest deduction and federal support for the secondary mortgage market, both of which play enormous roles in keeping homeownership affordable.”

While Ogden-Clearfield, Utah, was rated the nation’s most affordable major housing market for a fourth consecutive quarter, a newcomer – Utica-Rome, N.Y. – claimed the title of most affordable smaller market in the latest HOI.






In the larger metro, 92.8 percent of all new and existing homes sold in this year’s second quarter were affordable to families earning the area’s median income of $70,800. This was slightly lower than the 93.4 percent of homes sold that were affordable to median income-earners in the previous quarter. Meanwhile, just over 97 percent of new and existing homes sold in Utica-Rome in the same period were affordable to families earning that area’s median income of $63,800.

Other major U.S. housing markets at the top of the affordability chart in the second quarter included Indianapolis-Carmel, Ind.; Harrisburg-Carlisle, Pa.; Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, Ohio-Pa.; and Buffalo-Niagara Falls, N.Y., in descending order.

Smaller markets joining Utica at the top of the affordability chart included Kokomo, Ind.; Cumberland, Md.-W.V.; Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton, N.J.; and Bay City, Mich.

For a third consecutive quarter, San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, Calif. held the lowest spot among major markets on the affordability chart. There, just 19.3 percent of homes sold in the second quarter were affordable to families earning the area’s median income of $101,200.

Other major metros at the bottom of the affordability chart included Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif.; Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif.; New York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.-N.J.; and San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif.; in descending order.

All of the least affordable small housing markets were in California in the latest quarter. At the very bottom of the affordability chart was Santa Cruz-Watsonville, where 30 percent of all new and existing homes sold were affordable to families earning the area’s median income of $73,800. Other small markets at the lowest end of the affordability scale included San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, Salinas, Napa and Santa Rosa-Petaluma, respectively.

Please visit www.nahb.org/hoi for tables, historic data and details.

NAHB: Rising Costs Put Squeeze on Builder Confidence in April

Facing increasing costs for building materials and rising concerns about the supply of developed lots and labor, builders registered less confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes in April, with a two-point drop to 42 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), released today.

“Many builders are expressing frustration over being unable to respond to the rising demand for new homes due to difficulties in obtaining construction credit, overly restrictive mortgage lending rules and construction costs that are increasing at a faster pace than appraised values,” said Rick Judson, National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Chairman and a home builder from Charlotte, N.C. “While sales conditions are generally improving, these challenges are holding back new building and job creation.”

“Supply chains for building materials, developed lots and skilled workers will take some time to re-establish themselves following the recession, and in the meantime builders are feeling squeezed by higher costs and limited availability issues,” explained NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. “That said, builders’ outlook for the next six months has improved due to the low inventory of for-sale homes, rock bottom mortgage rates and rising consumer confidence.”

Derived from a monthly survey that NAHB has been conducting for 25 years, the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index gauges builder perceptions of current single-family home sales and sales expectations for the next six months as “good,” “fair” or “poor.” The survey also asks builders to rate traffic of prospective buyers as “high to very high,” “average” or “low to very low.” Scores for each component are then used to calculate a seasonally adjusted index where any number over 50 indicates that more builders view conditions as good than poor.

While the HMI component gauging current sales conditions declined two points to 45 and the component gauging buyer traffic declined four points to 30 in April, the component gauging sales expectations in the next six months posted a three-point gain to 53 – its highest level since February of 2007.

Looking at three-month moving averages for regional HMI scores, the Northeast was unchanged at 38 in April while the Midwest registered a two-point decline to 45, the South registered a four-point decline to 42 and the West posted a three-point decline to 55.

Nationwide Housing Affordability Increases at Year-End 2012

Exceptionally low interest rates helped ensure a slight gain in nationwide housing affordability amid relatively stable house prices in the final quarter of 2012, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI), released today.

In all, 74.9 percent of homes sold between the beginning of October and end of December were affordable to families earning the U.S. median income of $65,000. This was up nearly a percentage point from the 74.1 percent of homes sold that were affordable to median-income earners in last year’s third quarter.


In the Greenville MSA, 84.8 percent of homes sold were affordable to families earning the area median of $59,000.  The average price of a new home was $146,000.  The index was up 1.6 percentage points from 83.2 in the third quarter, and nearly matches the high of 85.9 in the first quarter of 2004.

“The most recent housing affordability data should be encouraging to many prospective home buyers, because it shows that homeownership remains within reach of median-income consumers even as most local markets appear to be on a recovery path,” said NAHB Chairman Rick Judson, a home builder from Charlotte, N.C. He noted that the most recent reading of the NAHB/First American Improving Markets Index found that 259 out of 361 metros currently qualify as improving, including representatives from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

“The median price of all new and existing homes sold in the fourth quarter of 2012 was $188,000, essentially unchanged from the previous quarter’s $189,000 that marked a nearly three-year high,” noted NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. “It is noteworthy that affordability remains historically high thanks to favorable mortgage rates even as national home price indexes show some rise in values."

Ogden-Clearfield, Utah held its position as the nation’s most affordable major housing market for a second consecutive quarter at the end of 2012. There, 93.7 percent of all new and existing homes sold were affordable to families earning the area’s median household income of $71,500 – up slightly from the 93.2 percent of homes affordable to median-income earners in the third quarter.

Also ranking among the most affordable major housing markets in respective order were Dayton, Ohio; Indianapolis-Carmel, Ind.; Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla.; and Syracuse, N.Y.

Among smaller housing markets, Fairbanks, Alaska, remained at the top of the affordability chart with nearly all homes sold in the quarter -- 99.6 percent – affordable to those earning the median income of $92,900. Other small housing markets at the top of the index included Cumberland, Md.; Springfield, Ohio; Monroe, Mich.; and Mansfield, Ohio, in that order.

After 18 consecutive quarters at the bottom of the affordability chart, New York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.-N.J. switched places with San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, Calif., which had been the second-to-least affordable market. Just 28.4 percent of homes sold in San Francisco during the fourth quarter were affordable to families earning that area’s median income of $103,000.

Other major metros at the bottom of the affordability chart included Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif.; Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif.; and Honolulu, Hawaii, in that order.

The least affordable small housing market in the fourth quarter was Ocean City, N.J., where just 43.5 percent of homes sold were within reach of families earning the median income of $71,100. Other small metros at the bottom of the affordability chart included San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles and Santa Cruz-Watsonville, Calif., followed by Dover, Del., and Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, Calif., respectively.

Please visit www.nahb.org/hoi for tables, historic data and details.

Editor’s note: The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index is a measure of the percentage of homes sold in a given area that are affordable to families earning the area’s median income during a specific quarter. Prices of new and existing homes sold are collected from actual court records by Core Logic, a data and analytics company. Mortgage financing conditions incorporate interest rates on fixed- and adjustable-rate loans reported by the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

The NAHB/Wells Fargo HOI is strictly the product of NAHB Economics, and is not seen or influenced by any outside party prior to being released to the public.

NAHB: Nationwide Housing Affordability Reaches New Record High

Nationwide housing affordability hit a new record high for a second consecutive quarter in the first three months of this year, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI), released today. Yet tight lending conditions continue to pose a major obstacle to many prospective home buyers.

The latest HOI data reveal that 77.5 percent of all new and existing homes that were sold in this year’s first quarter were affordable to families earning the national median income of $65,000. This beats the previous record set in the final quarter of 2011, when 75.9 percent of homes sold were affordable to median-income earners.

For the Upstate, the affordability index is 84.4, down slightly from 84.7 in the fourth quarter of 2011.  Median household income rose from $58,300 to $59,000 from quarter-to-quarter.  Median home prices also rose to $1,000 to $140,000.  The Greenville region ranks 106 nationally in affordability.

“Homes in this year’s first quarter were more affordable than they have been at any time in more than 20 years, yet many potential sales are not happening because of overly tight lending conditions that are keeping hardworking families from obtaining a suitable mortgage,” said Barry Rutenberg, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Gainesville, Fla. “Without this significant hurdle, the housing and economic recovery could be proceeding at a much stronger pace.”

The most affordable major housing market in this year’s first quarter was Indianapolis-Carmel, Ind., where 95.8 percent of homes sold during the period were affordable to households earning the area’s median family income of $66,900.

Also ranking among the most affordable major housing markets in respective order were Dayton, Ohio; Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla.; Modesto, Calif.; Grand Rapids-Wyoming, Mich.; and Buffalo-Niagara Falls, N.Y.; the latter two of which tied for fifth place.

Among smaller housing markets, Cumberland, Md.-W.Va. topped the affordability chart for the first time in this year’s first quarter. There, 99 percent of homes sold during the first quarter were affordable to families earning the area’s median income of $53,000. Other smaller housing markets at the top of the index include Fairbanks, Alaska; Wheeling, W.Va.; Kokomo, Ind.; and Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, Iowa-Ill., respectively.

In New York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.-N.J., which retained the title of the least affordable major housing market for a 16th consecutive quarter, just 31.5 percent of homes sold in the first three months of this year were affordable to those earning the area’s median income of $68,200.

Other major metros at the bottom of the affordability chart included San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, Calif.; Honolulu; Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif.; and Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif., respectively.

Ocean City, N.J., was the least affordable smaller housing market on the list, with 45.9 percent of homes sold in the first quarter affordable to families earning the median income of $71,100. Other small metros at the bottom of the list included Santa Cruz-Watsonville, Calif.; San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, Calif.; Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, Calif.; and Laredo, Texas.

Please visit www.nahb.org/hoi for tables, historic data and details.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index is a measure of the percentage of homes sold in a given area that are affordable to families earning that area’s median income during a specific quarter. Prices of new and existing homes sold are collected from actual court records by First American Real Estate Solutions, a marketing company. Mortgage financing conditions incorporate interest rates on fixed- and adjustable-rate loans reported by the Federal Housing Finance Board.

The NAHB/Wells Fargo HOI is strictly the product of NAHB Economics, and is not seen or influenced by any outside party prior to being released to the public.

Housing now most affordable on record

Nationwide housing affordability rose to a record high during the fourth quarter of 2011, according to the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI), released Feb. 16. Nearly 76% of all new and existing homes sold during those months were affordable to families earning the national median income of $64,200, which is the highest percentage recorded in the 20-year history of our index. 

In Greenville, 84.7 percent of homes sold in the fourth quarter were affordable to the median household income of $58,300.  Greenville is presently the 17th most affordable housing market in the country.  The current affordability index for Greenville is just short of the record affordability set in 2004, when housing prices were impacted by the manufacturing recession of 2002 and 2003.

The most affordable large metro in the country at the end of last year was Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, Ohio-Pa., where 95.1% of all homes sold during the quarter were within reach of households earning the area’s median family income of $54,900. Also ranking at the top of the affordability list this time around were Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla.; Modesto, Calif.; Harrisburg-Carlisle, Pa.; and Toledo, Ohio, in that order. 

Among smaller housing markets, Kokomo, Ind., reigned supreme, with 99.2% of homes sold during the fourth quarter being affordable to families earning the median income of $59,100. Other smaller housing markets at the top of the affordability scale include Fairbanks, Alaska; Cumberland, Md.-W.Va.; Lima, Ohio; and Rockford, Ill. 

By contrast, New York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.-N.J. retained its title as the least affordable major housing market during 2011’s final quarter, with just 29% of all homes sold being affordable to those earning the area’s median income of $67,400. This was the 15th consecutive quarter in which that metro has sunk to the bottom of the affordability chart. Other major metros near the bottom include Honolulu; San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, Calif.; Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif.; and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif., respectively. 

The least affordable small metro area this time around was Ocean City, N.J., where 47.5% of the homes were affordable to families earning the median income of $70,100. Other small metros near the bottom included Laredo, Texas; San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, Calif.; Santa Cruz-Watsonville, Calif.; and Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas. 

For details about the Housing Opportunity Index, click here to read the press release or view the HOI tables online at: www.nahb.org/hoi.

Housing is more affordable than anytime in decades

Nationwide housing affordability hit new highs in this year's first quarter, according to the latest reading of the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI), released May 25. During that time, 74.6% of all new and existing homes sold were affordable to families earning the national median income of $64,400. That's better than the previous high of 73.9% established during the fourth quarter of 2010, and marks the ninth consecutive quarter in which the index has risen above the 70% level.

Before 2009, the HOI rarely topped 65% and never reached the 70% margin. The bottom line: Homeownership is now within reach of more households than it has been for more than two decades — at least it should be, if not for tight credit conditions that are impeding both builders and buyers right now.

In the Greenville area, the Housing Opportunity Index is 77.9. That means that 77.9 percent of the available homes in the market are affordable to a family earning the median household income for the market of $58,000 per year.