Home Equity Major Retirement Asset for Most

Home Equity Major Retirement Asset for Most

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One of the most significant advantages of owning a home is the ability to build wealth-and according to a recent report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), home equity is one of the top two assets households rely on in retirement, barring pension or Social Security benefits.

The report, "Importance of Individual Account Retirement Plans and Home Equity in Family Total Wealth," compared assets in households headed by those between the ages of 25 and 64, computing the share of assets comprised of home equity and retirement plans (e.g., 401(k), IRA)-the other key source of income in retirement.

The median share was 78.2 percent, and even higher when focused in on the 55-64 age range: 87.4 percent.  "The data show that it is overwhelmingly the case that individual account (IA) retirement plan assets, plus home equity, represent almost all of what families have to use for retirement expenses outside of Social Security and traditional pensions," said Craig Copeland, author of the report and senior research associate at EBRI, in a release.

Markedly, the presence of an IA can be an indicator of a households assets overall. More than three-quarters (79.6 percent) of households without an IA have less than $10,000 in assets, according to the report, suggesting some link between having an IA and owning a home.

"Those families without IA assets typically have very low overall assets, so they have almost nothing to draw from for retirement expenses (outside of Social Security)," Copeland said.

Source: Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI)

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RECORD TRANSACTION VOLUME OF NEARLY $82 BILLION

Record Transaction Volume - $82 Billion

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DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HFF, Inc. (NYSE:HF) announced yesterday the year-end unaudited 2016 transaction volume of HFF, Inc.’s (the “Company’s”) operating partnerships (which consist of Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P. (“HFF”) and HFF Securities, L.P. (“HFFS”)).

The Company reported record results for its transaction volume, which it estimates at nearly $82 billion on 2,201 transactions across the Company’s debt placement, investment sales, equity placement, and loan sales capital market platforms. This figure excludes transaction volume relating to HFFS’s advisory and consulting assignments, which are not reported due to the complexity of reporting such volume as disclosed in the Company’s previous filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. HFF’s 2016 annual transaction volume represents a gain of approximately 8% over the $76 billion transaction volume closed in 2015. The number of transactions HFF closed in 2016 – approximately 2,201 – represents a decline of three transactions from the 2015 figure of 2,204.

HFF’s debt placement volume in 2016 is estimated to be approximately $40.6 billion compared to $38.1 billion in 2015, which represents an approximate 7% increase.

HFF’s combined investment sales, equity placement, and loan sales volume is estimated to be approximately $41.4 billion compared to $37.9 billion in 2015, which represents an approximate 9% increase over 2015.

HFF’s commercial loan servicing portfolio balance is estimated to be approximately $58.0 billion on more than 2,800 loans serviced as of December 31, 2016, which represents an approximate 19.1% increase from the year-end 2015 portfolio balance of $48.7 billion on 2,646 loans serviced.

The amount of active private equity discretionary fund transactions on which HFFS has been engaged and may recognize additional future revenue was approximately $2.85 billion at year-end 2016, approximately 0.7% below the year-end 2015 volume of $2.87 billion.

This press release outlines the Company’s production volume totals, which are calculated from an internal database and have not been audited. Note that these amounts may be adjusted as the Company completes its review and audit of its fourth quarter and year-end results for 2016. No inferences about the Company’s fourth quarter 2016 earnings should be made from this announcement of transaction volume. The Company’s earnings for fourth quarter 2016 are currently scheduled to be publicly released in late February 2017. The Company has elected to release its production volumes at this time in order for HFF and HFFS to participate in several industry surveys which are important to their respective businesses.

Business Comments

“We believe the above results are due to the incredibly talented individuals comprising the HFF Team, whose exceptional work ethic, tremendous competency in the real estate capital markets industry and unwavering passion to be the very best in their chosen profession continue to be rewarded by the largest owners of commercial real estate assets in the U.S.,” said Mark D. Gibson, the Company’s chief executive officer.

About HFF, Inc.

Through its subsidiaries, Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P. and HFF Securities L.P., the Company operates out of 23 offices nationwide and is one of the leading providers of commercial real estate and capital markets services, by transaction volume, to the U.S. commercial real estate industry.

The Company offers clients a fully integrated national capital markets platform including debt placement, investment sales, advisory services, equity placement, loan sales and commercial loan servicing.

Source: BusinessWire

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MUD ROOMS, OFFICES RANK HIGH FOR HOMEOWNERS

Mud Rooms, Offices Rank High for Homeowners

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A mud room and an office come in at the top of homeowners' wish lists-and a gym and a movie theater have dropped off it, according to the recently released American Institute of Architects' (AIA) Home Design Trends Survey. 

"Heavy investment in outdoor living spaces, mud rooms and home offices indicate that consumers are placing a premium on practicality and functionality," said Kermit Baker, AIA chief economist, in a statement on the survey. "Things have changed a lot from a decade ago, when home theaters and exercise rooms were some of the most popular 'special function' rooms in homes."

In addition to a mud room, an office and outdoor living space, homeowners are remodeling for a designated guest room (e.g., an Au Pair or in-law suite) and a sun room or three-season porch, according to the survey.

Remodeling for accessibility is also common, though somewhat less so as more new homes are being designed to accommodate "aging in place." Popular accessibility projects, the survey found, include adding a first-floor master bedroom, an elevator and handles.

"Although accessibility features remain an important issue to homeowners, demand for some of these features has leveled off in the custom residential arena," Baker said. "As more homes become equipped to handle an aging population of homeowners, less custom work needs to be done to address specific accessibility issues."

Automated features are in-demand, as well, some with the dual benefit of convenience and energy efficiency. Up-and-coming features that homeowners have begun to request, the survey found, include an air purification system, a backup power generator, an electrical car docking station, solar panels and "super" insulation.

Source: American Institute of Architects (AIA)

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