The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Builder Application Survey (BAS) data for August 2014 shows mortgage applications for new home purchases decreased by 9 percent relative to the previous month. This change does not include any adjustment for typical seasonal patterns.
By product type, conventional loans were 68.9 percent of loan applications, FHA loans were 15.7 percent, RHS/USDA loans were 1 percent and VA loans were 14.3 percent. The average loan size of new homes increased from $297,253 in July to $300,443 in August.
The MBA estimates new single-family home sales were running at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 424,000 units in August, based on data from the BAS. The new home sales estimate is derived using mortgage application information from the BAS, as well as assumptions regarding market coverage and other factors.
The seasonally adjusted estimate for August is a decrease of 2.1 percent from the July pace of 433,000 units. On an unadjusted basis, the MBA estimates that there were 34,000 new home sales in August, a decrease of 8.1 percent from 37,000 new home sales in July. Compared with last year, the MBA estimate of unadjusted new home sales are down 2.9 percent from 35,000 new home sales in August 2013.
MBA’s Builder Application Survey tracks application volume from mortgage subsidiaries of homebuilders across the country. Utilizing this data, as well as data from other sources, MBA is able to provide an early estimate of new home sales volumes at the national, state, and metro level. This data also provides information regarding the types of loans used by new home buyers. Official new home sales estimates are conducted by the Census Bureau on a monthly basis. In that data, new home sales are recorded at contract signing, which typically is coincident with the mortgage application.