TheMReport — News and strategies for the evolving mortgage marketplace.
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Th e M Rep o RT | 7 Department Home-Buying Power of the Source: HSH.com Boston Boston has a rich historical narrative weaving through- out its neighborhoods due to its unique role in Ameri- can history. But the patriots who once inhabited this region would be shocked to discover the average American household is not so liberated today due to home-price inflation and the need to make $80,050 a year to safely afford a median-priced home. New York City Rent wars and demand for more affordable housing are not new to New York. For that reason, and the fact that it takes a salary of $87,536 to afford a home in the Big Apple, New York City tops the list of unaffordable mortgage lending markets for middle- income borrowers. Los Angeles Crowded and landlocked in many areas, Los Angeles is no surprise on the list. An average household needs a salary of $89,665 to afford a median-priced home. In 2014, the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs sounded the alarm, noting LA is also one of the more unaffordable markets for renters with both rents and home prices on the high-end. San Diego Beautiful and intriguing, but unlikely to become the future for most middle-income Americans. This is how one might describe San Diego, which has become a close counterpart to San Francisco in the southernmost part of the state. The income needed to afford a median-priced home in San Diego comes in at a cool $95,433. San Francisco San Francisco takes the cake–or rather it's a city that doesn't let you have your cake and eat it too. If you buy a home in San Fran, don't expect to buy much else. HSH.com data suggests it takes a salary of $142,448 to comfortably ac- quire a median-priced home in this community. $142,448 $95,433 $89,665 $87,536 $80,050 The Losers: If your lending portfolio caters to the upper crust or the jumbo side of the mortgage originations pie, then these markets offer incredible opportunities. But if you're fishing for areas where average salaried workers can afford a home and a mortgage, these markets are definitely the weak links. The hottest (and Coolest) Markets for the Middle-Class Borrower.