Thanks to the National Association of Realtors, I was able to get monthly data on the Housing Affordability Index (HAI) back to 1988. As the chart above shows (click to enlarge), the October HAI of 141.8 (a family earning the median family income had 141.8% of the income necessary to qualify for a conventional loan covering 80% of a median-priced single-family home) is the highest level on record, going back at least to January 1988.As I mentioned in this recent CD post: a) the recent increase in housing affordability is good news for the real estate market, since it will help in the recovery process (i.e. a "Larry Kudlow mustard seed"), and b) this increase in housing affordability, now reaching an all-time historical high, has gone unreported by the media, I still can't find a single news report on this topic.
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