Yesterday, Register Donald E. Ashe held his semiannual Release and Forecast, which highlights information such as revenue collected and documents recorded in 2013, as well as his projections for 2014. The Register was very pleased to share that 2013 was the first time that Hampden County has spent over $1 billion dollars on real property since 2009. While the data is encouraging, Register Ashe finds it important to note that it will continue to take quite some time to reach pre-2007 figures.
"For those of you who may have missed the economic recovery, 2014 just
might be the year it’s noticed. While conflicting views still exist relative to
our country’s economic health, a significant amount of healing has occurred
since 2009. The national economy is expected to grow in 2014 by 3%, which will
be the first time annual growth has reached this mark since 2007.
The housing recovery is continuing, household debt is declining, job
gains are gradually improving and Congress has passed a two year budget. There
are reasons to be optimistic about the economy in 2014. Existing home sales are
trending upward, while interest rates remain low. We should see an improvement
in new home construction as population growth causes an increase in demand.
There are, however, some potential concerns, such as a continuation of tight
lending standards, a dramatic increase in the interest rates and slower than
expected job growth...."
