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38 TOP 5 CITIES WITH FASTEST INCOME GROWTH e salary a potential homebuyer earns can dictate whether affording a home is in reach, and according to an October 2017 study released by GOBankingRates, location is just as important as ever when considering income potential. Some cities have household incomes that are growing faster than others. e study notes that metro areas in the midwestern and western regions of the U.S. are experiencing the most rapid wage growth, while metro areas in the southern and eastern regions are growing more slowly or declining. To determine the wage growth across the nation, GOBankingRates analyzed income changes year-to-year from 2010 through 2015 for America's 200 largest metro areas. Changes in income were calculated based on real income per capita in 2009 dollars. So, which cities fared the best? Tulsa, Oklahoma, earns the No. 1 spot for a homebuyer to consider, with an income increase by 35.71 percent. In addition, "it's the only area in the country that witnessed income growth greater than 30 percent, as well as the only one that enjoyed average year-over-year increase over 6 percentage points—in fact, it was 6.41." Following suit is Fayetteville, Arkansas. In this city, incomes have risen by an average 5.49 percentage points year-over-year from 2010 to 2015, for a 29.72 percent overall rise in income. Provo, Utah, experienced an income increase of 23.12 percent, and according to the study, unemployment there is half the national average and job growth is nearly triple. San Jose, California, and Greeley, Colorado, complete the top five, both experiencing income growths, as well as both locations having median hourly wages higher than the national median, making these cities a place for homebuyers to consider laying down roots. FHFA DATA SHOWS DECREASE IN SHORT SALES, DEEDS-IN-LIEU e Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) released its July Foreclosure Prevention Report outlining its recent data on foreclosure prevention, including permanent loan modifications. One of the more dramatic changes in foreclosure-prevention activities occurred in home-forfeiture actions. In July, 884 short sales and 339 deeds-in-lieu were completed, down 24 percent compared to June, at 1,115 and 503, respectively. Other foreclosure-prevention actions utilized by the GSEs included retention strategies such as forbearance plans, repayment plans, and loan modifications. According to the report, there were 13,845 foreclosure prevention actions in July, bringing the total to 3,945,069 since the FHFA gained conservatorship in 2008. e report indicates permanent loan modifications decreased 1,368 month-over-month, with 10,217 modifications in July. Borrowers who received permanent loan modification who were considered "seriously delinquent" dropped 10 percent from 81 percent to 71 percent in July. e FHFA considers a borrower seriously delinquent when their loan is in the process of foreclosure, plus loans that are three or more payments delinquent. e GSEs' combined serious delinquency rate dropped to 0.94 percent from 0.95 percent, the lowest year-to-date. ird-party and foreclosures sales decreased 14 percent in July to 5,117, also the lowest YTD. Foreclosure starts declined 6 percent from 13,028 in June to 12,255 in July. When examining the reasons for delinquency, the FHFA cited curtailment of income, excessive obligation, unemployment, illness of principal mortgagor or family member, and marital difficulties as the top five reasons. e U.S. Department of Labor recently released its September 2017 Employment Situation, which was impacted by recent Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. "e Bureau of Labor Statistics noted that the number of workers who had a job but were not at work due to bad weather jumped to a two-decade high," said First American Chief Economist Doug Duncan in reaction to the report. "e hurricane impact will dissipate over time, as we have observed during the aftermaths of previous major storms." According to Black Knight's Home Price Index released in October 2017, U.S. home prices peaked at $282,000 in August, the 64th month of consecutive increases. KNOW THIS

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