The housing market typically heats up in March and this year was no exception. According to a recently released market analysis of online listings, there were 281,546 newly pending listings this March. That’s the most since August 2022 and an almost 30-percent increase over month-before numbers. Page views for online listings were also up sharply, with daily views per for-sale listing 32-percent higher than last year. What’s this mean for home buyers and sellers? Well, it means there are signs of spring in the … [Read more...]

Buying your first home is a bigger financial challenge than buying your second or third home. If you already have a home, you can use the proceeds from its sale to help finance the purchase of your next house. If you don’t own a home, you have to come up with the money for a down payment and closing costs from scratch. That can be difficult. The good news? It’s getting a little easier. These days, home-price increases are flattening across the country due to a rising number of homes available for sale. That, along … [Read more...]

Home prices continue to flatten nationally, according to the most recent results of the Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index. The index – which measures prices on a three-month basis – found year-over-year gains of just 0.9 percent through the end of January. That’s down from a 1.1 percent gain the previous month. Nicholas Godec, CFA, CAIA, CIPM, Head of Fixed Income Tradables & Commodities at S&P Dow Jones Indices, says the results are evidence that prices continue to cool. “January’s results show … [Read more...]

Nobody likes being in debt. Owing money can cause stress and financial strain. In fact, new survey results show 77 percent of Americans say they believe being in debt has held them back. But while it can definitely have a negative effect on your life, not all debt is the same and, in some ways, debt can be good. That’s why the same survey found almost an equal amount of respondents who said they think having debt is normal. Additionally, 62 percent of participants even believe it’s necessary to get ahead … [Read more...]

The typical mortgage payment got smaller in February, according to new data from the Mortgage Bankers Association. The group’s Purchase Applications Payment Index looks at amounts applied for by borrowers and measures them over time to gauge home buyer affordability. In February, the PAPI found payments down. In fact, the national median payment fell to $2,061 from $2,070 in January. Edward Seiler, MBA’s associate vice president of housing economics, says the improvement, while small, is encouraging. “Home buyer … [Read more...]

Each quarter, ATTOM Data Solutions produces an affordability report comparing current conditions to historical averages. The report looks at factors like home prices, mortgage rates, and wages in counties across the country than compares them to long-term data. According to their first quarter U.S. Home Affordability Report, there was a slight improvement in buyers’ ability to comfortably afford a home, with the percentage of counties where homes are less affordable than historical averages falling from the … [Read more...]

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates moved higher again last week, reaching their highest level since October 2025. Rates were up across all loan categories, including 30-year fixed-rate loans with both conforming and jumbo balances, loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration, 15-year fixed-rate loans, and 5/1 ARMs. Joel Kan, MBA’s vice president and deputy chief economist, says worries about oil prices are behind the increases. “The threat of … [Read more...]

A few years ago, home buyers interested in a new listing would have to hurry to schedule a showing, hoping to see the house and get a good offer in before it sold to another buyer who moved just a bit faster. During those years, a good house listed on a Thursday could be off the market by Monday. Naturally, that pace is stressful for buyers. It also drives prices higher as homes with multiple offers typically sell for higher than their listed price. Fortunately, however, things have slowed down since then and homes … [Read more...]

New home sales data is known to be volatile. It is often revised and can sometimes show exaggerated increases and declines. But while the most recent release from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development shows a nearly 18-percent drop in January, this one was likely due to harsh winter weather during the month, rather than a statistical anomaly that will be corrected in the weeks ahead. Why? Well, much of the country saw frigid temperatures and snow in January – which would … [Read more...]

Despite knowing they may find a better bargain in winter or fall, home buyers always tend to come out in spring. The reasons aren’t that hard to figure out. For one, the weather is generally nicer. But more importantly, buyers with kids can move with the least amount of disruption if they do it in summer, before the new school year. That’s why spring and early summer are the housing market’s hottest times of year. But, naturally, an influx of buyers leads to competition, which can lead to bidding wars and higher … [Read more...]