According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates were mostly flat last week from the week before, with rates for 30-year fixed-rate loans with conforming balances and loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration unchanged from one week earlier. Rates for jumbo loans moved lower week-over-week, while 15-year fixed-rate loans and 5/1 ARMs saw increases. With rates near four-year lows, demand spiked. In fact, demand for mortgage loan applications was up 11 … [Read more...]

The housing market is a balance of supply and demand. When there is more supply than demand, the inventory of homes for sale is plentiful, buyers have choices and negotiating power, and home-price increases are modest. When demand outpaces supply, the opposite is true. Home prices spike and buyers have to compete for available homes. That’s the primary reason for the current market’s affordability problem. There’s been a lack of supply for years and, according to one new analysis, it hasn’t improved. The National … [Read more...]

Most people don’t follow the housing market that closely. Until we’re ready to buy a house, we probably aren’t digging into the data. But not following the market can lead to misconceptions. It can also lead to worry. So, what’s the top worry among Americans thinking about buying? Well, the number one worry among Americans, according to a newly released survey, is high home prices. Forty-five percent of respondents listed the high price of buying as their top concern. Fifty-five percent of them said they think … [Read more...]

When Americans look at listings online, more of them are looking at houses far from home. In fact, according to a new analysis from the National Association of Realtors’ consumer website, 61.9 percent of online views for homes in the largest 100 metropolitan areas are from out-of-market shoppers. That’s up from 48.6 percent in 2019, pre-pandemic. Danielle Hale, the website’s chief economist, says Americans’ home-shopping habits have changed. “We have seen a fundamental change in where Americans who are shopping for … [Read more...]

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates fell last week across all loan categories, including 30-year fixed-rate loans with both conforming and jumbo balances, 15-year fixed-rate loans, loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration, and 5/1 ARMs. Joel Kan, MBA’s vice president and chief economist, says the decline brought rates to a nearly three-and-a-half-year low. “Mortgage rates followed Treasury yields lower last week, with the 30-year fixed rate … [Read more...]

The S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Indices are considered among the leading measures of U.S. home prices. Calculated quarterly and updated each month, the indices have been collecting data for more than 30 years and cover all nine Census divisions. According to the most recent release, home prices ended 2025 relatively flat from year-before levels. In fact, Nicholas Godec, S&P’s head of fixed income tradables & commodities, says it was the weakest full-year gain in almost 15 years. “With December’s … [Read more...]

Home buyers have had a rough couple of years. Higher prices and rising mortgage rates have made finding an affordable house challenging. But with the spring home buying season quickly approaching, home buyers are finding themselves in better position and there’s a few simple reasons. One of them is lower mortgage rates. The other is rising wages. Combined, they’re poised to make the spring market the most affordable since 2022, according to a new analysis. The analysis found a household earning a median income can … [Read more...]

Tracking the number of signed contracts to buy homes can be a good predictor of future home sales numbers. That’s why the National Association of Realtors keeps a monthly measure of pending home sales. Its Pending Home Sales Index measures the number of contract signings each month and is considered a good forward-looking indicator of where sales are headed. In January, the index saw a 0.8 percent decline from the previous month, dropping 0.4 percent lower than year-before levels. Dr. Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief … [Read more...]

If you’re a prospective home buyer worried about affordability, you should also be worried about the rate of new home construction. Why? Well, because the number of new homes that are built helps determine how quickly home prices rise or fall. In simple terms, the housing market is a balance of supply and demand and short supply drives prices higher. That’s been the case for most of the past 10 years. That’s why new numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development are … [Read more...]

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates fell across all loan categories last week from one week earlier. Rates were down for 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. As a result, demand for mortgage applications climbed 2.8 percent week-over-week. Joel Kan, MBA’s vice president and deputy chief economist, said rates were at their lowest level … [Read more...]