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...]

Each month, the National Association of Home Builders surveys builders to gauge their confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes. The resulting Housing Market Index is based on builders’ responses and scored on a scale where any number above 50 indicates more builders view conditions as good than poor. In February, the index fell one point to 36. Robert Dietz, NAHB’s chief economist, says affordability challenges are behind the drop. “Housing affordability remains an ongoing challenge at the … [Read more...]

Sales of previously owned homes fell significantly in January from one month earlier, according to new numbers from the National Association of Realtors. Sales declined in all regions and ended the month 8.4 percent lower than December’s levels. Dr. Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, says winter weather may be behind the drop. “The decrease in sales is disappointing,” Yun said. “The below-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation this January make it harder than usual to assess the underlying driver of … [Read more...]

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates were relatively unchanged last week from one week earlier. Slight declines were seen for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with jumbo balances, loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration, and 5/1 ARMs. Rates for 30-year fixed-rate loans with conforming balances were flat and rates for 15-year fixed-rate loans increased. With rates mostly unchanged, so was demand. The MBA’s Market Composite Index – which measures … [Read more...]

The U.S. House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan housing package that includes provisions related to land use, zoning, regulatory reform, financing and relief for community banks. The legislation, named the Housing for the 21st Century Act and supported by the National Association of Home Builders, is an effort to address affordability issues hampering the housing market and making it challenging for Americans to buy a house. Specifically, it hopes to cut red tape, allowing home builders to … [Read more...]