Luxury home listings can be fun to look at whether you can afford to buy a luxury home or not. But, these days, whether or not you can afford to buy a luxury home may have a lot to do with where you’re looking. In fact, according to a new analysis from the National Association of Realtors’ consumer website, the gap between a luxury home and a typically priced home can be relatively small. Nationally, luxury homes are about three times more expensive than a median-priced home, but that can change from one local … [Read more...]

Homeownership has many benefits over renting and, these days, affordability may be among them. According to ATTOM Data Solutions’ 2026 Rental Affordability Report, owning a home is now more affordable than renting a three-bedroom property in more than half of 364 analyzed counties. In fact, homeownership was the more affordable choice in 57.7 percent of counties. Rob Barber, ATTOM’s CEO, says the upfront costs of buying a home remain an obstacle for many potential buyers. “Renters looking to put down roots, young … [Read more...]

After several months of improvement, the number of contracts to buy homes fell in December, according to new numbers from the National Association of Realtors. The NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index measures contract signings, not closings, and is considered a good indicator of future home sales. In December, it was down 9.3 percent from the month before and 3.0 percent lower than year-before levels. Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, says it’s hard to say what caused the dip. “After several months of encouraging … [Read more...]

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates fell last week from the week before across most loan categories. Rates were down for 30-year fixed-rate loans with both conforming and jumbo balances, loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration, and 15-year fixed-rate loans. Joel Kan, MBA’s vice president and deputy chief economist, says rates were at their lowest level since September 2024. “Mortgage rates declined further last week, driving another big week … [Read more...]

ATTOM Data Solutions’ Year-End 2025 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report shows foreclosure filings up 14 percent in 2025 from one year earlier. That represents default notices, scheduled auctions, and bank repossessions on 367,460 properties. But while a double-digit increase in foreclosure activity isn’t typically good news, last year’s increase may be a sign that the market is returning to normal – rather than getting ready to crash. Rob Barber, ATTOM’s CEO, says foreclosures are still well below pre-pandemic levels. … [Read more...]

New numbers from the National Association of Realtors show home buyers ended 2025 on a high note, with sales of existing homes up 5.1 percent from the month before. Gains were seen across all regions of the country and pushed sales 1.4 percent higher than they were one year earlier. Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, says December sales were the strongest in three years. “2025 was another tough year for home buyers, marked by record-high home prices and historically low home sales,” Yun said. “However, in the … [Read more...]

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, demand for mortgage applications skyrocketed last week. The MBA’s Market Composite Index – which measures both refinance and purchase activity – was up 28.5 percent from the week before, with the refinance index posting a 40 percent jump and the purchase index up 16 percent. Joel Kan, MBA’s vice president and deputy chief economist, says the gains were due to falling mortgage rates. “Mortgage rates dropped lower last week following the … [Read more...]

If you want to buy a house and can’t pay cash, you’re going to need a mortgage. But the availability of mortgage credit isn’t fixed, which means whether you’re approved to borrow depends, in part, on current lending standards and available loan programs. In other words, mortgage credit can be tighter at times and looser at others, making it an important factor in the home buying process. The good news is access to credit improved over the last year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s most recent … [Read more...]

ATTOM Data Solutions’ latest U.S. Home Affordability Report shows homes were less affordable than historical averages in nearly every county across the country at the end of 2025. That’s no surprise, of course. Anyone with even a passing interest in buying a house knows the housing market has an affordability problem. But while the market continues to have affordability issues, the news isn’t all bad. In fact, Rob Barber, ATTOM’s CEO, says there was improvement at the end of last year. “Many Americans were priced … [Read more...]

You can learn a lot looking at the housing market as a whole. Analyzing national trends can help give you an idea where things are heading. But while national trends can be useful, they don’t tell the whole story. After all, a housing market’s dynamic is largely determined by the balance of supply and demand and that’s going to vary from one place to the next. For example, markets in the South and West have seen more new home construction and, due to the increased inventory, softer home prices. In the Northeast and … [Read more...]