In the-real-estate-market-that-could, home-purchase applications ticked up this past week as increased inventory in many markets seems to be buoying transaction volume, despite weekly ups and downs in activity and rates sustained at elevated levels. The latest Market Composite Index from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)—its measure of mortgage loan activity volume and includes purchases and…
Zillow has reported more than 1.78 million on-time rent payments to credit bureaus at no cost to participating renters since the launch of rent reporting in 2024. More than 78,000 renters had on-time rent payments reported in July, the highest monthly total since launching. According to a release, more than one-third of renters planning a…
Buyers who are waiting for rates to come down before making their home purchase will likely have to wait until next year for that to happen, according to economists commenting on this week’s mortgage data. Mortgage rates changed little from last week, with the latest Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey® showing the 30-year fixed-rate…
Homebuyers starting families have always come into the market with a checklist of needs and wants for their future home—number of bedrooms, bathrooms, yard, garage, etc. But they also often have needs and wants when it comes to location—walkability, schools, stores, etc. In a more affordability-challenged market over the past few years, these needs and…
Higher mortgage rates, rising construction costs and economic uncertainty pressured housing affordability to reverse course in Q2, after showing improvement in the prior three quarters, according to the latest data from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The NAHB/Wells Fargo Cost of Housing Index (CHI) for Q2 found that a family earning the nation’s…
While mortgage rates and applications changed little last week, home-purchase applications retreated and were lower than last year’s pace, signaling to economists that continuing affordability challenges and economic uncertainty remain in place for price-sensitive buyers. The latest Market Composite Index from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)—its measure of mortgage loan activity volume and includes purchases…
The term is being thrown around in the media a lot these days: “K-shaped economy,” which refers to an economy where two elements are heading in opposite directions—usually focused on different income levels. While this designator can be used to parse out many economic sectors or scenarios, a new Realtor.com® report said the K-shape is…
Economic uncertainty continues to push builders to temper their expectations (and pace of construction) based on the latest monthly new residential construction report by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Bureau’s report for July states that privately owned housing starts were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.24 million. This is a considerable decrease (12.4%)…
Mortgage rates remained relatively steady from last week, but an increase in home-purchase application activity after multiple weeks of decreases shows that homebuyers are getting accustomed to the current environment and responding to even slight rate decreases. This week, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate (FRM) decreased two basis points to 6.67%, down from 6.69%…
While mortgage rates remain elevated, a slight retreat this past week drove home-purchase application activity up for the first time in several weeks. The latest Market Composite Index from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)—its measure of mortgage loan activity volume and includes purchases and refinances—shows mortgage application activity increasing this week 3.6% on a seasonally…
| Older Posts |