Editor’s note: Econ Review is a roundup of the month’s housing and economic market data reports. The housing market is built on data. Home prices, home sales, construction rates coupled with economic data like inflation, jobs, interest rates—it all creates the ecosystem that is the housing market. Understanding the state of the market means understanding…
Signs of a spring bloom in the housing market are finally at hand, but the potential for that growth could be curtailed by looming geopolitical headwinds, according to the latest data. Realtor.com®’s March 2026 Monthly Housing Trends Report found that both active and new listings grew month-over-month and year-over-year, despite rises in mortgage rates and…
Despite a trend of significant depreciation in home-price growth, home prices remain elevated overall. Coupled with rising mortgage rates, elevated inflation and wages not rising in tandem with home prices, affordability still feels out of reach for many in the housing market. However, while homeownership remains widely unaffordable, there are minor improvements being seen, according…
Home prices remain elevated overall, but once again continued to see depreciation, marking a significantly weak start to 2026, according to the latest data. The January S&P Cotality Case-Shiller Home Price Index saw only a 0.9% gain to kick off 2026, down from a revised 1.1% gain in December (originally 1.3%). Month-over-month, the index saw…
According to Redfin, 52.2% of February’s home listings sat on the market for at least 60 days without going under contract. Defining this as “stale inventory,” these types of listings have increased nationwide over the past year from 50.1%—marking the highest level in any given February since 2019, the portal said in a new report.…
Multifamily building continues to overshadow single-family new builds as challenges in supply chains and affordability persist in the housing construction industry, according to the latest data from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). NAHB’s Home Building Geography Index (HBGI) for both Q3 and Q4 2025 (delayed due to government shutdown) saw drops in single-family…
The commencement of the war with Iran caused further damage to consumer sentiment in March, according to the latest Survey of Consumers from the University of Michigan. The Index of Consumer Sentiment clocked in at 53.3 in March, down 5.8% from 56.6 in February and down 6.5% from 57 at the same time last year.…
While conflict continues to brew in the Middle East, mortgage rates continue to rise due to the war’s effect on oil prices, according to the latest Freddie Mac data. Freddie Mac’s latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey found that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.38% as of March 26, 2026, up from last week when…
High prices and inventory constraints in the housing market have not just affected people looking to dive into the market through buying and selling, but have put a serious hold on the home-flipping segment of the market. ATTOM’s 2025 year-end U.S. Home Flipping Report found that a typical home flip earned $65,981 in gross profit,…
With mortgage rates rising due to higher oil prices from geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, mortgage applications saw another fall this week, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association. MBA’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey found that the Market Composite Index (a measure of mortgage loan application volume) fell 10.5% on a seasonally adjusted…
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