Despite signs of housing market normalization on the horizon, many consumers still feel constrained by affordability challenges. Consumers report that lower incomes, higher mortgage rates and a lack of supply in the market remain their biggest hurdles to affording a home, according to Bright MLS’s latest consumer survey. The MLS’s latest survey of 3,000 Americans…

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The discourse around private listing policies has become a headline controversy over the past year, and with recent massive consolidation, the debate over limited marketing strategies is only going to become more important.  But as brokerages seek an advantage in the post commission-lawsuit landscape, simply being in favor of or against private listings doesn’t take…

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Lower mortgage rates at the end of 2025 prompted a refinance rush among current homeowners, helping boost prepayment rates to their highest level in three years, according to a new report from ICE Mortgage Technology. The monthly mortgage prepayment rate rose to 0.91% in December, just below the 3.5‑year high set in October, ICE reported…

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With predictions flooding in left and right from real estate economists suggesting that 2026 will be an improved year for housing, recent data from ATTOM supports this view—showing that home sale trends that began in 2025 will pave the way toward normalization in the market throughout 2026. ATTOM’s Year-End 2025 U.S. Home Sales Report found…

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How many remodeling referrals should agents expect to hand out to past clients this year? According to the Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) latest update to its Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA), spending on remodeling is expected to grow, but slow down gradually, as the year goes on.  The current year-over-year…

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A new Redfin report showed that roughly 40,000 U.S. home-purchase agreements were canceled in December 2025, equal to 16.3% of homes that went under contract that month. That’s up from 14.9% a year earlier and marks the highest December rate in records dating back to 2017. Based on a Redfin analysis of seasonal MLS pending-sales…

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Home-price growth continued its trend of deceleration in November 2025, holding steady at two-year lows and demonstrating the possibility of market growth, according to the latest data. The November S&P Cotality Case-Shiller Home Price Index found that home-price growth posted a 1.4% annual gain, the same rate as observed the month prior, which was noted…

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The optimism of a new year does not seem to have brought a boost to U.S. consumer confidence—quite the opposite, in fact. According to the latest survey from the Conference Board, consumer confidence has fallen to its lowest level since 2014, lower even than the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Confidence collapsed in January, as…

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The Federal Reserve is reportedly split when it comes to further interest rate cuts in 2026, operating with a “wait-and-see” attitude depending on how inflation moves during the year. The latest results from the Fed’s preferred gauge of inflation—the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) report—showed inflation dipping then inching back up. Delayed…

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Pending home sales in December decreased by 9.3% from the prior month and 3% year-over-year, according to the National Association of Realtors®’ (NAR) Pending Home Sales Report. The report provides the real estate ecosystem—including agents and homebuyers and sellers—with data on the level of home sales under contract. Month-over-month pending home sales declined in all…

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