Mortgage demand drops, as homebuyers wait for lower rates

Mortgage demand drops, as homebuyers wait for lower rates

An aerial view shows a subdivision that has replaced the once rural landscape on July 19, 2023 in Hawthorn Woods, Illinois. Scott Olson | Getty Images Mortgage interest rates eased very slightly last week, but not enough to get today’s potential homebuyers off the fence. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with … Read more

June home sales slump, pointing to a buyer’s market

June home sales slump, pointing to a buyer’s market

Patchogue, N.Y.: A For Sale sign hangs in front of a house in Patchogue, New York, on June 1, 2024. Steve Pfost | Newsday | Getty Images Sales of previously owned homes dropped 5.4% in June compared with May, to 3.89 million units on a seasonally adjusted, annualized basis, according to the National Association of … Read more

International buyers are pulling back from the U.S. housing market

International buyers are pulling back from the U.S. housing market

International buyers of U.S. residential real estate are running into the same hurdles as domestic buyers — namely high prices and tight supply — but they’re also up against a strong U.S. dollar, which makes the properties even more expensive for them. As a result, international buyers are pulling out. They purchased 54,300 existing homes … Read more

Why home prices are still rising even as inventory recovers

Why home prices are still rising even as inventory recovers

Anyone out shopping for a home today knows there is still precious little for sale. The housing market is just beginning to come out of its leanest few years in history. Inventory of both new and existing homes is finally rising, but there is something suddenly strange in the numbers: The supply of newly built … Read more

Home prices begin to cool as active listings jump 35%

Home prices begin to cool as active listings jump 35%

A townhouse for sale in the Upper East Side neighborhood of NYC.  Adam Jeffery | CNBC Some of the heat is coming out of home prices, even though they’re still higher than they were a year ago. Several new reports show the price gains are shrinking and home sellers are starting to give in after … Read more

Housing affordability deteriorates as prices, mortgage rates stay high

Housing affordability deteriorates as prices, mortgage rates stay high

Home prices set another record high in April, even as mortgage rates rose and the supply of homes for sale increased. Usually, under those circumstances, prices would weaken, but today’s housing market is unlike any other in recent history. Prices in April rose 6.3% compared with April 2023, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National … Read more

Home prices hit record high in May as sales stall

Home prices hit record high in May as sales stall

Homes in the Issaquah Highlands area of Issaquah, Washington, US, on Tuesday, April 16, 2024.  David Ryder | Bloomberg | Getty Images Sales of previously owned homes are sitting at a 30-year low and didn’t move much in May as prices hit a new record and mortgage rates remain high. So-called existing home sales in … Read more

Mortgage demand flattens even as interest rates hit the lowest level since March

Mortgage demand flattens even as interest rates hit the lowest level since March

File photos: “For Sale” sign Brandon Bell | Getty Images Consumers seemed unimpressed by the latest drop in mortgage rates. Total mortgage application volume rose just 0.9% compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($766,550 … Read more

Why high interest rates make it tough to tap home equity

Why high interest rates make it tough to tap home equity

Cultura Rm Exclusive/twinpix | Image Source | Getty Images Home equity is near all-time highs. But tapping it may be tough due to high interest rates, according to financial advisors. Total home equity for U.S. mortgage holders rose to more than $17 trillion in the first quarter of 2024, just shy of the record set … Read more

Mortgage demand falls for the second straight week, but all eyes are on Friday’s jobs report

Mortgage demand falls for the second straight week, but all eyes are on Friday’s jobs report

A home available for sale is shown on May 22, 2024 in Austin, Texas.  Brandon Bell | Getty Images Mortgage interest rates last week moved to the highest level since early May, and that pushed mortgage demand lower for the second straight week. Total mortgage application volume fell 5.2% last week, compared with the previous … Read more