Home prices

The average starter home was sold for more than $206,000 in August, yet sales increased by nearly 4% from last year, according to a Redfin report.

The recent decline in mortgage rates and rising incomes helped improve buyer affordability, but record home prices remain formidable obstacles.

While equity still sits near historic highs, price growth moderation led to shrinkage of the total amount available and a rise in underwater mortgages.

Consumer prices rose 0.4% in August, up from 0.2% in July, as weak job growth and lingering tariff uncertainty reinforce expectations for a September Fed rate cut.

A headline-grabbing 2022 lawsuit alleging racial bias by home appraisers has been quietly dismissed for lack of evidence. At the same time, the Trump administration is rolling back many of the policy changes involving home appraisals that the Biden administration put in place.

The tax delinquency rate hit a seven-year high last year with residents of some states seeing amounts owed increasing by more than 50% since 2019.

President Trump and his administration have begun to scrap new mortgage lending guidelines that made it easier for home buyers and sellers to dispute property appraisals, finding that homes owned by racial minorities are routinely valued lower than comparable homes with white owners. But despite the promised regulatory relief, many mortgage lenders say the regulatory changes will not impact their lending practices.

While Sunbelt markets were more likely to see softening property values, the Northeast saw growth continue, according to Intercontinental Exchange.

While more consumers expect purchase conditions to improve, potential job loss weighs on the mind of a growing number of likely homebuyers, Fannie Mae found.

While Fannie Mae sees improving buying and selling conditions, more consumers still think prices will rise over the coming year.