Home prices

Refinance applications surged by almost 10%, the highest level of activity since September, with federally backed activity jumping by almost 24%.

Homes in the top five states have an average of $222,964 in 2022, according to LendingTree.

The median price slipped 0.2% in February from a year earlier to $363,000, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Homes in the top five states have an average of $512,836 in 2022, according to LendingTree.

Housing costs increased at the slowest pace in over a decade nationwide, even while monthly growth now exceeds its pre-pandemic level.

The average profit margin on the sale of median-priced single-family homes and condos fell to 44% last quarter, from a peak of 56% in the second quarter of 2022, according to data published Thursday by Attom, a real estate analytics firm.

They rose 2% from a year earlier in February, slower than the 3.7% increase in January, according to data from S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller. 

Contract closings decreased 2.4% last month to an annualized pace of 4.44 million after an outsize jump in February, according to data released Thursday by the National Association of Realtors.

Home loan applications dropped for the second time in three weeks, with the 30-year conforming interest rate ticking up 13 basis points, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Fannie Mae researchers found housing costs decelerating for the fourth straight quarter, but limited inventory may be driving hopeful buyers to look for opportunities in the new-construction market.