Home prices

A loan that combines features of buy-before-you-sell offerings and home equity solutions might be the type of financing needed for buyers to compete in current and future housing markets, Calque's founder says.

Out of the 221 metro areas tracked, 205 had existing home price increases and just 15 reported year-over-year declines, the National Association of Realtors said.

Price growth is decelerating but still driving historic home equity gains for owners and widening the gap between the haves and have-nots in housing, ICE finds.

Prices nationally climbed 6.4% from a year earlier, an S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller index shows. That's larger than the 6% annual gain in January. 

A majority of consumers earning more than $100,000 annually said they were concerned about their own ability to purchase a home, demonstrating how affordability issues are impacting those at many socioeconomic levels, the University of Michigan study found.

Affordability challenges also have some aspiring homeowners taking second jobs or looking to draw from retirement savings, according to Redfin.

Changes resulting from a recent case settled by the National Association of Realtors could encourage sellers to negotiate lower commissions. But the industry is rife with speculation that agents will find ways to discuss commission splits through other methods.

In an address on Tuesday, economic advisor Lael Brainard also discussed the controversy surrounding the president's proposed title waiver program.

Regardless of the effect housing prices have on ballot decisions, almost two-thirds of respondents indicate that current economic trends left them feeling negative about the economy, Redfin said.

Until Congress addresses the federal deficit, the tendency will be for higher long-term interest rates regardless of what the Fed does with the short end of the yield curve, writes the Chairman of Whalen Global Advisors.