Mortgage rates

The vast majority of consumers claim it's a good time to sell a house as slowing price appreciation doesn't translate to the promise of a bigger deal ahead, according to the National Association of Realtors.

As mortgage rates dip lower and lower through home buying season, the rate of closing loan applications keeps climbing, according to Ellie Mae.

While low interest rates stimulated demand for housing in the first half of the year, affordability problems are holding back the purchase market, a First American survey of real estate professionals said.

Mortgage applications decreased by 3.4% this week, although refinance activity remained close to its 2019 high point, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

While single-family construction authorizations rose for the first time on a monthly basis in 2019, they trailed three-month and annual comparisons, signs of a continuing market slump, according to BuildFax.

New-home construction fell in May after an April reading that was stronger than initially reported, signaling stabilization in the market amid lower borrowing costs.

Sentiment among homebuilders unexpectedly posted the first decline this year, suggesting lower mortgage rates are failing to give the housing market a sustained boost amid property prices that remain out of reach for many buyers.

With mortgage rates expected to continue their recent slides over the next 18 months, in tandem with slowed economic growth, loan originations should see a jump through 2020, according to Fannie Mae.

Canadian home sales activity continued to rebound last month, suggesting the nation's housing market is improving after a sluggish start to the year.

Lower interest rates and slower price growth helped to boost mortgage applications to purchase newly constructed homes during May, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.