Mortgage rates

Slower growth to interest rates and home prices will boost housing affordability in 2019, according to Fannie Mae.

Fewer houses getting sold helped gains in inventory and brought down the rate of sales price growth to wrap up 2018, according to Redfin.

Mortgage applications for new homes declined again as worries over the stock market and the global economy outweighed lower interest rates for potential buyers, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Mortgage rates remained flat after dropping for six consecutive weeks as negative economic news was balanced with a more positive outlook on housing, according to Freddie Mac.

Sentiment among homebuilders rose for the first time in three months amid a decline in borrowing costs, a sign that housing may stabilize in the year ahead even as the industry remains in a broad slowdown.

Canada's home sales skidded to the lowest level since 2012 last year after dropping for four straight months through December, as higher interest rates and tighter lending rules cast a pall over the real estate market.

High home prices and expected interest rate hikes should lead to continued growth in multifamily mortgage origination volume in 2019, according to Freddie Mac.

Anticipated increases in 2019 mortgage rates also come with an expected 1 million households eliminated from affording the median-priced new home with every hike of 25 basis points, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

Rising mortgage rates don't have as severe an impact on the first-time homebuyer market as they do for property values, according to a Zillow survey.

Houston's housing market shattered records in 2018, despite lingering effects from Hurricane Harvey and concerns that began late in the year over rising interest rates.