Mortgage rates

Property values have continued rising across the country, but six cities bucking the national trend are leading a shift in the housing market, which could lessen affordability hurdles for homebuyers, according to First American Financial Corp.

The percentage of first-time homebuyers financed through builder D.R. Horton's in-house mortgage unit has risen notably as market trends have driven it to intensify its focus on lower-priced housing.

The real estate industry is expecting homebuilders to add more inventory this year, but new-home sales tanked in the closing months of 2018, according to Redfin.

Adjustable-rate mortgages for the second consecutive month hit a post-crisis high, due to strong demand for housing being constrained by a lack of supply, according to Ellie Mae.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage remained unchanged for the third consecutive week, according to Freddie Mac, even with political uncertainty affecting the overall economic outlook.

The real estate industry is expecting homebuilders, with the aid of local governments, to add more financially attainable starter homes to the market and ease burdens for buyers, according to Redfin.

Rising mortgage rates will only be "a mild deterrent" to home purchase activity during 2019 as other indicators like price and demand will cancel that out, according to Standard & Poor's.

Mortgage application activity decreased from one week earlier as rising interest rates cooled borrowers' interest in getting a loan, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The stock market's volatility during December helped to improve the potential for existing-home sales, although housing's performance remains well below its capacity, First American Financial said.

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.

Residential lender and Warburg Pincus portfolio company Newfi Lending is helping tackle upfront costs for homebuyers with the launch of its 2-1 Buydown Program.