Mortgage rates

The Buffalo Niagara housing market still is sizzling, although there are some signs it's not quite as hot as it was during the summer.

Ordinarily, declining property sales will cool the costs for housing. But existing-home sales have been underperforming their potential for 40 straight months and property values are still on the rise, according to First American Financial Corp.

October's rise in the supply of homes for sale could signal the housing market getting closer to equal footing for buyers and sellers, according to Remax.

Next year is unlikely to offer relief from higher rates or housing supply shortages, according to the consensus forecast from 24 of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association's member firms.

Fannie Mae made a slight increase to its origination forecast, expecting housing affordability to improve in 2019 as mortgage rates remain flat and home price appreciation moderates.

Putting down 20% of the sales price has been the industry standard when buying a house, but less than half of consumers do that much, according to Zillow.

For the seventh month in a row, the number of homes sold in the Charlotte region decreased compared to last year.

Mortgage applications to purchase newly constructed homes continues to decline, driven by affordability concerns among potential buyers, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Mortgage rates dropped significantly due to economic fears driving the markets following several weeks of little or no movement, according to Freddie Mac.

Intense competition among homebuyers remains as shown by the continual growth of median down payments, according to Attom Data Solutions.

North Texas home sales fell by 8% in November.

Average mortgage rates plunged after the United Kingdom first voted to leave the European Union. With uncertainty now growing about how Brexit will actually happen, here's a look at the implications for the housing market and mortgage lending.

Mortgage lenders are more pessimistic than ever about the industry's profit margin outlook, with many blaming tight competition for the negative attitudes, according to Fannie Mae.

Mortgage applications rose 1.6% from one week earlier as falling interest rates contributed to a boost in refinance activity, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Canadian housing starts rose faster than economists forecast in November led by gains in Vancouver, adding to evidence the country's real estate market remains stable.

Oahu's housing market is near the end of what is almost certain to be a year where fewer people bought homes.

The cool-down in King County's real estate market has now reached six months, and the drop in home prices over that span is among the largest on record.

Another adjustable-rate mortgage index is going away as the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco will no longer publish the monthly Eleventh District Cost of Funds Index after January 2020.

Investors in agency mortgage-backed securities will find next year to be "anything but smooth sailing" as Federal Reserve rate hikes and balance sheet reduction will lead to an increase in real rates and volatility while pushing spreads wider, Bank of America said.

Despite increasing mortgage rates and a tepid housing market, positive consumer perception of the economy carried over to home buying during November, according to Fannie Mae.