Purchasing power

Bankers in St. Louis weren't surprised when mortgage data released this summer showed a drop in loans made between 2017 and 2018.

Consumer confidence in the housing market remains relatively strong, but economic uncertainty is testing its resiliency, according to Fannie Mae.

Home prices have more than recovered since the recession, but higher-than-ever medical and student debt is robbing many homeowners from realizing the benefits, while keeping others away from the market, according to Zillow.

Existing-home sales exceeded their market potential again in August, and the improvement may continue for some time before there's a correction, according to First American.

Soaring home prices are pushing homebuyers out of walkable neighborhoods into those that are more car-dependent, Redfin said.

Mortgage rates remained near three-year lows last week, but their movement did not mirror the period's big shifts in the 10-year Treasury yield.

While affordability continues to affect homebuyers, rising income combined with descending interest rates and decelerating housing values boosted the purchase market, according to First American.

Here's a look at 12 of the nation's most affordable housing markets, based on the lowest shares of median local income needed to buy a house in the area, according to Redfin.

July's existing-home sales lived up to their potential after falling short the previous month, but that potential remains limited because tenure continues to increase, according to First American.

Foreign buyers have cooled on the U.S. residential home market, dropping investments by more than one-third over the previous year and spending less in expensive California.

Lower mortgage rates are giving homebuyer affordability a serious boost as it reaches an 18-month high, helping purchasers afford $45,000 more house for the same monthly payment compared to last fall.

Black Americans haven't experienced the same increase in housing values, wealth and ownership that white Americans have during the past decade's economic expansion, when home prices soared 73%, according to Redfin.

Low mortgage rates and thriving employment should be the recipe for a strong housing market. Instead, they're deepening America's affordability crisis.

From Jacksonville, Fla., to Seattle, here's a look at the 12 most favorable housing markets for homebuyer purchasing power, based on a combination of local wages, lower property values and mortgage rates.

The. U.S. housing market is splitting along racial lines, with black homeownership dropping to the lowest level since at least 1970 — just two years after the Fair Housing Act was passed.

The potential for home resales rose 1.1% month-to-month as mortgage rates fell, but buyers only became more entrenched as their purchase power increased, according to First American.

Despite a stronger economy, home prices are outpacing wages in 40% of markets, according to Attom Data Solutions. Here's a look at the 12 cities in most danger of a housing bubble this summer, based on the gaps between property values and local incomes in each.

Blame increasingly unaffordable housing in wealthier areas — and relatively meager wages in less-affluent ones — for the long-run decline in the share of Americans relocating around the country.

Mortgage application fraud risk declined for the second consecutive month in May as housing market dynamics shifted towards the buyers, First American said.

Pending home sales fell sharply in May, a sign that buyers may have a bit more bargaining power this summer in the Metroplex.