Coronavirus

It's the surprise of a spring selling season that's been anything but normal: Buyers returning to the housing market have been battling over the few available properties.

Sales of new homes in the Houston area flattened in April as the coronavirus caused a pause in activity, according to a new homes sales report from HomesUSA.com.

From the Midwest to mid-Atlantic, here's a look at 12 housing markets where first-time homebuyers find the most affordability, according to NerdWallet.

The MBA also said it has been lobbying for a measure that would enable cash-out refinances in forbearance to be sold to the GSEs.

Austin-area home sales declined sharply in April as the fuller impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and local shelter-in-place orders left their mark on the housing market, new figures from the Austin Board of Realtors show.

The Mortgage Bankers Association's forecast anticipates tremendous coronavirus stimulus-related debt coming on to the market.

Illustrating the chilling effects the coronavirus crisis has had on the housing market, Southern California home sales fell 26.6% in April compared with a month earlier, while year-over-year sales were down 31.5%.

To deal with the crunch, servicers should combine cloud and digital workflow automation technologies.

Progress Residential is bringing its next securitization of single-family rental properties to market, even as concerns mount on the depth of pandemic-driven tenant forbearance and delinquency trends.

Other safety measures taken to protect settlement agents and consumers include drive-up closings and overnight mail.

Ohio's homeownership rate rose in the first quarter of this year to the highest level since 2011, suggesting a robust housing market and growing economic stability.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency clarified that borrowers with Fannie Mae- or Freddie Mac-backed mortgages who have entered into forbearance plans can be eligible for a refi or new purchase once they are considered “current” on their mortgage.

Home construction starts plunged in April by the most in records back to 1959, as the nationwide lockdown to control the spread of the coronavirus hammered the housing market and broader economy.

The agency has freed companies from reporting requirements and provided flexibility on exams to help them deal with COVID-19 fallout. It has also finished other regulatory relief efforts that were in the pipeline before the pandemic hit.

Total forbearance driven by the coronavirus rose by 25 basis points, which suggests it is still growing but at a slowing pace, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

With the coronavirus impact in full effect, a four-month streak of growth ended in April, according to Remax.

Pent-up demand is already pushing buyers to a gradual return to the market, the report asserts.

Ginnie Mae is offering temporary relief related to its acceptable delinquency-rate threshold in response to issuers' need to fulfill the forbearance requirements in the coronavirus rescue package.

Homebuilder sentiment rose in May by more than forecast following a record slump a month earlier as a pickup in sales and demand expectations pointed to stabilization in the real estate market.

San Antonio's housing market is slowing down amid the coronavirus pandemic, but prices are still rising.