Demographics

Most millennials are purchasing fixer-uppers in order to afford a house, with 75% planning to finance renovations by tapping the equity in their home, according to a Chase Home Lending report conducted with Pinterest.

Eighty percent of millennials said they plan on moving within the next five years, while nearly three-quarters claim affordability as their biggest hurdle in the buying a home.

A combination of moderate rises in mortgage rates and dipping growth in home prices are projected to boost existing and new housing sales through 2020, according to Freddie Mac.

Student debt continues to weigh down potential homebuyers, as the share of first-timers decreased for the third-consecutive year, according to the National Association of Realtors.

With home values nearly doubling income growth in the last 20 years, it's now taking homebuyers 7.2 years to put together a down payment, according to Zillow.

While mortgage volume is expected to shrink next year, it should increase during the following two years and beyond as millennials start buying homes, the Mortgage Bankers Association forecasts.

The departing CEOs of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac oversaw significant cultural and operational shifts that made the housing finance system safer and more responsive to market needs, but a tough job lies ahead for their successors.

As the mortgage industry confronts tight margins, shifting market share and regulatory uncertainty, a new leader emerges at the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Retiring baby boomers will intensify the affordable housing shortage unless public officials find a way to add significantly more low-cost homes to the market.

One report found that 95% of homebuyers searched websites before buying a home, and that number jumps to 99% among millennials. In short, almost everyone starts shopping online, and a vast majority are going to Zillow.