Housing inventory

Rising household incomes paired with December's drop in mortgage rates gave consumers their largest monthly jump in home buying power since 2013, according to First American Financial Corp.

While overall housing sales have suffered due to affordability, the trend is even more drastic for typically higher-priced new homes, according to Redfin.

Sales of previously owned homes fell to the weakest pace since November 2015, indicating that the housing market remained in a slowdown despite a drop in mortgage rates.

Mortgage rates declined for the third straight week, adding to a brighter outlook for the spring home buying season, according to Freddie Mac.

A flood of North Texas houses hitting the market in January means it will take longer to sell a Dallas-Fort Worth home.

After a half-year of decreased sales, the supply of homes grew for the fourth consecutive month in January, setting up a potentially big spring for buying.

Continued declines in new- and existing-home construction activity during January showed the housing slowdown was not easing and indicated possible broader economic problems to come, a BuildFax report said.

Sentiment among homebuilders rose in February for a second month, exceeding all forecasts, as lower mortgage rates and a strong labor market help stabilize demand.

The average price for a Spokane, Wash.-area home rose to $256,000 in January, as low numbers of properties for sale continued to put pressure on prices.

The year-over-year median home sale price dropped in January for the first time since February 2012 in metro Portland, according to new numbers from the Regional Multiple Listing Service.