Housing inventory

Sentiment among homebuilders unexpectedly posted the first decline this year, suggesting lower mortgage rates are failing to give the housing market a sustained boost amid property prices that remain out of reach for many buyers.

Housing finance agencies reported increased demand for their loan products, but at the same time the inventory shortage constrains activity and drives them to work with other public entities to find solutions, Moody's said.

With mortgage rates expected to continue their recent slides over the next 18 months, in tandem with slowed economic growth, loan originations should see a jump through 2020, according to Fannie Mae.

The pace of sales in the metro Atlanta housing market slowed last month, despite a spring surge in the number of homes listed for sale, according to the Atlanta Realtors Association.

A historically low number of homes were built in San Diego County in the first three months of 2019.

Housing prices in Boulder County are plateauing despite a low inventory, according to the latest data for May from the Colorado Association of Realtors.

Approximately two-thirds of millennial and Gen-Z renters expect to purchase a home in the next five years, although their aspirations for homeownership slipped from a year ago, a Pulsenomics survey found.

The Puget Sound housing market continues to splinter into hot and cold sectors — with substantially more heat the farther south you move — but the trend may be moderating as buyers and sellers adjust their expectations.

Mortgage application fraud risk declined for the first time since last summer because the home sales market became less competitive with an easing of the inventory shortage, First American said.

San Diego County home sales were down for the 12th month in a row in April, said real estate tracker CoreLogic.

Sale prices continued to inch higher in the Albany, N.Y., region and the number of houses sold continued to inch lower in April.

Expectations of economic growth paint a sunny picture for summer home buying with consumer confidence near an 18-year high, but borrowers' mixed view of their income prospects could compound affordability constraints.

Contract signings to purchase previously owned homes unexpectedly fell in April, adding to signs the housing market is struggling to regain momentum.

Chattanooga home prices rose only about half as fast as the country as a whole in the past year and were nearly 27.5% below the U.S. average the first quarter of 2019, according to the National Association of Realtors.

With the starter home inventory shortage pressuring first-time homebuyers to act, four out of five millennial purchasers lament at least one aspect of their mortgage, according to Zillow.

The exurbs were the only area that posted annual growth in new single-family home permits in the first quarter, highlighting an ongoing affordability battle for homebuyers and builders looking for land, according to the NAHB.

Home sales in both Manhattan and Arlington, Va., jumped after Amazon.com Inc. selected the two sites for its second headquarters. However, the Manhattan market cooled after Amazon dropped the city from the list.

Sales of new homes cooled in April from an 11-year high amid a surge in prices, adding to signs of softness in housing at the start of the quarter.

Rising prices and a shortage of starter homes hobbled home sales in the Twin Cities last month.

Central Ohio home prices reached a record high in April, as eager buyers continue to compete for homes the moment a for-sale sign is posted.