Housing inventory

After a strong February, existing-home sales took a U-turn in March. While buyer conditions heat up and mortgage rates remained low, consumers took a patient approach — especially in the expensive West Coast markets.

If favorable interest rates and rising consumer incomes continue, market potential for home purchases will be boosted in the short term, according to First American Financial.

Buyers in the tightest housing markets finally got what they've been looking for: inventory. But instead of sales surging as a result, they're sinking.

Sales of previously owned homes eased more than forecast in March, suggesting the housing market is still finding its footing after a weak 2018.

Economic growth will slow in 2019, but conditions will help home sales hold steady, with mortgage volume now being projected to rise over 2018, according to Fannie Mae.

Steady interest rates could lift the housing market going forward, but for now there is an ongoing slump in single-family home construction authorizations along with maintenance and remodeling activity, according to BuildFax.

Amid ongoing strong housing demand, home sales in Central Texas climbed to a new high for March, as did the median home-sale price, the Austin Board of Realtors said.

The housing market in Houston picked up in March as interest rates fell and the supply of properties for sale grew to its highest level in five months.

As prices climbed, the number of homes sold in Northeast Ohio dipped from year-ago levels in March.

Homebuilders are growing more confident in the market for newly built single-family homes as demand grows. At the same time, mortgage companies are streamlining the new construction loan process, suggesting they, too, see value in the market.

While improving market conditions set up for an anticipated boom in spring home buying, March had the smallest month-to-month sales growth since 2014, according to Remax.

March foreshadowed a cooler Portland-area housing market as the busy spring selling season begins.

The tightest housing markets in the U.S. are unwinding in time for the key spring selling season, giving buyers an edge for the first time in years, a Trulia study said.

The spring housing season launched with a bang in central Ohio as the region was named the nation's hottest real estate market by Realtor.com.

While home prices in Spokane County, Wash., were on the upswing in March, sales dropped dramatically compared to last year.

The supply of Colorado Springs-area homes for sale remained historically low last month, and finding a house in cheaper price ranges continues to be especially tough.

After a powerful winter storm dumped snow on Thurston County, Wash., in February, pending sales of single-family homes fell by a double-digit margin.

North Texas home sales rose slightly in March, but the 1% year-over-year gain in sales of houses by real estate agents wasn't enough to erase declines earlier in the year.

Homebuilders eased back on Dallas-Fort Worth construction in the early months of 2019.

Home sales are dropping in Vancouver as listings rise, with the local real estate board blaming policy changes for restricting potential buyers.