Housing inventory

Hartford, Connecticut, topped Zillow's list of the hottest housing markets this year on the back of its nation-leading home-price appreciation forecast.

Confidence among US homebuilders unexpectedly fell in January, as costly sales incentives outweighed a recent boost from lower mortgage rates and the president's housing proposals.

Mortgage applications for new-home purchases decreased 15.2% on a seasonally adjusted basis in December, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Sales of new homes in the US were little changed in October near the strongest pace since 2023 as builders lured anxious customers with price cuts and incentives.

The inventory slowdown came as properties sold for 1.6% below asking prices, with some sellers opting to remove their listings altogether, according to Redfin.

New-home purchase activity rose 3.1% year over year, but dropped 7% from October, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Confidence among US homebuilders edged up in December as builders continued to deploy sales incentives to motivate buyers.

Sen. Hassan sent letters to corporate owners of manufactured housing communities, looking for answers on affordability and living conditions for their residents.

New York developers are transforming struggling office buildings into more than 12,000 new apartments in a bid to help offset the city's worst housing crisis in decades. 

Gallego introduced legislation to amend the EB-5 immigrant investor visa program in order to funnel more money into the construction and rehabilitation of homes. 

Nearly 85,000 sellers removed their properties in September, the highest number for that month in eight years, according to Redfin.

Sales of previously owned homes in the US rose in October to the fastest pace in eight months, as buyers took advantage of lower mortgage rates and gained the upper hand over sellers in some markets.

In November, 41% of builders reported cutting prices, a record in the post-Covid period, according to Tuesday's report. More broadly, 65% reported using sales incentives, unchanged from the prior two months.

Home Depot's bleak forecast provides another warning about the strength of US consumers in the absence of official economic data during the US government shutdown.

In markets across the US, homebuilders sitting on unsold inventory are subsidizing mortgage rates so heavily they sometimes match the record lows last seen during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The age at which people purchase their first home has climbed rapidly since 2021, when the median was 33, according to a National Association of Realtors survey of transactions from July 2024 through June.

Contract closings increased 1.5% to an annual rate of 4.06 million in September, the highest in seven months, according to National Association of Realtors figures released Thursday.

A series of social media posts, from the US president over the weekend and then from the FHFA director and real estate scion Pulte on Wednesday, are helping put an S&P gauge of builders on track for a four-day losing streak.

President Trump said big homebuilders are sitting on a record 2 million empty lots, and asked Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to help restore the American Dream.

As Washington weighs a national housing emergency, U.S. homeownership has slipped year-over-year, according to Redfin.