Purchase

Mortgage rates fell 2 basis points this week, remaining near their historic lows as they have for the past month with the markets roiled by uncertainty, according to Freddie Mac.

Even amid a global pandemic — and by all accounts spurred by it — Palm Beach, Fla., single-family property sales surged during the second quarter, according to a new round of real estate reports.

Real estate agents say they are seeing more out-of-state homebuyers looking to move to Maine, but so far in 2020, there's been no surge of people from away actually buying homes in the state.

But refis bring overall mortgage application fraud risk back to its record low, First American said.

Having more houses on the market than in June 2019 had the metro area out of step with the nation as a whole, the Oklahoma City Realtors said.

Born from the burgeoning real estate market that preceded the Great Recession, flipping homes has become a national fascination over the past two decades.

An index of pending home sales exceeded forecasts in June as borrowing costs fell, adding to evidence that the housing market is the bright spot in an economy stunted by COVID-19.

Mortgage applications decreased 0.8% from one week earlier as the latest spread of COVID-19 weighed on the minds of consumers looking to buy or refinance, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

With inventory tight and demand compounded by a nonexistent spring home-buying season, a fifth of all buyers waived inspection or appraisal contingencies to win bidding wars, according to Redfin.

The U.S. homeownership rate, led by young buyers, jumped to the highest since 2008, signaling that the housing boom underway before the pandemic has only accelerated.