Purchase

Tackling millennial hurdles has been top of mind for the mortgage industry, but the youngest non-homeowners have the smallest share claiming that qualifying for a mortgage will be a big challenge, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Adjustable-rate mortgages in November had their highest share of closed loans since Ellie Mae started tracking this data in 2011 as rates for 30-year loans reached 5.15%.

Sales of previously owned homes rose for a second straight month and exceeded forecasts in November, suggesting consumer demand is picking up as price gains moderate amid more generous inventories.

Mortgage applications decreased 5.8% from one week earlier, although rates fell during the period to their lowest point in three months, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

There was a slight increase in house listings in the Twin Cities metro last month, suggesting much better times ahead for buyers and their agents.

Rising rents combined with growing housing inventory could lead to increased purchase mortgage originations in the near future.

New-home construction rebounded last month to the best pace since August while permits rose to a seven-month high, a sign homebuilding is potentially stabilizing even as higher prices and borrowing costs pose headwinds.

Orlando's red-hot real estate market may be cooling off.

The Buffalo Niagara housing market still is sizzling, although there are some signs it's not quite as hot as it was during the summer.

Ordinarily, declining property sales will cool the costs for housing. But existing-home sales have been underperforming their potential for 40 straight months and property values are still on the rise, according to First American Financial Corp.

Sentiment among homebuilders fell in December to the lowest level since 2015, missing all forecasts and signaling that the industry's struggles are intensifying amid elevated prices and higher borrowing costs.

Housing could be in for a slowdown as three indicators of new- and existing-home construction activity fell year-over-year for the first time since 2011, according to BuildFax.

October's rise in the supply of homes for sale could signal the housing market getting closer to equal footing for buyers and sellers, according to Remax.

November home sales slipped in Northeast Ohio and recent price gains appear to be cooling, mirroring national signs that the housing market might be pausing for breath after a run of growth.

The slowdown in the Sonoma County, Calif., residential real estate market sharpened in November, when sales and prices declined while the number of homes available for buyers jumped significantly.

Next year is unlikely to offer relief from higher rates or housing supply shortages, according to the consensus forecast from 24 of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association's member firms.

Fannie Mae made a slight increase to its origination forecast, expecting housing affordability to improve in 2019 as mortgage rates remain flat and home price appreciation moderates.

Putting down 20% of the sales price has been the industry standard when buying a house, but less than half of consumers do that much, according to Zillow.

For the seventh month in a row, the number of homes sold in the Charlotte region decreased compared to last year.

In most of the country, single women are outpacing men when it comes to homeownership, despite females only making 80% of what the average male does, according to a LendingTree report.