Purchase

Marin County, Calif., detached home sales in October were up 25% over last year as the coronavirus pandemic continued to shake up conventional market trends.

Closed sales of single-family homes in the Hartford region increased 36.31% in October compared to a year ago, the Greater Hartford Association of Realtors reported.

The year-over-year increase in monthly page views for properties hit a high for the year in large metropolitan areas as gains in rural locations decelerated.

New-home sales in the U.S. held up in October, remaining near the best pace since 2006 and well above pre-pandemic levels, the latest sign that record-low mortgage rates are underpinning robust buyer interest.

Mortgage applications increased 3.9% from one week earlier as another week of record low rates drew more borrowers into the market, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Overall housing value growth continued in the third quarter, as some markets more than doubled the national average, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency's Home Price Index.

Tampa Bay's real estate market continued to charge forward in October, marking the fifth straight month of mostly robust numbers since the onset of the pandemic slowed down sales this spring.

Despite a tightening stock of homes on the market, home sales surged 38% last month in the Sarasota-Manatee, Fla., region.

Consumer demand for larger properties is driving the market in an atypical year that featured a delayed selling season, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

As mortgage rates stayed below 3% in the third quarter, originations spiked to the highest quarterly total since 2007 and highest dollar volume since 2005, according to Attom Data Solutions.