Housing markets

A majority of recent sellers said they offered to cover closing costs, with many also buying down mortgage rates, according to a new report from Zillow.

National home prices grew monthly and annually in October, but considerably less than last year, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices.

Here are the most-read stories from National Mortgage News over the past year.

This year it took a homebuyer seven years to save for a typical down payment on a house, compared with 12, according to Realtor.com.

A modest improvement in prices and mortgage rates encouraged buyers. Signings have now increased for four straight months, matching a pandemic streak.

Home prices rose 0.2% nationally month-over-month in November, but there were an estimated 37.2% more sellers than buyers in the market, Redfin said.

The national mortgage delinquency rate jumped to 3.85% in November, up 15% month over month and 2.79% year over year, according to ICE Mortgage Technology.

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.

Existing-home sales in the US barely rose in November, as a recent moderation in price growth and mortgage rates motivated buyers at the margin.

More than 80% of mortgage brokers expect business to grow in 2026, mainly through the strengthening of referral networks and the expansion of non-QM offerings.

Further mortgage payment reductions and other "aggressive" changes to federal policy impacting homeowners are on the roadmap for the coming year.

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

Remote work helped fuel migration and erased the loss of rural residents that occurred in the decade prior to the arrival of Covid, Harvard researchers found.

The home purchase market, which competes for consumers with rentals, should remain subdued in 2026 because of high mortgage rates and low affordability.

Rising labor and material costs could weigh on final expenses, despite a slower summer for hurricane and tornado claims, according to Verisk.

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

After home equity surged in 2023, average gains slowed last year before falling into negative territory over the past 12 months, Cotality said.

The lowest-priced properties purchased by investors typically left them in the red when sold, according to the latest home flipping report from Attom.

Hartford, Connecticut, Rochester, New York, and Worcester, Massachusetts, headed the list of the 100 largest metro areas in the country, according to Realtor.com.

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