Housing markets

Regulatory changes and a dearth of existing new inventory is opening a pipeline of leads in the market, but interest rate pressure cuts into optimism.

Also, Wells Fargo, Finance of America entered into partnerships affecting real estate tax and cybersecurity solutions.

Follow-through has been weak, but there's hope lower mortgage rates could improve conditions, according to new housing reports from Redfin and MBS Highway.

More than half of millennials and Gen Z ranked house hacking — the opportunity to rent out a portion or the entire property to earn extra income — as an important factor in their search, according to Zillow research.

Residential starts increased 1.9% last month to a 1.37 million annualized rate, the highest in three months, government data showed Friday.

With mortgage rates retreating and inflation abating, short sellers who'd been capitalizing on the three-month slump in homebuilder stocks may need to prepare for a rebound toward year-to-date highs.

Applications to purchase newly constructed properties increased for the ninth consecutive month on an annual basis, as the inventory shortage for existing homes continues.

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo gauge decreased six points to 34 this month, according to data out Thursday.

With a scarcity of listings driving high home prices, both repeat and new purchasers are putting the most money down in decades, the report found.

The top five cities have an average down payment of $51,920.