Housing markets

Nearly 20% of homeowners had a mortgage rate of at least 6% in the second quarter of this year, signaling Americans are warming up to higher rates, Redfin said.

Pending sales of US existing homes rose in August to the highest level in five months, as falling mortgage rates gave a much-needed lift to the sluggish housing market.

Investment purchases surged to their highest share in five years in the second quarter, even though total volume decreased from 12 months earlier.

Washington, D.C. and Denver lead the country with the largest share of mortgaged households, and will likely soon see a shift in buyer demand, Realtor.com said.

The recent decline in mortgage rates and rising incomes helped improve buyer affordability, but record home prices remain formidable obstacles.

The real estate agent's guilty plea is the first under the law passed last summer, following thousands of deed theft complaints in the past ten years alone.

Contract closings fell 0.2% last month to an annualized rate of 4 million, according to National Association of Realtors figures released Thursday.

As home prices reach new heights, mortgage expenses are unaffordable for the typical earner in a third of the nation's largest 580 counties, according to Attom.

The title industry sustained improvement first seen last year, with second-quarter premium totals up on both a quarterly and annual basis, ALTA said.

The data suggest U.S. homebuilders are successfully luring buyers off the sidelines with aggressive sales incentives.