Housing markets

Despite the decrease, average profit margins approached 50%, as the lock-in effect continues to stymie inventory growth and keep home values elevated.

Federal Reserve Governor Stephan Miran said the economic standoff with China could increase market volatility, further necessitating the central bank to move its policy stance to neutral.

Rate-and-term transactions leaped by 154% from August to September, while cash-outs and purchase loans also increased, according to Optimal Blue.

While technology has become an important channel for information among homebuyers, many still see real estate agents as smarter than any other resource.

A series of social media posts, from the US president over the weekend and then from the FHFA director and real estate scion Pulte on Wednesday, are helping put an S&P gauge of builders on track for a four-day losing streak.

More than 15% of homes that went under contract in August were canceled, as the market heavily favored buyers, a Redfin report found.

President Trump said big homebuilders are sitting on a record 2 million empty lots, and asked Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to help restore the American Dream.

Fidelity National Financial, with support from the American Land Title Association, is suing to halt enforcement of the anti-money laundering regulation.

The average starter home was sold for more than $206,000 in August, yet sales increased by nearly 4% from last year, according to a Redfin report.

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.

In the mortgage business, Rate has the biggest upside in the Compass-Anywhere M&A as it has joint ventures with both Guaranteed Rate Affinity and Originpoint.