Housing markets

Mortgage rates remained relatively flat this week, helping housing to stay as one of the bright spots in the U.S. economy during the current uncertainty, according to Freddie Mac.

For the second month in a row, South Florida residential sales are beating out 2019. They're also driving up prices, bringing the median price for a single-family home in Miami-Dade and Broward counties to $425,000 — the highest ever.

Mortgage application fraud risk dropped drastically from 2019 with the spike in refinances, but the fallout from the coronavirus means next year could come with more risk, according to CoreLogic.

Black borrowers locked in an average mortgage rate of 4.44% for conventional loans — 15 basis points higher than white borrowers, according to an analysis of HMDA data by the National Association of Real Estate Brokers.

U.S. home prices rose the most in two years in August as low mortgage rates spurred competition for an increasingly scarce supply of listings.

With the real estate market in desperate need for more housing stock, some industry leaders are pinning their hopes on governmental policies to make building more affordable. But how the two presidential candidates may approach these issues varies greatly.

The Marin County, Calif., real estate market in September continued to defy seasonal trends amid the coronavirus pandemic, with home sales up nearly 68% over the prior year.

Purchases of new single-family houses dropped 3.5% from August to a 959,000 annualized pace from a downwardly revised 994,000 rate, government data showed Monday.

Maine's red-hot residential real estate market shows no signs of cooling, thanks in part to increased interest from out-of-state buyers.

The war of words between Senator Investments, Cannae Holdings and CoreLogic continues in the run-up to the Nov. 17 special shareholders meeting.

Sales of previously owned homes rose more than expected in September to the highest level in 14 years as a desire for more space and record-low mortgage rates continue to support demand.

But an expected drop in refinancings as mortgage rates rise should more than cancel that out, resulting in declining overall volume through 2023.

Mortgage volume continues to surge, driven by borrowers refinancing behind record-low interest rates, according to Ellie Mae.

Southern California home sales and prices surged higher in September, the latest evidence of a hot housing market during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The number of bidding wars increased for the fifth straight month, with Salt Lake City posting the highest rate of competitive listings in two years, according to Redfin.

The Bay Area real estate market continued its roaring recovery in September, as buyers took advantage of ultra-low mortgage rates to scoop up a shrinking number of homes for sale at an astonishing pace.

New-home starts increased in September on a sharp gain in single-family house construction while building permits climbed, indicating residential building had plenty of momentum at the end of the third quarter.

With record low mortgage rates driving buyer demand, home sales and prices spiked in September, shrinking the supply and days on market, according to Remax.

A gauge of builder sentiment climbed to 85, the highest in records back to 1985, from 83 a month earlier, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Market Index released Monday.

For many borrowers who might have qualified for conventional financing before the pandemic, non-QM loans are the only path forward toward homeownership.