Housing markets

All-cash home purchases hit a six-year March low of 28.9%, as a buyer-friendly market reduced the need to use cash to stand out, with sellers outnumbering buyers by a record-near margin, Redfin found.

Property taxes are up 30% since 2019, driven by pandemic-era home value gains. Mortgage borrowers pay more than those without a loan, and experts say relief is unlikely anytime soon.

Home prices rose 0.7% annually in March, down from a 0.8% increase in the previous month, according to the S&P Cotality Case-Shiller home price index.

The pace of contract signings surged at its fastest in three years in a break from the more stagnant conditions of past home buying seasons, Realtor.com said.

Starts of single-family homes declined 9%, the most since August, according to government figures released Thursday. 

The share of sellers dropping their asking price fell in April as buyer demand picked up, though Sun Belt markets — especially in Texas — still saw widespread price cuts.

The real estate investment trust, while reporting a first quarter net loss, benefitted from growth and stable margins in its three mortgage production units.

Providence, Rhode Island, headed Zillow's hottest rental markets list, beating out New York and San Francisco, the company announced Monday.

Achieve launches a correspondent channel for its fixed-rate HELOC, Deephaven ups its loan limit to $1M, and Planet expands into non-agency TPO products including non-QM and DSCR loans.

The Real Brokerage's Agent Optimism Index, which measures agents' 12-month outlook, increased to 64 in April from 62 in March, but still below February's 70.3.

Restricting institutional investors is bad policy, but reforming 1031 exchanges and requiring public listings for HUD homes could boost affordability, according to the Chairman of Whalen Global Advisors.

The MBA's Market Composite Index found mortgage applications rose 1.7% on a seasonally-adjusted basis from one week prior for the period ending May 8.

Builders Capital Exchange has a $2 billion multi-year annual funding commitment, while RCLCO Fund Advisors creates joint venture which will acquire communities.

More homes nationwide went under contract in April compared to last spring, while inventory growth, while cooler, is returning to average historical levels.

Prices rose 0.32% last month on a seasonally adjusted basis, equal to a 3.9% annualized rate, according to ICE Mortgage Technology's mortgage monitor report.

Sales of previously owned US homes barely rose in April from a nine-month low, underscoring a sluggish housing market at the start of the spring-selling season. 

The venture, supported by Blackstone affiliate Brio Homebuilder Solutions, aims to help build more than 50,000 homes annually so they can be sold to the public, the investment giant said in a statement Monday.

The online real estate marketplace sees second-quarter adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization in a range of $150 million to $165 million, missing the average analyst estimate of $191 million.

The share of seriously underwater homeowners also grew in 45 states compared to a year ago, with the South Central region most affected, according to Attom.

The percentage of investors who view the market as better than it was a year ago fell to 36% from 45% in the winter, according to a spring survey.