Housing markets

Sales of new single-family homes increased 4.1% last month to a 738,000 annualized rate, government figures showed Thursday.

Contract closings decreased 1% from a month earlier to a 3.84 million annualized rate, according to figures released Wednesday from the National Association of Realtors.

The top five states saw an average change in average mortgage rates of 3.15% quarter-over-quarter.

The affordability crisis has moved to the center of national politics, posing complicated challenges for both Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump as they try to woo voters in battleground states with promises to address housing costs.

Harvard University housing experts anticipate home improvement spending to rise in the next 12 months.

Housing starts decreased 0.5% last month to a 1.35 million annualized rate, according to government data released Friday, after a big rebound in August.

Losses related to natural disasters and other perils rose for the seventh year, and that costs both insurers and consumers more money, LexisNexis said.

A measure of housing market conditions from the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo increased for a second straight month in October.

The share of homes constructed in community associations rose for the first time in three years in 2023, the National Association of Home Builders reported.

While people are talking about supply, the former National Association of Realtors exec adds more attention must also be given to home insurance affordability.

Likely homeowners have two focuses when deciding on the gadgets they factor into property purchase decisions, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

The Fed's short-term rate cut hasn't lowered 30-year mortgage rates, which have been flat, but some buyers had reasons to act sooner rather than later.

Just because millions of empty properties are located in U.S. cities, it doesn't counter the fact that an inventory shortage exists, or fix it, LendingTree said.

While rate-and-term refinance locks boomed, the rise in purchases also was telling as it was the first since the Fed started raising rates, Optimal Blue said.

Despite rising consumer confidence in the housing market, declining mortgage rates, alone, don't seem to be able to lure home buyers in, two new reports find.

Stephen Scherr starts this week as co-president at Pretium, a major landlord of U.S. single-family homes founded by his former Goldman colleague Don Mullen.

The top five cities have an average rate of housing units that were owner-occupied in 2022 of 70.32%.

Most of the investment community overall showed more favorable sentiment toward one presidential candidate than the other, but a subset of it begs to differ.

National issues such as the economy are prominent. But so are local concerns like a $10,000 limit on deductions for state and local taxes and high housing costs.

Buyers aren't necessarily responding to greater inventory and lower mortgage rates.