Housing markets

Moderating price growth and higher wages are leading to affordability relief, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Government data reports from June, though, point to an inauspicious start for new construction in the current quarter.

Rent growth will see a decrease of 2.7% and the vacancy rate will grow to 6%, Freddie Mac predicts.

Sales of new U.S. homes unexpectedly declined for a second month in June as the mix of stubbornly high mortgage rates and prices deterred prospective buyers. 

While the number of refinances saw a small uptick last week, purchase lending languished as housing costs keep buyers sidelined, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

A run-up in mortgage rates and a constrained resale market has enabled builders to capitalize on the fractured U.S. housing landscape.

Nearly 56,000 home-purchase agreements were voided in June with the underlying cause likely affordability, a Redfin report claims.

Institutional investors have an opportunity to "do well while doing good" while advancing a flagship public/private partnership model writes the Chief Growth Officer of Rocktop.

Contract closings decreased 5.4% from May to a 3.89 million annualized rate, data released Tuesday from the National Association of Realtors show.

The new law, which went into effect on July 19, also has provisions that deal with heirs property, an issue that clouds ownership.

Hugh Frater was one of four appointed to the Bipartisan Policy Center board, along with former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, a co-chair of its Housing Council.

Year-over-year consumer dollars for home remodeling projects should drop 0.5% by 2Q25, after a 3% decline for the trailing 12 months, said the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.

The number of properties sold over the past year was the fewest since 2009, the National Association of Realtors said.

It has become the 29th state to bar NTRAP contracts, with Illinois' legislation on it pending the governor's signature, according to American Land Title Association data.

Total housing starts increased 3% to a 1.35 million annualized rate last month, driven by a 19.6% surge in multifamily construction, according to government data released Wednesday.

Refinance transactions shot up over 15% to their highest volume in almost two years, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Some commenters on the Federal Housing Finance Agency's request for input about the Federal Home Loan Bank system mission demand more focus on affordable housing while others firmly advocated against member incentive programs.

Confidence among U.S. homebuilders fell for a third straight month in July as elevated interest rates weighed on sales and kept construction financing costs high.

The National Association of Realtors was looking to reverse the April decision from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals that allowed the Justice Department to reopen its probe into the group.

While the pace of consumer inflation is showing signs of slowing, building material costs are running counter to the trend, according to the National Association of Home Builders.