Housing markets

Even as Freddie Mac's survey put rates at their highest since December 2000, factors like rising oil prices and a government shutdown could slow the economy.

The month-to-month decline was larger than all estimates received by Bloomberg in a survey of economists.

The rise in rates — 10-year Treasury yields are up over a percentage point since mid-May — is one of a series of shocks buffeting what's been a surprisingly resilient economy.

Since the start of the year, values have pushed upward at a marked pace, separate reports from the Federal Housing Finance Agency and S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller declared.

The total value of U.S. housing rose more than $2.6 trillion in the past year, Zillow said, defying predictions that higher borrowing costs would lead to a prolonged slump.

The triple threat of tight supply, elevated prices and historically high mortgage rates continues to weigh on sales, even as home builders are offering incentives to potential buyers.

Reluctance to eliminate staff with the hope that business will turn around has been a driver of the multiple quarter stretch of industry losses, its latest study of mortgage lenders found.

Contract closings decreased 0.7% from a month earlier to a 4.04 million annualized pace, National Association of Realtors data showed Thursday.

Doug Duncan explains why different players in the market have such contradictory takes on the real estate market right now and how to reconcile their varying outlooks.

Major real estate players are headed to trial next month over challenges to current commission practices, in which the seller covers fees for both themselves and the buyer.

On average since 1970, new home sales volumes decline 7% month-over-month in September and 13% quarter-over-quarter in the final months of the year, according to analysts. 

Housing costs grew to an average of $2,632 during the four weeks ending Sept. 10, according to a Redfin report.

High mortgage rates and the lack of inventory for sale pushed the sector into a downturn twice recently - between May and November last year and in May of 2023 - according to First American

But that share is trending downward. In the fourth quarter, nearly nine out of 10 metro areas had home prices that were considered to be above sustainable levels.

Nearly 60,000 deals to purchase homes fell through in August, according to a report released Friday by Redfin Corp.

Loan applications for single-family constructions jumped for the seventh month in a row, with increasing interest coming from first-time buyers, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

High mortgage rates and little inventory explain why over 60% of homeowners did or will perform a repair project in the next year, a LendingTree survey found.

Affordability is the No. 1 concern of millennials and Gen Zers, and that is also affecting views expressed in Fannie Mae's Home Purchase Sentiment Index.

Despite rate hikes, only 3% fail to profit but local exceptions may continue to increase.

But some of the noise beneath the data suggests a possible transition might be underway, according to analysts.