Inflation continues to make progress as the headline Consumer Price Index eased to 2.5% YoY in August from 2.9% in July, reaching its lowest level since February 2021. Core CPI (which removes food and energy prices) held steady at 3.2% YoY due in large part to shelter costs. These crucial readings keep the Fed on […]
Mortgage interest is the fee you pay for borrowing money to buy a home. It’s calculated as a percentage of the loan amount and is paid over the life of the mortgage. This interest rate can be fixed or adjustable and is added to your monthly payments throughout the loan term. For example, with a […]
The housing market has been tough in 2024, with stubbornly high mortgage rates keeping many homebuyers on the sidelines. But in August, a light appeared at the end of this tunnel when rates dropped to yearlong lows—below 6.5% for a 30-year fixed home loan. And with the Federal Reserve signaling a much awaited interest rate cut in September that […]
While the Federal Reserve doesn’t directly set mortgage rates, it influences them by making changes to the federal funds rate, the interest rate that banks charge each other for short-term loans. The Fed’s decisions alter the price of credit, which has a domino effect on mortgage rates and the broader housing market. “When the Fed […]
Homeownership comes with its surprises — a flooded basement, a busted furnace or a fence damaged by a fallen tree. And when surprises strike, the first question often is: Will my home insurance cover it? But recently the cost of home insurance itself has shocked Washington homeowners. With some seeing their premiums increase as much […]
Monthly housing payments have dropped to their lowest level in four months, but homebuyers and sellers aren’t yet reacting. In addition to pending home sales falling, new listings posted their smallest increase in three months. The median U.S. monthly housing payment was $2,667 during the four weeks ending July 28, its lowest level since March. […]
Millions of renter households in 2022 would have been able to buy a house that year, according to Zillow, which is based on estimates from the American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2022, 39% of the 134 million families residing in the U.S. did not own the home they lived in, according […]
One in every 5,071 properties across the United States had a foreclosure filing in June, according to ATTOM’s midyear foreclosure market report. The report revealed a total of 177,431 properties with foreclosure filings, including default notices, scheduled auctions, or bank repossessions, in the first six months of 2024. This number was down 4.4% from the […]
There is a mismatch between the prices of homes being built, and the prices home buyers expect to pay, according to recent surveys from NAHB and the U.S. Census Bureau. While 38% of buyers expect to pay less than $250,000 for their next home nationwide (and 19% expect to pay less than $150,000), only 5% […]
It could soon be easier to borrow against your home after U.S. regulators approved a Freddie Mac pilot program for purchasing second mortgages. The plan, announced Friday, is meant to help homeowners who secured low-interest mortgages and want to access their home’s equity for a loan. The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) said it granted “conditional […]