Housing sentiment was largely unchanged in August as consumers remained cautious despite some improvements in mortgage rates and home listings.  Fannie Mae’s Home Purchase Sentiment Index (HPSI) showed a modest rise of 0.6 points to 72.1, but overall homebuying sentiment saw little change. A notable 39% of consumers surveyed said they expect mortgage rates to decline […]

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 […]

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. […]

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% […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 13, 2024) – The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Builder Application Survey (BAS) data for May 2024 shows mortgage applications for new home purchases increased 13.8% compared from a year ago. Compared to April 2024, applications increased by 1%. This change does not include any adjustment for typical seasonal patterns. “There continues to be […]

The amount of money a homebuyer puts down to purchase a home hit a historic high at the end of 2023, but that sum is finally falling. A new report from Realtor.com® shows that the median down payment homebuyers laid on the closing table in the first three months of 2024 was an average of 13.6%—which translates […]

Home prices continued their upward trend in February, defying high mortgage rates and low inventory of homes for sale. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller national housing index rose 6.4% from February a year ago and up from the 6% annual increase registered in January.  San Diego led the way with an 11.4% annual increase, while Chicago and […]

While the rising cost of auto insurance is pushing up the official inflation rate, there is a stealth insurance cost that isn’t showing up in the consumer price index – homeowners insurance.  Along with high mortgage rates and record home prices, soaring insurance rates are just one more thing putting pressure on the cost of […]