The softening housing market is starting to show up in slightly smaller mortgage payments. Home buyers paid up to $45 less on mortgage applications in July compared to June, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. While some home loans are still more expensive than the same time last year, the trade group said buying power […]
How did monthly mortgage payments shrink this summer? Read More »
Sales of new US homes exceeded forecasts in July after an upward revision to the prior month, as prices eased and heavy incentives enticed more buyers off the fence. Contract signings on new single-family homes ticked down to a 652,000 annualized rate, with the strongest demand in the West, according to a government report issued
New-home sales exceed forecast following upward revision Read More »
Lenders, homeowners and servicers are facing a massive wildfire risk in the Western U.S. that extends beyond the initial burn. Insurance woes, inflationary pressures and contractor shortages are weighing on affected mortgage holders, according to Cotality’s 2025 Wildfire Risk Report. The assessment found nearly 2.6 million homes at moderate or greater risk of wildfire damage
How big is the wildfire risk in the Western housing market? Read More »
Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg The ongoing tariff-impacted rise of material and service prices, alongside challenging credit conditions, are a double whammy hitting residential construction, according to analysis from the National Association of Home Builders. Prices for goods and services used in residential construction came in 2.8% higher in July on an annual basis, marking the largest increase
Homebuilders encounter credit, supply cost headwinds Read More »
Freddie Mac has expanded its program for loans on real-property factory-built homes that have features in common with traditional houses like pitched roofs, attached garages and permanent foundations. The government-sponsored enterprise said it is now buying single-section CrossMod homes loans for the first time, making it possible for borrowers to get reduced rates for housing
Why there’s renewed interest in financing factory-built homes Read More »
The impact on housing of President Trump’s latest set of tariff announcements, including a 35% levy on goods from Canada not covered under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, is either mildly disruptive or significant, depending on who you ask. This comes from a series of executive orders signed by the President on July 31. A particular change
Fresh tariffs from Trump target homebuilding costs Read More »
The real estate industry is watching the brewing legal battle between two major real estate players over the way homes are listed and sold. Leading brokerage Compass filed an antitrust lawsuit last month against listing giant Zillow in a fight over exclusive property listings. It’s the latest tussle in the real estate agent space, a
What lenders need to know about Zillow v. Compass Read More »
Sales of new homes in the US remained weak in June as builders’ heavier use of sales incentives failed to motivate buyers put off by high costs. Contract signings on new single-family homes increased 0.6% to an annualized rate of 627,000 last month, according to government data released Thursday. That fell short of the 650,000
New-home sales remain tepid on affordability constraints Read More »
The second quarter was a mixed bag for a quartet of publicly traded homebuilders, reflecting the meh 2025 spring home purchase season. All four were profitable, but net income was lower compared with one year prior. The market wasn’t helped by a near 14% drop in the sale of newly constructed properties (on an annualized
Homebuilder profits slip year-over-year in difficult 2Q25 Read More »
Real estate agents are mostly upbeat about the housing market, a new report finds, even as broader economic worries leave buyers and sellers uneasy about the future. When asked about their outlook on the housing market over the next 12 months, 48% of real estate agents were more optimistic in June compared to May, according
Real estate agents upbeat amid shifts in market: survey Read More »