A competitive housing market can be difficult for home buyers. Not only do they have to prepare for the possibility of a bidding war, they also have to be prepared to lose one. The stress and potential for disappointment is almost enough to make home shoppers feel like giving up. Fortunately, newly released numbers show relief may be on the way for buyers concerned that a bidding war may blow up their budget. According to the data, the number of buyers in September who faced competition fell to the lowest level all … [Read more...]

Sales of previously owned homes spiked 7 percent in September, according to new numbers from the National Association of Realtors. The month-over-month improvement included gains in every region of the country and reversed August's 2 percent decline. Lawrence Yun, NAR's chief economist, said the sales rebound was likely helped by the fact that there are more homes available for sale. “Some improvement in supply during prior months helped nudge up sales in September,” Yun said. “Housing demand remains strong as … [Read more...]

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates increased again last week, moving higher for 30-year fixed-rate loans with both conforming and jumbo balances. Rates for 15-year fixed-rate loans also increased, while the average rate for loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration fell from the week before. With rates rising, demand for mortgage loan applications decreased 6.3 percent week over week. Joel Kan, MBA's associate vice president of economic and … [Read more...]

Labor shortages and supply-chain disruptions have been an issue for home builders ever since the pandemic's onset last year. But, despite those challenges, the National Association of Home Builders' Housing Market Index has remained strong. The index - which surveys builders and scores their responses on a scale where any number above 50 means more builders view conditions as good than poor – has remained high mostly because demand from buyers has kept builders optimistic about the market. That trend continued in … [Read more...]

Predictions aren't easy, but Fannie Mae's Economic and Strategic Research Group makes them on a monthly basis. The group's forecasts cover what they see ahead for the housing market and general economy. And, according to their October outlook, they expect inflation and consumer spending concerns to cause monetary policy to tighten in the months ahead. But what does that mean to the average home buyer or seller? Well, Fannie Mae says they should expect mortgage rates to rise slightly but remain low throughout 2022. … [Read more...]

First-time home buyers used to make up a larger share of the homes sold in any given year. Typically, they'd account for around 40 percent of annual home sales. But younger home buyers, for a multitude of reasons, have been less active in the housing market in recent years. According to one new analysis, for example, the share of buyers between the ages of 18 and 39 fell 13 percent between 2009 and 2019. That wasn't the only demographic shift during those years, though. In fact, while the share of younger buyers … [Read more...]

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates increased last week across all loan categories, including 30-year fixed-rate loans with both conforming and jumbo balances, loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration, and 15-year fixed-rate loans. But while rates moved to their highest level in months, mortgage application demand was relatively unaffected, increasing 0.2 percent week over week. Joel Kan, MBA's vice president of economic and industry … [Read more...]

Owning a home is a dream for a lot of Americans. But no one wants to own a home they struggle to afford. That's why there's so much focus on housing affordability right now. Put simply, there's a shortage of homes for sale and it's made finding an affordable home more challenging for today's buyer. New numbers from the National Association of Realtors offer some encouragement, though – especially for Americans who want to buy but worry homeownership may now be out of their financial reach. The numbers, from the … [Read more...]

Market conditions have been difficult for home buyers this year. Rising prices and competition for available listings have made things challenging. But despite those challenges, buyer demand has remained strong, even through the hot spring and summer markets. And now, heading into the fall and winter, it still shows few signs of slowing down. For example, one recent survey found a majority of participants were optimistic about the housing market and agreed that the next three months would be a good time to buy a … [Read more...]

These days, it isn't easy to find a deal. In most markets, there are more home buyers than there are available homes for sale. That puts upward pressure on prices, causes bidding wars, and means fewer bargains for buyers. So what can a budget-minded home shopper do? Well, new numbers from ATTOM Data Solutions offer a clue. Their analysis looked at every calendar day over the past eight years with at least 10,000 home sales and calculated the premium or discount buyers paid on that day. The results help zero in on … [Read more...]