Realtor.com’s Danielle Hale talks an ‘even bigger’ 2025 as rates drop

Ahead of Inman Connect Austin, Realtor.com Chief Economist Danielle Hale talks mortgage rates, affordability, and when agents and consumers might reach the light at the end of the tunnel. Continue reading

New inflation data gives mortgage rates room to keep coming down

With inflation continuing to inch closer to the Fed’s 2 percent goal in August, bond market investors are getting more confident that the central bank will continue to cut rates aggressively in November. Continue reading

Pending home sales rise modestly in August as mortgage rates dip

Pending home sales edged up 0.6 percent in August, as declining mortgage rates made home purchases more affordable, according to data released Thursday by the National Association of Realtors. Continue reading

Homebuyer demand hardly budged as mortgage rates hit 2024 lows

While many homeowners rushed to refinance, affordability is keeping a damper on sales. Now mortgage rates are climbing again, with investors having already priced in last week’s Fed rate cut. Continue reading

More and more homes are languishing on the market

In August, nearly half of all U.S. homes had been on the market for 60 days or more, according to Redfin. Days on market has ticked up as high rates have slowed sales. Continue reading

New-home market a ‘bright spot’ as annual sales rise 9.8%

New-home sales rose 9.8 percent year over year to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 716,000 in August. However, an influx of existing-home inventory could pose a challenge to new-home sales into the fall. Continue reading

Fall market preview: Rate cuts have finally arrived — is the recovery on?

It will take more than recent rate cuts for a recovery in home sales to gain traction, a new analysis of market data and economic forecasts suggests. Intel explores what’s at stake for the fall market. Continue reading

2024 could be worst year for home sales since 1995: Fannie Mae

Falling mortgage rates should help boost home sales by nearly 10 percent next year, but in the meantime, inventory shortages and affordability challenges are keeping a lid on sales in many markets. Continue reading

That big Fed rate cut was no panacea for housing: Fitch analysts

Fed easing was already priced into mortgage rates, but there’s room for more relief if investors who fund most home loans get less skittish about prepayment risk and quantitative tightening. Continue reading

Existing-home sales continue to slide as buyers bide their time: NAR

Existing-home sales fell 4.2 percent year over year to a seasonally adjusted rate of 3.86 million in August as buyers awaited the Fed’s decision to cut rates, according to National Association of Realtors data Continue reading