US homebuilders’ confidence slipped again this month, bogged down by persistent worries over affordability and high construction costs. Processing Content An index of market conditions from the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo edged down in February to 36, the lowest level since September. That fell short of all but one estimate in […]
Homebuilder sentiment dips to 5-month low on affordability Read More »
With mortgage rates near 6% and the snow effect fading away, we got a rebound in the weekly housing demand last week. For me, this is more about the snow impact fading from the data line, as we also saw a pickup in new listings. Housing inventory picked up a smidge, and the year-over-year price
Housing demand snaps back as mortgage rates near 6% Read More »
The Housing for the 21st Century Act — a sweeping housing reform package moving through Congress — is the boldest step yet in a broad federal push to increase housing supply and improve affordability. The legislation directs the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to publish “best practices” for states and local governments
What the Housing for the 21st Century Act means for real estate agents, lenders Read More »
I was amazed that the last Housing Market Tracker didn’t show much drama from the epic late-January snowstorm that impacted much of the U.S., but today’s tracker data got hit for sure. However, the housing market will be back in full force again soon. Last week, inventory declined, new listings data was negative year over
Housing inventory and new listings show impact of winter weather Read More »
U.S. homebuyers are gaining ground on affordability as price growth slows and housing supply expands, according to the latest HousingWire Data through Jan. 24. While affordability challenges persist — despite mortgage rates trending lower — recent shifts are improving purchasing power and giving buyers more leverage than they had a year ago. Nationally, the median
Homebuying power improves as prices cool, inventory expands Read More »
With an epic snowstorm hitting large areas of the U.S. recently, I expected housing data to take a hit after the solid start we had already seen in 2026, but it remained mostly positive, which surprised me. The big key to that, of course, is that mortgage rates, even with all the crazy headlines recently,
Housing demand is still positive even with epic snowstorm Read More »
Lower mortgage rates are driving increased housing demand in 2026, as shown by another positive week in our Housing Market Tracker data. Both weekly pending home sales and purchase application data posted gains last week — both week over week and year over year. My work over the years indicates that housing demand strengthens when
Lower mortgage rates boosting demand early in 2026 Read More »
Inherited homes accounted for a record share of U.S. property transfers in 2025, a shift in how housing supply reaches the market and challenging expectations that aging baby boomers who wish to downsize will unlock a surge of homes for sale. New data from Cotality shows that about 340,000 U.S. properties were transferred through inheritance
Don’t count on the ‘silver tsunami’ for housing inventory surge Read More »
The most competitive markets in the country are largely in the east, driven by constrained inventory and home-price growth. Processing Content Hartford, Connecticut topped Zillow’s list of the hottest housing markets in 2026, edging out Buffalo, New York, which placed first in each of the last two years. The 50 most populated metros were ranked
The hottest housing markets in 2026 Read More »
Housing 2026 is off and going, and so far this year, with mortgage rates near 6% and mortgage spreads near normal levels, 2026 looks to be the first year of actual growth in existing home sales in years. Last week we had solid data in purchase apps and our weekly pending sales data — with
Housing demand is off to a solid start in 2026 Read More »