No one in the homebuilding business I know is sitting around waiting for things to get easier. That’s not how this works. Not in 2025. Not when mortgage rates, insurance shocks, permitting delays, capital costs and housing politics are all pulling in different directions. Not when builders are expected to do more with less, and […]
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Pittsburgh and Cleveland rank as the world’s most affordable major housing markets, but a new report finds that not a single metro area among 95 studied actually qualifies as affordable. The annual Demographia International Housing Affordability report — released by Chapman University — measured affordability by dividing median home prices by median household incomes. Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Cleveland top global metro affordability list Read More »
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced this week that it has awarded technology services firm Phoenixteam a $49 million contract to modernize its mortgage underwriting platform, the Guaranteed Underwriting System (GUS). The Arlington, V.A.-based company will overhaul GUS, which supports USDA’s guaranteed loan program for rural and farming communities. Phoenixteam said the updates will
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We’ve reached fresh new year-to-date lows in mortgage rates after Jerome Powell, speaking at the Jackson Hole Economic Summit on Friday, suggested that the labor market may be more important than inflation for the time being. If only someone had been saying that for a few years! All jokes aside, mortgage rates have been trending
Mortgage rates hit year-to-date lows after Powell comments Read More »
Housing affordability is taking center stage this fall for the Trump administration. From President Donald Trump’s early executive order ordering the heads of all executive departments and agencies “to deliver emergency price relief,” to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent highlighting housing affordability as one of his “big projects,” the affordability crisis is clearly top of mind.
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Survey finds affordability and financing are driving more buyers into the second-home market In today’s economy, traditional ownership is increasingly inaccessible and misaligned with the real estate landscape. Ongoing issues with low inventory, high home prices, elevated mortgage rates, and down payment obstacles make whole-home ownership more challenging, especially for younger buyers. Against that backdrop,
Fractional home ownership is breaking barriers: How Pacaso is taking the lead Read More »
Industry veteran Bill Dallas, chairman of Dallas Capital and former president of Finance of America, says accessory dwelling units (ADUs) still face major hurdles before they can become a reliable solution to what he calls the nation’s “largest social challenge:” affordable housing. “One of the challenges… is that the laws are so difficult and varied
ADUs could remedy America’s housing crisis, but obstacles remain Read More »
Existing home sales in July exceeded monthly estimates and demonstrated year-over-year growth. However, it’s important to remember that we started from a low baseline for sales in 2024, so this year-over-year growth needs to be viewed in context. For those who have been following our weekly tracker, we’ve noted that year-over-year data should turn positive
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Nationally, existing home sales remain muted even as housing inventory grows, according to a new First American analysis of the 75 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. Inventory in July was nearly 20% higher than a year ago, yet the flow of new listings rose only 5% compared with 2024. That distinction matters, said Odeta Kushi, deputy
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Realtor.com has released a report that ranks the leading U.S. metropolitan areas for new residential construction as the country faces an estimated shortage of 4 million homes. The analysis examined the 100 largest metros based on the new-home share of listings, pricing compared to existing homes, climate risk and buyer demand. Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Arkansas, topped the
Arkansas, Idaho metros lead the pack for new-home construction Read More »