The recent interest in a fifty year mortgage says a lot about where the housing market is today. Buyers feel shut out, lenders are fighting for volume, and policymakers are searching for ways to make the math work. Extending the mortgage term to fifty years sounds like a bold solution, but it is really a […]
The U.S. housing market is set for a soft 2026, with modest home price gains and slowing sales, according to KBW. Processing Content “In housing, we expect rent growth to turn positive on moderating supply and resilient rental demand while home purchasing remains subdued with high rates and challenging affordability,” the report from Jade Rahmani,
Housing market will be soft in 2026, KBW analysts warn Read More »
As mortgage rates stay near 6%, our weekly housing demand data lines have improved so much that we are at multiyear highs in total pending sales and purchase application data combined. This shouldn’t be a shock for our readers because whenever mortgage rates break below 6.64% and head down toward 6%, housing data noticeably improves
Weekly housing demand reaches multiyear high Read More »
The housing market showed faint signs of near-term affordability improvement in late 2025, but it remains dramatically worse than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research from Oxford Economics. In the third quarter, a household needed to earn $110,100 a year to afford to own a single-family home, including taxes and insurance.
Housing affordability challenges steepen in Q3 Read More »
Approximately 70% of U.S. home purchasers do not shop mortgage lenders looking for a lower rate, possibly costing them as much as 50 basis points in higher payments, a report from Zillow claims. Processing Content The company’s analysis uses a typical home worth $360,000, with the purchaser putting 20% down. At 6.24%, the average in
Rate shopping could save borrowers over $1,100 a year Read More »
The mortgage industry is still weighing the impact of the latest Federal Open Market Committee short-term rate reduction on housing. Processing Content But reflecting trends prior to the meeting in the benchmark 10-year Treasury used to price mortgages, the 30-year fixed rate gained 3 basis points, while the 15-year climbed 10 basis points, the Freddie
Mortgage rates higher after FOMC rate cut priced in Read More »
Optimal Blue on Wednesday released its November 2025 Market Advantage report, which revealed that mortgage rate-lock activity slowed with typical late-fall seasonality but still posted the strongest November in four years. Total lock volume fell 25% from October but was up 17% from November 2024, driven by strong refinance activity and mortgage rates hovering near
November mortgage lock data driven by strong refinance activity Read More »
The Federal Reserve delivered another 25-basis-point cut to its benchmark interest rate on Wednesday, setting the target range at 3.5% to 3.75% amid signs of a softening labor market and inflation that’s still above the central bank’s 2% target. The move marks the Fed’s third straight rate cut to end 2025, following 25-bps cuts in
Fed delivers third straight rate cut, but housing market will see limited relief Read More »
In a highly expected move, the Federal Reserve cut its federal funds rate on Wednesday, but Chairman Jerome Powell’s comments ultimately may have more influence on whether policy provides a boost for lenders and home buyers. Processing Content The central bank slashed its funds rate by 25 basis points at the close of the Federal
Fed moves won’t move needle on housing — yet Read More »
Optimal Blue’s Market Volume Index, which tracks mortgage rate lock activity, fell below 100 in November for the first time since August, reflecting typical seasonal trends. Processing Content Still, aided by lower interest rates in the second half of the year, November marked the strongest reading for this metric since 2021, strong by any measure,
Lower rates drive best November lock activity in years Read More »