Have lower mortgage rates altered the dynamics of the housing market based on our data? Now that August has come to an end, it’s clear that they have — and the results have surprised me. In recent years, it has typically taken sustained mortgage rates of around 6% to impact housing data. However, I noticed […]
Lower mortgage rates pushed inventory lower in August Read More »
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 »
Mortgage applications decreased 1.4% from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)’s weekly mortgage applications survey for the week ending Aug. 15. Without taking seasonal adjustments into account, the index decreased 2% compared with the previous week. The refinance index decreased 3% from the previous week but was 23% higher
Mortgage applications shrink as VA loan demand declines Read More »
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)’s Builder Application Survey data for July 2025, released on Monday, shows that mortgage applications for new-home purchases increased 6.8% compared from a year ago. Compared to June 2025, applications increased by 7%. This change does not include any adjustment for typical seasonal patterns. “Purchase activity for new homes strengthened in
New-home purchase mortgage demand kept growing in July Read More »
Housing inventory growth has been slowing down since the last two weeks of June, as mortgage rates have been trending lower. However, last week we saw an actual decline week to week, which is rare for this time of year compared to recent years. What does this mean? Has active inventory peaked? Our new listings
Did lower mortgage rates already lower housing inventory? Read More »
Mortgage applications don’t always fail with a formal rejection — many simply stall. A report released last month by Cotality found that homebuyer hesitation often predicts loan fallout, even without an official withdrawal. As a result, the property analytics firm found that 16% of buyers “ghosted” their mortgage applications last year — a trend attributed
Abandoned mortgage apps are on the upswing. Homebuyer confusion could be the culprit Read More »
Mortgage rates fell 0.18% last week, breaking below the key threshold of 6.64%. Why is this important? Because in the last three years, when mortgage rates fell from 6.64% to 6%, housing demand has improved. Now the question is: can rates go lower? 10-year yield and mortgage rates In my 2025 forecast, I anticipated the
How much lower can mortgage rates go after Friday’s jobs report? Read More »
Homebuyer affordability improved in June, as evidenced by the national median payment for purchase mortgage applicants decreasing to $2,172 — down from $2,211 in May. That’s according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)’s Purchase Applications Payment Index (PAPI), which measures how new monthly mortgage payments vary across time relative to income, using data from MBA’s
Mortgage application payments decline in June Read More »
Housing inventory growth is starting to stall, despite elevated mortgage rates. As new listings begin their seasonal decline, we might have already reached our peak percentage growth rate for 2025. The recent stalling has already gradually reduced the year-over-year growth percentage by a slight amount. For the rest of the year I’ll be watching to
Housing inventory growth is starting to stall Read More »
In a week marked by discussions of the potential firing of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and inflation data, mortgage rates remained relatively calm, thanks to improvements in mortgage spreads. Mortgage spreads have improved significantly since 2023, leaving us just 0.49% from normal levels, based on the data we use. This means we can achieve
Mortgage spreads are almost back to normal Read More »