Entering 2024, many prospective home buyers were optimistic about the possibility of mortgage rates declining enough for them to broaden their options when house shopping. But entering the typically busy spring market, the Federal Reserve still hasn’t moved to slash the benchmark interest rate that tends to pull down mortgage rates with it. There’s still […]
The total value of the U.S. housing market climbed 5.3% last year to $47.5 trillion, rising by $2.4 trillion amid an ongoing shortage of homes, according to new data. Redfin reported that a major factor in the nation’s increasing home values is the reluctance of homeowners to list their properties for sale. The so-called “lock […]
The end of 2023 has brought the first hints of a softening of the housing market that could awaken buyer demand and entice more home owners to list their properties for sale. The average rate for the 30-year fixed mortgage fell again this week to 6.61%, now down more than a full point from 7.79% […]
People interested in buying homes in the U.S. continue to see affordability erode in a market that has made ownership prohibitively expensive for the average American. The median U.S. home price stood at $420,000 in November, down a bit from $425,0000 in October but up about 1% from last November. The real challenge for buyers […]
The home affordability challenges facing a generation of Millennials are reminiscent of certain circumstances their Baby Boomer parents encountered in the 1980’s, according to some economists observing the current market. With 30-year fixed mortgage rates up around 8% and home prices kept high by tight supply, sales activity has hit a wall during the second […]
The total value of the U.S. housing market has grown by an astonishing 49% since before the COVID-19 pandemic. This has been led by a surge in new home construction alongside already tight home supply and increased competition that has increased the value of the average U.S. home. But not all of this growth in […]
For many aspiring home buyers, 2023 has been a game of wait-and-see. Soaring home prices, high interest rates and extremely tight home supply have made the search for homes both ultra-competitive and financially prohibitive in large parts of the U.S. The theme of the year has been the Federal Reserve’s aggressive activity to bring down […]
The Federal Reserve’s moves to stem inflation over the last year and change have been historic. Eleven rate hikes since March 2022 have raised the benchmark short-term by 5 percentage points, marking the most aggressive action the Fed has taken in 40 years. The central bank’s efforts are primarily focused on beating back the pandemic-related […]
Signs of slowing inflation sent Wall Street to its highest level in more than a year on Wednesday, boosting Asian stocks along with it as U.S. government data showed promising signs for the economy. The S&P 500 reached its strongest closing level since April 2022, with stocks from Big Tech to utilities rising along with […]
The high mortgage rates seen over the last year were supposed to give weary home buyers at least one potential silver lining. If the high monthly costs of home ownership dampened demand for homes, then list prices might fall off to levels that could make more homes affordable. But recent data on the U.S. housing […]
