Housing inventory rebounded in June, rising 2% across the country, according to a new report from Redfin. This is the first annual inventory increase since July 2019. Rising mortgage rates, home price appreciation, and a looming recession have pushed some potential homebuyers to the sidelines. Home sales were down almost 16% YOY, the largest drop since May 2020. “The country’s economic woes have already cooled the housing market, and they’re likely to continue dampening demand,” said Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather. “The Fed has signaled it may increase interest rates further to combat stubbornly high inflation, which could harm consumer confidence, and lower stock prices mean fewer prospective homebuyers can afford a down payment.” Housing affordability is at its lowest…
Home sellers are slashing prices at a record pace as buyer activity falls off, Redfin reported. The median asking price for newly-listed homes saw decreased acceleration, rising 15% YOY. It is down 1.5% from its all-time high, which it hit in May. At the same time, a record share of sellers cut their asking price in the four-week period ending June 26. Pending home sales saw their biggest drop since May 2020, as evidence emerges that buyer demand is beginning to cool. But Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather says buyers aren’t done yet. Instead, they’re noticing “the shift in power, and are no longer leaving the market in droves.” That is, buyers are seeing that sellers are losing the upper…
Americans are paying top dollar to live in areas prone to devastating environmental disasters, with home prices soaring in these locations. A new report from real estate publication Home Bay found that home prices are increasing at a higher rate than the national median in the areas most impacted by climate change. Home sales prices are up 167% in metros within states that have had at least 50 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster declarations since 2012. By comparison, the national median increase is only 113%. FEMA ranks California, Texas, Florida, Louisiana, and North Carolina as the states with the highest risk for homeowners– that is, the states that are most likely to have disasters that threaten buildings, people, and…
Mortgage loan application volume rose slightly by 0.7% last week, the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) weekly survey shows. The adjusted Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased by 0.7%. The adjusted purchase index rose 0.1%, while the unadjusted purchase index fell by 21% and was 24% lower YOY. The refinance index rose by 2% and made up 30.3% of total applications, down 80% from the same time last year. ARM activity fell to 10.1% of total applications. “Mortgage rates continue to experience large swings. After increasing 65 basis points during the past three weeks, the 30-year fixed rate declined 14 basis points last week to 5.84%,” said Joel Kan, MBA’s Associate Vice President of Economic and…
Soaring interest rates pushed homebuyer demand down in its largest annual decline in more than two years, Redfin reported. Redfin’s Homebuyer Demand Index was down 16% YOY, its largest drop since April 2020, in response to lagging inventory and skyrocketing mortgage rates. Last week, rates jumped a full half-point in the largest one-week increase in the history of Freddie Mac’s weekly rate survey, which dates back to 1987. This week they’re up to 5.81%. At the same time, pending home sales were down 10% YOY, the largest decline since May 2020. Home prices are moderating slightly, but still elevated. The average size of a purchase loan application was $420,000, down from a peak of $460,000. In 2019, the average loan…
Housing payments have surpassed the dreaded 30% cost-burdened threshold thanks to the 30-year fixed rate’s recent half-point jump. Black Knight reports that it now costs $2,103 to make the principal and interest (P&I) payment on an average-priced home with a 20% downpayment. That equates to 36.2% of the median household income and sinks affordability to its lowest level in more than 35 years. Payments as a percentage of income are now higher than the previous record of 34.1% in July 2006, and significantly up from the long-term average of 25.1%. The Department of Housing and Urban Development defines cost-burdened families as those “who pay more than 30% of their income for housing” and “may have difficulty affording necessities such as…
Affordability is at a 15-year low, with mortgage payments up in 45 of the 50 largest U.S. metros, according to Zillow’s latest market report. Buying a typical U.S. home with interest rates of 5.78% would result in monthly payments of $2,127. That’s up 36% year to date, and 51% YOY. Those monthly payments would account for 28% of homeowners’ monthly income, inching closer to the 30% benchmark that means homeowners are cost-burdened. The report noted that since rates have risen above the April data it references, homeowners may already be at that 30% threshold. Rising interest rates and soaring home prices have pushed mortgages out of reach for many Americans, leading to diminishing demand that has economists worried that recession…
Bidding wars dropped to their lowest level since February 2021 as the housing market begins to cool, with only 57.8% of home offers facing competition in May, according to Redfin. Though more than half of prospective buyers are still facing competition when bidding on a home, that number is down from 60.9% the month prior and a pandemic peak of 68.8% a year earlier. A typical home received 5.3 offers in May, down from 6.8 in April and 7.4 in YOY. This is the fourth straight month of declines. The unadjusted bidding war rate was 60.8%, down from 67.8% month-over-month and 71.8% YOY. “Homes are now getting one to three offers, compared with five to 10 two months ago and…
Mortgage rates stayed relatively flat last week, falling just slightly to an average of 5.09%, Freddie Mac reported Thursday. Freddie’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) found that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 5.09%, down from last week’s 5.10%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 2.99%. “Mortgage rates continued to inch downward this week but are still significantly higher than last year, affecting affordability and purchase demand,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist. “Heading into the summer, the potential homebuyer pool has shrunk, supply is on the rise and the housing market is normalizing. This is welcome news following unprecedented market tightness over the last couple of years.” Mortgage purchase applications are down 14% YOY…
Mortgage rates dropped for yet another week to an average of 5.10%, Freddie Mac reported Thursday. Freddie’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) found that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 5.10%, down from last week’s 5.25%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 2.95%. “Mortgage rates decreased for the second week in a row due to multiple headwinds that the economy is facing,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist. “Despite the recent moderation in rates, the housing market has clearly slowed, and the deceleration is spreading to other segments of the economy, such as consumer spending on durable goods.” 5-year ARMs did rise, however, from 4.08% a week ago to 4.20%. ARMs have become appealing to…
