Mortgage Rate Volatility & Housing Market Trends
Mortgage rates fluctuate amid bond market volatility. Home loan applications drop. Sellers & buyers must be strategic in the changing market. Inventory rises, home touring slows.
Two directions for home sales amid economic turmoil
"But it's also possible that economic turmoil pushes down mortgage rates and/or people decide to bite the bullet now instead of waiting for conditions to perhaps worsen, encouraging homebuyers and sellers to jump into the market."
Slow pace of home sales points to a subdued spring season
"While inventory is expected to increase and there is still a lot of pent-up demand, consumer anxiety and rising concerns about an economic downturn could hinder market activity."
Homeownership is all over the map — see the state at No. 1
A recent analysis of home prices, ownership rates and migration in 2024 found that homeownership has remained relatively stable over the past few years, even as affordability has worsened.
The mortgage industry has an age problem
Ashley Yarabinec, Director of Member Relations at the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), noted that her generation knows how to use technology effectively, "but if the industry doesn't embrace that and bring in younger professionals, they'll fall behind.
The election is over — what does it mean for interest rates?
Many people believed the election outcome wouldn't be clear for a day or more after polls closed — but Donald Trump's decisive victory has provided a bit of early certainty to investors, who now have a sense of what policy changes might be coming.
Big houses ‘driving the housing market’ as sellers ‘seek to beat Budget tax rises’, Rightmove data suggests
While speculation about tax hikes has been rife since Rachel Reeves announced that she was battling a big ‘black hole’ in the public finances, the changes Rightmove has seen coincide with Sir Keir Starmer’s 27 August Downing Street garden speech.
More Realtors expect an uptick in buyers this fall
The August poll found that 16% of respondents expect a year-over-year increase in buyer traffic in the next three months — that's up from 13%, which was the percentage reported in both June and a year prior in July 2023.