New Year, Same Trend: Mortgage Rates Down Again This Week
Mortgage rates slumped lower this week, beginning the year at their lowest levels in more than four months.
Notable Numbers: December 2018
A robust new analysis shows there are two rental thresholds correlated with homelessness -- and more figures published at Zillow Research in December 2018.
Rising Mortgage Rates Thorn in Otherwise Rosy Conditions for Home Buyers
Would-be buyers are still feeling the pinch, as rising mortgage rates slice budgets and eliminate the share of affordable homes.
For the time being, this slowdown represents a return to fundamentals more than anything else, and to more balance between buyers and sellers.
Low housing inventory, a major contributor to a runup in home prices in recent years, has risen for three consecutive months – but it is climbing at a slow rate, more akin to bumping along the bottom than growing in any meaningful way.
Mortgage Rates Fed Up With Flatness, Fall for the Week
After staying flat for much of the past week, mortgage rates dropped sharply in recent days to their lowest levels since August.
December Fed Rate Hike: Recalibrating Expectations
The U.S. Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter-point, to a target range of 2.25 percent to 2.5 percent.
November Existing Home Sales: Signs of Life
November existing home sales rose 1.9 percent from October to 5.32 million sales, according to the National Association of Realtors.
November Housing Starts: Canary in the Coal Mine?
November housing starts rose 3.2 percent from October but were down 3.6 percent from a year ago, according to the Census Bureau.
Forecast for Existing and New Home Sales (November 2018)
While existing home sales have suffered from supply side constraints for the past three years, new home sales are facing more recent headwinds.
