Housing Wire

MARCH 15, 2025

Earlier this year, when mortgage rates soared to 7.26%, a cloud of worry hung over the housing market many feared that home sales would tumble in 2025, fueled by concerns about inflation and tariffs. But when it seemed doom and gloom would prevail, the 10-year yield dropped, pulling mortgage rates lower in a lovely slow dance.

Mortgages 534

Mortgages Sales Marketing As-is 534

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 24, 2024

With new-home sales growing since 2022, why are housing starts at recessionary levels? The big publicly traded builders have money to pay down mortgage rates and manage their pipelines better than smaller homebuilders. Then mortgage rates fell from 7.5% However, that was short-lived; mortgage rates are closer to 7% again.

Sales 466

Sales Construction Mortgages Residential 466

Housing Wire

MAY 17, 2025

One of the lesser known storylines in housing economics is that the improvement in mortgage spreads since 2023 has contributed to a noticeable trend in purchase application data for 2025, which is now showing 15 consecutive weeks of positive year-over-year growth. A historical review of these spreads shows that they are currently elevated.

Mortgages 489

Mortgages Sales Marketing As-is 489

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 13, 2024

In a new episode of “The Loan Officer Podcast,” host Dustin Owen chats with John Cornish of Iowa-based Key Mortgage Group about his path into the industry, tips for scaling a mortgage lending business and how to avoid stagnation as a loan originator. Cornish started his career in mortgage banking at Wells Fargo in Iowa in 2003.

Mortgages 369

Mortgages Sales Loan Officer Lending 369

Housing Wire

JANUARY 17, 2025

Todays housing starts data exceeded estimates; however, a closer examination of the report with the builder confidence reveals that the recent rise in mortgage rates , approaching 7.25%, has negatively affected builder sentiment. Since late 2022, our analysis indicates that mortgage rates in the 6%-6.5%

Mortgages 466

Mortgages Construction Sales As-is 466

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 30, 2024

Despite rising mortgage rates through much of 2024, recent indications show growing boldness among homebuyers heading into the new year. A report released Monday by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) showed an increase in pending home sales for the fourth consecutive month. The report found that pending home sales jumped 2.2%

Sales 409

Sales Mortgages MLS Marketing 409

Housing Wire

JANUARY 6, 2025

The New Years week was expected to be slow, so it’s no surprise that new listings and sales are down. The Christmas and New Year’s holidays fell on Wednesdays this year, which messes up two full weeks in terms of getting home sales done and tracking the numbers. At the same time, mortgage rates jumped back over 7%.

Sales 421

Sales Days on market Mortgages Marketing 421

Housing Wire

MAY 10, 2025

If someone had told me that home sales would remain firm this year despite mortgage rates ranging from 7.25% to 6.64%, I would not have taken that bet. However, amid all the chaotic economic headlines of 2025 so far, the demand for mortgages is holding steady, even with the higher rates. That would mean nearly 6% mortgage rates.

Mortgages 457

Mortgages Sales As-is Marketing 457

Housing Wire

JANUARY 13, 2025

Mortgage rates pushed this week close to 7.25%. Its only two weeks into January and mortgage rates have hit the high end of the range we forecasted for the entire year. Bond markets have driven mortgage rates back to the highs, and home sales are suffering. Sellers are up, but sales are down.

Sales 397

Sales Mortgages Marketing Staging 397

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 15, 2024

The statement was enough to raise mortgage rates to an even higher level, a sharp departure from the optimism lenders experienced during the September rally, which now seems like a distant memory. “We At Mortgage News Daily , rates were at 7.02% on Thursday afternoon. We are moving policy over time to a more neutral setting.

Mortgages 528

Mortgages Equity Sales Marketing 528

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 26, 2024

After a year of strong results, sales of newly built homes took a major step back last month. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) shows new-home sales in October clocking in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 610,000 — a 17.3% The median sale price of a new home hit $437,300, a 4.7% Census Bureau and the U.S.

Sales 420

Sales MLS Mortgages Development 420

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 26, 2024

Did today’s new home sales report really show an epic crash in sales? New home sales reports can be quite volatile from month to month. In this case, several factors contributed to the substantial decline in new home sales. In this case, several factors contributed to the substantial decline in new home sales.

Sales 485

Sales Construction Mortgages Development 485

Housing Wire

JANUARY 30, 2025

Pending home sales ended the year on a down note, according to data published on Thursday by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). in December, with the Pending Home Sales Index coming in at a reading of 74.4. Annually, pending home sales were down 5.0% Annually, pending home sales were down 5.0% in the West.

Sales 385

Sales MLS Mortgages Marketing 385

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 21, 2024

Home prices firmed up in today’s existing home sales report , but we caught on to this trend two months ago with our Housing Market Tracker. From the National Association of Realtors : Total existing-home sales – completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – expanded 3.4%

Mortgages 470

Mortgages Finance Sales As-is 470

Housing Wire

JUNE 14, 2025

Why aren’t home sales crashing as they did in 2022? Right now we have elevated mortgage rates , trade war uncertainty , rising property taxes and home insurance, terrible consumer confidence data and a downgrade of the government’s debt, among other factors. So, let me try to make sense of it. Not too shabby if you ask me.

Mortgages 340

Mortgages Sales As-is Marketing 340

Housing Wire

APRIL 9, 2025

Mortgage applications jumped 20.0% from the prior week, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Associations (MBA) weekly mortgage applications Survey for the week ending April 4, 2025. The refinance index increased 35% from the previous week as mortgage rates took a dip. of total applications from 38.6% from 15.8%

Fixed-rate mortgage 458

Fixed-rate mortgage Mortgages Loans VA loan 458

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 4, 2024

Home sales are significantly better than they were last year at this time. Another tricky part of communicating this news is that home sales aren’t suddenly great. Last year was weak as mortgage rates were hitting 8%. Mortgage rates were super high and inventory was building. That’s where we are right now.

Sales 377

Sales Staging Mortgages Closing 377

Housing Wire

MAY 12, 2025

The weekly pending home sales picked up this week as expected, with 2.6% more pending home sales contracts started than a year ago. If youre following the data closely, you know that home sales are still running at or below last years pace. Year to date, through the first week of May, we count 3% fewer total sales than in 2024.

Sales 344

Sales Mortgages As-is Marketing 344

Housing Wire

MARCH 4, 2025

The pace of home sales remains near a 30-year low point as home prices and mortgage rates keep potential borrowers in wait-and-see mode. But mortgage rates have posted an unusually large decline in the past week. Mortgage pricing should be down a tad today, he said. This would be a clear headwind to any further rate cuts.

Mortgages 442

Mortgages Sales Finance Closing 442

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 30, 2024

Despite initial concerns that tariffs would push mortgage rates up to 8% and reduce housing demand, this week has brought some encouraging news. The 10-year yield has remained stable at a crucial technical level and even reversed direction, resulting in improved mortgage rates. This is what happened in the last two years.

Mortgages 512

Mortgages As-is Sales Marketing 512

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 23, 2024

Existing-home sales continued their downward trend in September. from July to August , sales again trended down last month, dropping 1% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.84 million, according to data released Wednesday by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) On a year-over-year basis, existing-home sales were down 3.5%

Sales 427

Sales Investor Development Mortgages 427

Housing Wire

JANUARY 8, 2025

Heading into the 2025 housing market, we havent had this many homeowners with mortgage rates over 6% since 2016. of outstanding mortgages, around 8.7 million borrowers, carry a mortgage with an interest rate over 6%. Available inventory of homes for sale fell each year as more and more borrowers had this cheap financing.

Mortgages 466

Mortgages Finance Loans Equity 466

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 8, 2025

Another jobs week has come to an end, and amid the chaotic headlines about job numbers, tariffs , and the leadership of the Treasury , mortgage rates remained calm. Better mortgage spreads are limiting how high rates can rise in 2025. Mortgage spreads refer to the difference between the 10-year yield and the 30-year mortgage rate.

Mortgages 463

Mortgages Banks As-is Sales 463

Housing Wire

JANUARY 2, 2025

Today, the jobless claims data again showed why mortgage rates continue to be elevated, confirming that the labor market isnt breaking. Mortgage rates have remained mostly in a range over the past two years, fluctuating between 6% and 8%. My forecast for 2025 includes these projected ranges for mortgage rates and the 10-year yield.

Mortgages 491

Mortgages Construction Residential Sales 491

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 27, 2024

Despite the recent rise in mortgage rates, early indicators suggest that the housing market is pointed in the right direction. The latest signal comes from the National Association of Realtors ‘ (NAR) Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI), which shows sales in October growing 5.4% Pending sales in the West also grew 12.3%

Sales 368

Sales Marketing MLS Lending 368

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 22, 2024

Mortgage rates continue to rise, serving as a bucket of cold water for lenders and consumers that were warming to lower borrowing costs just a few months ago. According to HousingWire ‘s Mortgage Rates Center , the average 30-year conforming rate was 6.61% on Tuesday. With mortgage rates back above 6.5%

Mortgages 440

Mortgages Marketing Construction Sales 440

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 17, 2024

economy appears to be on firmer footing than previously thought, mortgage rates are forecast to end 2024 at 6% and home-price growth is also on the move. “This represents upside risk to the ESR Group’s latest mortgage rate forecast, which now sees the 30-year mortgage rate ending the year at 6.0%, down from last month’s 6.2%

Mortgages 500

Mortgages Sales As-is Marketing 500

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 21, 2024

After tumbling over the past few months, existing-home sales are giving real estate and mortgage professionals a reason to smile. The seasonally adjusted annual rate of existing-home sales rose 3.4% However, for most first-time homebuyers, mortgage financing is critically important. On an annual basis, sales were up 1.1%

Sales 370

Sales Finance Investor Mortgages 370

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 18, 2024

Indiana-based lender Ruoff Mortgage is making a move designed to help more homeowners get into new homes with ease. Ruoff Mortgage is teaming up with fintech company Calque to offer two “buy before you sell“ programs to customers. The Trade-In Mortgage — Calque’s most popular program — functions similar to a vehicle trade-in.

Purchase and sale agreement 420

Purchase and sale agreement Mortgages Equity Finance 420

Housing Wire

JANUARY 24, 2025

Existing home sales finished 2024 on a high note after a dismal year for the housing market. The December report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows existing-home sales at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.24 Sales in 2024 finished at just 4.06 Available existing homes for sale fell to 1.15

Sales 349

Sales New Construction MLS Construction 349

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 21, 2025

Mortgage rates decreased again today on weak economic data, following last Friday’s similar drop in the 10-year yield. Furthermore, the mortgage spreads in today’s pricing are favorable. According to the latest quote from Mortgage News Daily , mortgage rates are now around 6.89%.

Mortgages 440

Mortgages Sales Marketing As-is 440

Housing Wire

APRIL 3, 2025

If we look at existing-home sales as a percentage of the total number of households over time, we see that sales are down to the same levels as the early 1990s, just above 3%, and well below the long-run average of 4.1%, he said. million sales, where did more than a million sales go? So compared to the current pace of 4.26

Sales 305

Sales Construction Marketing As-is 305

Housing Wire

MAY 18, 2025

credit by one notch on Friday from Aaa to Aa1 raising concerns about mortgage rates. Nevertheless, we need to consider the implications of this downgrad on mortgage rates and the housing market. Any adverse reaction from this event may lead mortgage rates toward 7.25% or higher, which would be the year-to-date high in 2025.

Mortgages 458

Mortgages Banks Marketing As-is 458

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 28, 2025

Home sale cancellations in the U.S. Why sales are falling through Redfin said several factors are contributing to the spike in failed transactions: Rising supply , falling demand : Housing inventory has climbed to its highest level since 2020, giving buyers more choices. home-sale price rising 4.1% year-over-year. Las Vegas 17.9%

Sales 311

Sales Purchase and sale agreement Inspection Agents 311

Housing Wire

JANUARY 3, 2025

Reverse mortgage professionals made more inroads into the forward mortgage industry in 2024. This happened through dedicated conversations, partnerships between reverse and forward mortgage companies, and expanded activities in reverse that stemmed from acquisitions and expansions of existing divisions.

Mortgages 397

Mortgages Lending Loan Officer Loans 397

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 29, 2024

Economists pointed to lower mortgage rates as the reason for slower growth. Though significant, this drop in rates has not yet resulted in a significant uptick in demand and home sales activity, which meant home price growth continued to mellow.” On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the national home price index posted a 4.2%

Mortgages 461

Mortgages MLS Equity Loans 461

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 11, 2025

High interest rates and home prices are causing some prospective homebuyers to avoid applying for a mortgage. The goal of the survey was to highlight how market trends can reshape the mortgage market in 2025. Home sales have already taken a hit going into the latter half of February.

Mortgages 349

Mortgages Renovation Technology Sales 349