Housing Wire

APRIL 5, 2025

Mortgage rates recently hit a year-to-date low, coinciding with ongoing market disruptions from tariffs. Despite the crazy negative headlines, existing home sales aren’t crashing based on the data we are seeing now. In fact, if mortgage rates head toward 6%, we will have a positive year here.

Mortgages

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 23, 2024

It has been almost two months since mortgage rates spiked again, and my initial thought was this would tank housing demand. We had a positive 18-week period with purchase applications before mortgage rates started rising in September. Initially, the data showed more robust performance as mortgage rates approached 6%.

Mortgages

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

Housing Wire

JULY 24, 2025

Mortgage rates are expected to end 2025 at 6.4% Home sales are forecast at 4.85 Lastly, the group now projects mortgage origination volume to rise to $1.92 and 2026 at 6% — downward revisions compared with last month’s forecast figures of 6.5% in 2025 and 1.1% in 2025 and 1.1% million units in 2025 and 5.35 previously) and 2.7%

Mortgages

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

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

Housing Wire

JULY 24, 2025

In today’s report, new home sales fell short of sales estimates and experienced negative sales revisions, while inventory levels increased, which explains why residential construction is in a recession. However, today’s data doesn’t indicate a crash in new home sales. percent (±13.3 percent (±16.2

Construction

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

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

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

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

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

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

Housing Wire

JULY 30, 2025

Pending home sales declined 0.8% Data comes from the Pending Home Sales Index , a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings. “Pending sales in the Northeast increased incrementally even though home price growth in the region has been the strongest in the country. National Pending Home Sales – June 2025 Down 0.8%

Sales

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Housing Wire

MAY 12, 2025

What will happen to mortgage rates now that China and the U.S. This raises the question: Is the de-escalation of the trade war good for mortgage rates ? The trade deals are just one factor, but I see three possible scenarios for mortgage rates in this environment. Mortgage rates have stayed between 7.25% and 6.55%.

Mortgages

Housing Wire

MARCH 24, 2025

After a very disappointing first quarter with home sales failing to climb over 2024s already anemic levels, signs are finally emerging in March that weve turned the corner to have some growth. This weeks pending home sales count came in at just under 69,000 single-family homes, which was 2.3% Home sales arent strong, of course.

Sales

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

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 27, 2025

According to a report from Redfin, for-sale inventory at the end of January in Florida was up 22.7% However, mortgage rates staying stubbornly around 7% are preventing many would-be buyers from entering the market. year over year. Bidding wars are very rare these days, said Jacksonville-based agent Bryan Carnaggio in a statement.

Sales

Housing Wire

MAY 29, 2025

The answer lies in a remote corner of the mortgage industry: subservicing. This business which involves handling mortgage payments, borrower communication and escrow administration on behalf of lenders has undergone consolidation. Meanwhile, MSR player Bayview Asset Managemen t is in M&A talks with Guild Mortgage.

Mortgages

Housing Wire

AUGUST 3, 2025

Mortgage rates fell 0.18% last week, breaking below the key threshold of 6.64%. Because in the last three years, when mortgage rates fell from 6.64% to 6%, housing demand has improved. Meanwhile, mortgage rates have varied from 7.25% to 6.50%. Historically, mortgage spreads have ranged between 1.60% and 1.80%.

Mortgages

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

Housing Wire

APRIL 28, 2025

In walking back policies designed to boost participation in foreclosed property sales for nonprofit and government bodies, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) said that policies put in place in 2022 that restrict certain sales to these entities for a 30-day period have produced mixed results at best and will now be rescinded.

Sales

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 22, 2024

As low inventory levels, elevated mortgage rates and rising home prices keep the housing industry stagnant, short-term real estate investors — aka fix-and-flippers — faced market turmoil during the third quarter of 2024. Despite fewer sales and lower resale prices, fix-and-flippers faced fierce competition for deals in most markets.

Investor

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

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

Housing Wire

JUNE 26, 2025

Analysts, economists and mortgage professionals are coining this quarter’s activity as one of the most “calm” periods for mortgage rates in recent memory. BTIG analysts said Wednesday that despite Treasury volatility in April, mortgage rates remained unusually stable this quarter. And it’s emotional.”

Mortgages