National News

New-home sales soar 12.4% in November

The median sales price of new homes hit a new high of $416,900.

NAR: Existing-home sales post third monthly gain in a row

The median existing-home sales price for all housing types rose again on an annual basis, marking 117 consecutive months of gains.

Zillow, Down Payment Resource partner to provide down-payment assistance to homebuyers

The partnership will help potential homeowners find down-payment assistance programs to make homeownership more attainable, especially for first-time buyers.

LoanSnap closes home loan in less than 24 hours

LoanSnap said it used  its innovative AI technology, affectionately called Nell, to close the loan in the record-breaking amount of time.

New-home construction ramps up in November as demand stays high

“November’s housing starts report signals strength for the housing market.”  — First American deputy chief economist Odeta Kushi

NAR: 2022 to bring rising interest rates and slower inflation, home-price growth

In unveiling its predictions, the National Association of Realtors also released its top 10 housing-market “hidden gems” for 2022.

Builder confidence rises again in December despite inflation fears, production bottlenecks

“While 2021 single-family starts are expected to end the year 24% higher than the pre-Covid 2019 level, we expect higher interest rates in 2022 will put a damper on housing affordability.” — NAHB chief economist Robert Dietz

Mortgage applications rise in latest survey, as rates decline for the first time in a month

The decline in mortgage rates prompted an uptick in refinancing, with government refinances increasing more than 20% over the week, MBA associate vice president of economic and industry forecasting Joel Kan said in a press release.

NAR investment arm opens applications for 2022 U.S. REACH programs

The REACH program aims to identify and accelerate the most promising new technology companies in real estate and adjacent industries, including banking, insurance and home services.

Mortgage applications fall over Thanksgiving week as rates rise

“Despite higher mortgage rates, purchase applications had a strong week, mostly driven by a 6% increase in conventional loan applications.” — MBA associate vice president of economic and industry forecasting Joel Kan

S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller: Home-price gains take a pause

“If I had to choose only one word to describe September 2021’s housing price data, the word would be ‘deceleration. Housing prices continued to show remarkable strength in September, though the pace of price increases declined slightly.” — S&P DJI managing director Craig Lazzara.

Pending-home sales rebound in October

“Motivated by fast-rising rents and the anticipated increase in mortgage rates, consumers that are on strong financial footing are signing contracts to purchase a home sooner rather than later.” — NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun

New-home sales flat in October as median price hits new high

The seasonally adjusted estimate of new houses for sale at the end of September was 389,000, representing a supply of 6.3 months at the current sales rate, the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported.

How was October 2021 for Realtors?

The new REALTORS® Confidence Index survey is here, and thousands of Realtors have weighed in to reveal the current shape of the housing market.

NAR: Existing-home sales rise again in October

The U.S. housing market kept firing on all cylinders, as the demand for residential real estate drove prices higher for the 116th month in a row, marking the longest streak on record.

NAHB: Builder confidence continues to rise in November despite supply issues

November’s reading of 83 was up three points from October, driven by low existing inventories and strong buyer demand, the National Association of Home Builders reported, citing the latest NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index.

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