Current Market Data

Despite uncertainty, June new-home sales grow over last year

While sales of previously owned homes continue to underwhelm, housing market analysts are feeling more optimistic about sales of newly-built homes. The U.S. Census Bureau reported new-home sales in June came in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of

Harvard report: Home remodeling growth could slow way down soon

The pace of growth in home improvement spending could soon slow to a crawl. That’s according to a new estimate by the Remodeling Futures Program at Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, which projects that spending on remodeling will

Where does Houston fit into a weak national new construction picture?

Housing starts around the country were sluggish in June, with single-family starts registering below year-ago numbers for a fifth consecutive month. In all, housing starts were down 0.9 percent from the previous June, and were on pace for a

Houston incomes have slipped behind home values but it could be far worse

It’s often said by economists that housing costs have risen faster than wages in recent decades, but just how wide is the gulf between income growth and gains in property values? We now have a better sense of that,

More first-time buyers facing budget constraints this year

New data from realtor.com shows that while 42 percent of home shoppers this past spring were first-time buyers, the group, consisting mostly of millennials, had trouble finding homes due to budget constraints — a higher proportion than just two

Mortgage application activity remains high as rates stabilize

Weekly mortgage applications fall; activity remains high Mortgage application activity fell during the week ending July 5 compared to the previous week, although overall volume remained above levels seen at the same time last year. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s

Why aren’t more homes hitting the market in Houston, and what can be done about it?

Just when many housing markets were seeing some relief in their scant inventory of for-sale housing, there are now fresh signs afoot that supply levels may return to a trend of tightening. A new report on the housing market from realtor.com indicates that

Homeowners and appraisers agree more on value

July marked the second consecutive month of tightening margins between owners’ estimates of home values and the professional opinions of appraisers, according to Quicken Loans’ National Home Price Perception Index. Appraised values were only 0.71 percent lower nationwide than

Mortgage delinquencies hit historic lows

Loan delinquency rates hit their lowest level in 20 years this past April, according to a new report from real estate data firm CoreLogic. The report shows that nationally in April, about 3.6 of household mortgages were in some

May pending sales report adds to positive summer housing forecasts

Less than a week after the National Association of Realtors reported stronger than expected existing-home sales for the month of May, there’s more good news for the U.S. housing market. NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index for May came in

High-end home sales decline nationwide

In March, the luxury home market saw the largest drop in sales since 2010 with an 8.3 percent year-over-year decrease in closings, according to data gathered by Realtor.com. There were just 8,343 sales in excess of $1 million across

May home sales improve as market forces stabilize

Existing-home sales finally grew in May after two months of downbeat reports, according to the latest monthly snapshot of U.S. housing activity from the National Association of Realtors. Closed sales of previously-owned homes increased by 2.5 percent over April’s

NAR survey adds to bullish case for home sales

Optimism struck in the second quarter of 2019 with 73 percent of Americans saying they believe now is a good time to sell a home, an increase from 65 percent in the first quarter based on a consumer survey

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Housing starts take a downward turn while building permits increase

Numbers released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development show that housing starts unexpectedly fell during the month of May, while building permits increased. Privately-owned housing starts dropped by 0.9 percent,

5 unexpected ways real estate agents can use chatbots

Back when chatbots first gained traction in 2016, most people thought they’d never engage with a virtual assistant to get the information they needed, let alone try to use one in their own business. But now it’s 2019 and

What buyers with kids are searching for

In every decision they make, parents tend to make their children their top priority. And according to new research from Zillow, the same goes for the considerations they make when shopping for a new home More than the life of

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