Commentary

The least affordable markets were Anaheim and San Francisco, where homebuyers with the typical local income would’ve needed to spend over 80% of their pay on monthly housing costs. Detroit and Pittsburgh were the most affordable.

The least affordable markets included Anaheim and San Francisco, where homebuyers with the typical local income would’ve needed to spend over 80% of their pay on monthly housing costs.

According to First American Economist Ksenia Potapov, homeownership—and the equity that comes with it—is one of the most effective ways to build wealth.

“We expect unemployment to rise modestly next year, which will likely lead to an equivalent rise in borrower defaults,” saidChris Grimes, a Senior Director at Fitch Ratings. “However, strong borrower credit characteristics and favorable home equity build-up for the majority of homeowners should moderate the frequency and severity of ultimate mortgage insurance claims.”

Month-over-month, contract signings intensified in the Northeast but diminished in multiple other U.S. regions. First American Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi commented, “While there remains quite a bit of demand for homes on the sidelines, you can't buy what's not for sale, even if you can afford it.”

Forbearance rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, but does it still have a place in today’s economy? Click through to read commentary from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University.

Home sales are likely to weaken in the near term and will likely bottom out sometime early next year, according to new commentary from Fannie Mae’s Economic and Strategic Research Group.

One of the key datapoints of the newest housing snapshot from the National Association of Realtors is that existing home sales in October fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.7 million units. Click through for more from this report.

Commercial real estate looks to be on the leading edge of revitalization, according to comments made by Lawrence Yun, the Chief Economist for the National Association of Realtors. Read on to see what he’s predicting for the months ahead.

A new report from U.S. Mortgage Insurers examines the capital and operational standards implemented by the industry since the 2008 financial crisis, along with innovations to increase the distribution of credit risk.