Real Estate

“Mortgage rates are dropping due to easing inflation and investors betting the Fed will cut interest rates sooner than expected," said Redfin Economics Research Lead Chen Zhao. “Declining rates, along with a sizable year-over-year increase in new listings, are leading to more favorable conditions for some buyers."

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.”

In a letter, nearly 80 consumer, energy, housing, health, manufacturing, and environmental organizations called on the Federal Housing Finance Agency to help lower costs and make housing safer and healthier, in addition to suggesting requirements that all new homes with mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac meet updated energy codes.

While the housing market remains unpredictable, a surprising percentage of surveyed Americans report wanting it to crash in 2024, according to a new LendingTree study, as many believe that might be the only way they could afford a home.

The tech hub of Austin, Texas, has been a beacon of migration during the pandemic, but tastes are changing, leading to Nashville becoming a destination hotspot for the first time since 2021.

“The silver lining of this trend is that it’s usually local or regional investors seeking to purchase commercial REO properties, often to launch new concepts or businesses,” said Michael Krein, President of the NRBA. “They keep the community moving forward by getting these properties back into the market and retail sectors.”

"Our 2024 housing forecast reveals the green shoots we've been waiting to see in the housing market and should give buyers some optimism after a grueling few years," said Danielle Hale, Chief Economist for Realtor.com. "Moves of necessity are likely to drive home sales in 2024."

In order to more closely align with the FHFA’s hike in conforming loan limits for 2024, Ginnie Mae has revised its definition of High Balance Loans for single-family forward mortgage loans nationwide.

The Bureau has ordered the bank to pay $12 million into the CFPB’s victims relief fund for falsifying forms about mortgage applicants and reporting incorrect information to federal regulators.

Proposed changes to the 203(k) Rehabilitation Mortgage Insurance Program have been drafted to expand FHA-insured mortgage financing for the purchase or refinance of single-family homes in need of repair or rehabilitation.