Prospective homebuyers eyeing a condominium may soon discover that mortgage lenders are as interested in the condo building as they are in the buyer. New condo-lending policies taking effect on Aug. 3 from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — government-sponsored enterprises that purchase qualifying mortgages on the secondary market — mean that some purchases could…
Asia-pacific Images Studio | E+ | Getty Images The Federal Reserve sets national interest rate policy. But the U.S. central bank isn’t the only major player in this arena: Bond investors also have a big influence on consumers’ borrowing costs. Many types of consumer loans — such as mortgages and auto loans — often peg…
A “Coming Soon” sign outside a home for sale in Hercules, California, US, on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images Mortgage rates continued their climb last week, but homebuyers trickled back into the market, perhaps taking advantage of less competition and some price cuts. That helped push total mortgage…
Workers apply roofing material to a home under construction at the Lilac Ridge community by Lennar Homes in Vacaville, California, US, on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images The cost of housing is the top political issue — ranked higher than the cost of food or protecting democracy —…
Morsa Images | Digitalvision | Getty Images Even as home price gains have slowed, buying a house doesn’t appear to be getting any easier. Homebuyer affordability slid in June for the fifth consecutive month, according to the National Association of Realtors’ latest housing affordability index. Based on the median price of a single-family house, $446,400,…
Two different reads on the housing market released Thursday point to the same problem, one that appears to be getting worse. Housing is just too expensive — to own and to build. Pending home sales in June, a measure of signed contracts on existing homes, fell 5.4% from May, according to the National Association of…
Bipartisan legislation intended to increase the U.S. housing supply and improve affordability is now law — but experts say homebuyers and sellers shouldn’t expect fast relief. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act automatically became law on Saturday after President Donald Trump neither signed it nor vetoed it within a set timeframe. The legislation combines…
President Donald Trump said Friday he will not sign a housing bill that Congress passed in June with overwhelming bipartisan support, setting the stage for it to automatically become law at 12:01 a.m. ET Saturday. Trump said he was withholding his signature from the housing bill in protest over the Senate’s failure to pass the…
High mortgage rates coupled with record-high prices are causing homebuyers to pull back. Sales of previously owned homes in June dropped 2.4% from May to 4.09 million units on a seasonally adjusted, annualized basis, according to the National Association of Realtors. Housing analysts were predicting a slight gain month over month. June sales were, however,…
In an aerial view, a residential neighborhood is seen on June 4, 2026 in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Joe Raedle | Getty Images Mortgage rates have been hovering in a tight range for more than a month, and that range is on the relatively high side. As a result, mortgage demand isn’t moving much either. Total…
