Commentary

"The average principal and interest payment among borrowers purchasing a home using a 30-year fixed-rate loan hit its highest point ever in July at $2,306, and that's before taxes and insurance are factored in." said Black Knight VP of Enterprise Research Andy Walden.

"While all generations juggle trade-offs like budget, floor plans and commute times, younger home shoppers are more likely to face another consideration: They want to know if their home will be safe from rising waters, extreme temperatures and wildfires," said Zillow Senior Population Scientist Manny Garcia.

An analysis of 580k home equity loans by LendingTree showed that cash-back levels vary from state to state.

The Black Knight Home Price Index hit another all-time high in July, with the annual rate of growth jumping to +2.3% from a revised +0.9% in June

“When remote work is coupled with the reported rise in the importance of affordability, it's not surprising that respondents expressed a greater willingness to live farther from their current location,” noted a Fannie Mae report. “Of course, renters indicated the greatest affordability concerns, as well as a willingness to consider areas farther away from their current location.”

“When factoring in the median value of a finished lot, the cost of manufactured housing relative to site-built falls to 54% for single-section homes, 70% for double-section, and 80% for CrossMods. As such, we suggest that manufactured housing may be most attractive in markets with lower land costs, but still offers savings regardless of land cost,” said Chadwick Reed of the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University.

[5:35 PM] David Wharton The latest S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index breaks down "the impact of waning inventory on home prices, which maintained strength despite ongoing affordability challenges." Click through to learn which markets are performing the strongest.

“The steep decline in sales driven by the rapid rise in mortgage rates seems to be behind us, as the initial shock of higher mortgage rates has worn off,” said Mark Fleming, the Chief Economist for First American Financial Corporation.

“Some buyers are hoping they can get a home for under asking price to make up for high interest rates because they’re hearing the housing market is slow. But what’s happening nationally isn’t necessarily true [locally],” said Kristin Sanchez, a Redfin Premier Agent.

By conservative estimates, up to 1 million multifamily homes are in the pipeline to be completed soon, giving those who are locked-out of the purchase market other options to live.