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Freddie Mac’s latest summary report reveals an increase in both its total mortgage portfolio and its mortgage-related securities. Its mortgage portfolio rose 0.5 percent over the year, while its mortgage-related securities and guarantees jumped by 2.1 percent. The government-sponsored enterprise has funded $127 billion mortgages year-to-date.

Potential home sales fell by 0.2 percent to 5.69 million in April, according to a recent study. This represents an 89.3 percent increase from the market potential low point reached in December 2008. What the study found is that strong consumer demand fueled gains in market potential for existing home sales, but this was offset by high prices and falling affordability.

New residential sales statistics came out Tuesday from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the drop in new home sales for April could be worrisome for first time and low-income homebuyers as inventory shortage is likely to cause the price of new homes to rise more than it has previously. As it stands, newcomers to home buying will continue to face financial and availability challenges.

According to a recent report, if American homeowners moved at the same rate they did in 1990, there would have been about 2.8 million more homes sold in 2016. This would solve the ongoing inventory problem, but the fact is Americans just aren’t moving, for a number of reasons. The report cites three possible reasons for a non-moving population: an aging population, pockets of high negative equity, and an increase in single-family rentals.

Cities are starting to run out of space. Especially space-constrained cities like New York have started to run out of room for builders, leading them to move to city-center areas where high-density building is allowed, and charging much higher prices for it. Builders are focusin more on high end apartments with better profit margins, leaving only the wealthiest residents as the ones who can buy.

A crowded seller’s market has left some homeowners who want to move into nicer homes frustrated. Though they are getting record-high offers for their starter abodes, when it comes time to buy, their money is not going as far in the trade-up market. Based on seven criteria, here is a list of the 10 hardest places to trade up.

High down payments and the amount of time required to save for these payments are among the reasons for millennials not quite settling yet. Millennials lifestyles change over time, and a lower down payment could make a difference in the long run.

Higher existing-home sales do not necessarily mean high homeownership rate. With homes selling fast, homebuyers are starting to realize they can afford less of what is on the market. Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of Realtors, Jonathan Spader, senior research associate at the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, and Mark Calabria, chief economist and assistant to Vice President Mike Pence weigh in on the 2017 midyear forecast.

While April continues a 19-month trend of decline in the number of houses on the national market, down 13.3 percent, market demand continues to surge, causing rising prices and decreased median time from listing to going under contract. Many houses across the country are selling above their asking price. This trend could continue through May and June as more houses appear on the market.

Though previously labeled as entitled, millennials have high expectations when it comes to being independent. A study revealed that millennials think people should be financially self sufficient at a younger age than older generations do. This hints to a promising future in the housing market.