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The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Builder Application Survey (BAS) data for September 2023 shows mortgage applications for new home purchases increased 14.9% compared to a year ago. Compared to August 2023, applications decreased by 12%.
“New home purchase activity weakened in September as the recent spike in mortgage rates pushed more homebuyers out of the market,” said Joel Kan, MBA’s VP and Deputy Chief Economist. “Applications for new home purchases decreased over the month but were 15% higher than a year ago, which is the eighth consecutive month of annual gains. Demand for newly constructed homes remains relatively strong due to the persistent shortage of resale inventory, but increasing mortgage rates are impacting would-be buyers. MBA’s estimate of new home sales dropped to 634,000 units, the weakest sales pace since October 2022.”
MBA estimates new single-family home sales, which have consistently been a leading indicator of the U.S. Census Bureau’s New Residential Sales report, were running at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 634,000 units in September 2023.
The new home sales estimate is derived using mortgage application information from the BAS, as well as assumptions regarding market coverage and other factors.
The seasonally adjusted estimate for September is a decrease of 9.7% from the August pace of 702,000 units. On an unadjusted basis, MBA estimates that there were 51,000 new home sales in September 2023, a decrease of 13.6% from 59,000 new home sales in August.
“The FHA share of applications reached 25% in September, the highest share in the survey dating back to 2013," said Kan. "This is an indication that demand from first-time homebuyers is still somewhat strong.”
By product type, conventional loans composed 65.1% of loan applications, FHA loans composed 25.1%, RHS/USDA loans composed 0.3%, and VA loans composed 9.5%. The average loan size for new homes decreased from $398,092 in August to $397,550 in September.
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