Tag Archives: National Association of Realtors (NAR)

The sales numbers may not be where lenders would like to see them yet, but people do want to buy, according to new research, and Matthew Woodhouse of ServiceLink breaks down what homebuyers are saying, and what lenders can do to win their business.

A new transportation survey from NAR indicates that Americans that live in walkable communities have a higher quality of life. Click through for more on this trend.

Based on the current rate of sales, May’s inventory of unsold existing homes grew 3.8% from April to just over 1 million units, equivalent to three months of supply.

Amid larger macroeconomic uncertainties, the total homeownership rate can be attributed to the strong growth in the below-median income homeownership rate, which has sharply increased since 2016.

"Middle-income buyers face the largest shortage of homes among all income groups, making it even harder for them to build wealth through homeownership," said Nadia Evangelou, NAR Senior Economist and Director of Real Estate Research.

“Although buyers, sellers, and builders are all more optimistic about the housing market, asking home price growth is easing and the typical home sales price is slipping. These point to the nudge that buyers need to act on their improving outlook,” said Realtor.com Chief Economist Danielle Hale.

“Though mortgage rates are substantially higher than they have been on average over the past decade, from an historic perspective rates are about average,” Freddie Mac said.

The House Financial Services Committee hosted a panel featuring Edward J. DeMarco of the Housing Policy Council and NAR President Kenny Parcell discussing loan-level price adjustments used by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and their impact on the mortgage marketplace.

Freddie Mac reports that, after retreating for two consecutive weeks, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage edged back upward this week, nearing the 6.40%-mark, and forcing app volume downward.

"Home sales … remain above recent cyclical lows," said National Association of Realtors Chief Economist Lawrence Yun, who noted that economic factors were creating “an environment of push-pull housing demand.”