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Mortgage rates fall for first time in 3 weeks
Yahoo Finance· 2025-10-09 17:41
Mortgage rates fell for the first time in three weeks this week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. Freddie Mac's latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, released Thursday, showed the average rate on the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage decreased to 6.3% from last week's reading of 6.34%. The average rate on a 30-year loan was 6.32% a year ago. An "open house" sign in front of a home for sale in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. "Over the last few weeks, mortgage rates ha ...
All-Cash Buyers Dominate The Housing Market
Yahoo Finance· 2025-10-07 15:48
Photo by Madeline Gray for The Washington Post via Getty Images All-cash buyers are reshaping America's real estate market. Key Takeaways All-cash buyers made up almost 33% of all housing sales in the first half of 2025, continuing a pandemic-era trend that has frustrated other buyers, according to a Realtor.com report. High mortgage rates have made it difficult for many would-be buyers to break into the market, giving an advantage to buyers with significant housing equity or high wealth. More than h ...
Housing Set To Become 'Even Less Affordable' As Tighter Supply Faces Rising Demand With Rate Cuts: Focus On Buffett's LEN, DHI Play - D.R. Horton (NYSE:DHI)
Benzinga· 2025-09-22 06:10
Group 1: Housing Market Overview - The U.S. housing market is experiencing conflicting signals, with a sharp decline in construction activity expected to tighten supply, while a recent Federal Reserve rate cut aims to stimulate demand [1] - The affordability crisis is highlighted by a slowdown in construction, with building permits falling 3.7% to an annualized rate of 1.3 million, the lowest since May 2020, marking the fifth consecutive monthly decline [2][3] - Housing starts have plummeted 8.5% for the month, indicating a significant downturn in new construction [2] Group 2: Federal Reserve and Market Response - The downturn in construction has prompted warnings about future supply constraints, with predictions that housing will become even less affordable [3] - The recent 25-basis-point rate cut by the Federal Reserve is seen as a response to the weakening housing data, although experts suggest a more substantial decline in mortgage rates is needed for a recovery [3] Group 3: Investment Insights - Berkshire Hathaway has made significant investments in major homebuilders, including DR Horton Inc. and Lennar Corp., indicating strong long-term conviction in the housing sector despite current challenges [4]
Mortgage rates tumble, marking largest weekly drop in a year
Yahoo Finance· 2025-09-11 16:22
Core Insights - Mortgage rates have experienced the largest weekly drop in the past year, with the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage falling to 6.35% from 6.5% [1][3] - The average rate on a 15-year fixed mortgage decreased to 5.5% from 5.6% [3][5] - The increase in mortgage applications reached a 9.2% rise last week, marking the highest growth in over three years [4] Mortgage Rate Trends - The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage was 6.2% a year ago, indicating a year-over-year increase [1] - The average rate on a 15-year fixed mortgage was 5.27% a year ago, showing a slight increase from the current rate [3] Application Activity - The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that the index tracking applications to refinance a mortgage increased by 12.2%, accounting for nearly half of all applications last week [4] - The index tracking loans for property purchases rose by 6.6%, reaching its highest level in about two months [5] Market Conditions - The housing market has been facing challenges due to high borrowing costs, elevated property prices, and limited supply, but recent data suggests improvement [6] - The supply of existing homes for sale is gradually increasing, and annual price increases are leveling off, indicating a potential recovery in the housing sector [6]
Wall Street banks race to win Trump admin's favor for massive Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac IPO deal
Fox Business· 2025-08-15 19:25
Group 1: IPO Interest and Wall Street Engagement - Several Wall Street banks, including Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan, and Goldman Sachs, are actively seeking to handle the IPOs of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, indicating strong interest in this potential business opportunity [1][2] - The initial sale of the government's stake in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is projected to exceed $30 billion, comparable to the IPO of Saudi Aramco, which raised over $29 billion [5] Group 2: Government's Focus and Market Impact - The U.S. administration is primarily focused on maximizing returns on investments in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac rather than raising capital for the entities [5] - Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasized the importance of addressing the housing affordability crisis while also maximizing value for U.S. taxpayers through the potential IPOs [9][8] Group 3: Role of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are government-sponsored enterprises that provide liquidity to lenders and guarantee a significant portion of U.S. mortgages, supporting approximately 70% of the mortgage market [12][13] - These entities were placed into conservatorship during the 2007-08 financial crisis, leading to a federal bailout of $191 billion, but have since returned to profitability, paying over $301 billion in dividends to the Treasury as of July 2020 [14][16]
X @Bloomberg
Bloomberg· 2025-07-25 20:06
Housing Affordability Crisis - Cities face challenges in being great places for everyone due to the housing affordability crisis [1] Urban Development - Cities need to be great places for everybody to live [1]