In an effort to improve housing affordability, President Donald Trump posted on social media Thursday that he is instructing mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds. "This will drive Mortgage Rates DOWN, monthly payments DOWN, and make the cost of owning a home more affordable," he said in the Truth Social post.Fannie Mae and Freddie, which are in government conservatorship, do not originate home loans. They buy loans from lenders, bundle them into mortgage-backed se ...

Homebuyers have received some good news to start the new year, as mortgage rates have fallen from about 7.04% on Jan. 16, 2025, to about 6.15% on Jan. 2, 2026, according to Freddie Mac. House hunters might give it a little more time to see if the rate drops further before pulling the trigger on a purchase and a mortgage, but the declining rate is encouraging for the real estate market. Furniture sales declined An improving real estate market would be a welcome relief for the furniture industry, which s ...