By the Numbers

While energy prices pushed overall inflation up to 4.2% in May, core inflation was lower than expected, possibly staving off a near-term rate hike by the Fed.

Buyers have the biggest advantage in Sun Belt cities that saw a surge in home construction during the first half of the decade.

Sale closings likely benefitted from an earlier drop in mortgage rates. With rates back on the rise, the coming months may be slow for existing home sales.

May data shows an uptick in existing home sales as pending sales stay flat — signs that buyers and sellers have little momentum this spring homebuying season.

The U.S. added 172,000 jobs in May, which could boost consumer confidence. But it ups the odds of a June rate hike and will likely keep mortgage rates elevated.

At a time when home sales should hit their peak, both buyers and sellers are backing off, “possibly foreshadowing slower sales in the second half of the year.”

Falling prices, an uptick in pending sales and fewer price cuts could mean sunny months are ahead for the market — if inflation, mortgage rates stabilize.

The market has about 1% less inventory now than a year ago, Compass’ chief economist said. If the trend continues, buyers may see prices start to rise again.

The quirky trend can be explained in part by the flexibility of home builders as they navigate higher material costs and persistent economic uncertainty.

With mortgage rates still elevated, pending and new home sales — along with mortgage applications — have all trended down as affordability weakens.

Real estate investors are pulling back as rising homeownership costs, economic uncertainty and slowing price growth in some areas threaten to reduce profits.

Shifts in household incomes, home prices and mortgage rates will be key to housing affordability improvements in the next decade, according to Oxford Economics.

Contract signings remain sluggish compared to pre-pandemic norms, but new data suggests 2026 has shown improvement over the past few spring homebuying seasons.

Pending sales and purchase applications fell this week as average mortgage rates topped 6.5%, narrowing “the pool of buyers who can make the numbers work.”

Though construction activity in April was mixed, recent data indicates home builders are being cautious about the types of projects they’re willing to take on.

A new Listing-Income Alignment Score finds “a shortage of options” for buyers looking to purchase a home they can afford, according to NAR and Realtor.com.

The housing market may be stabilizing, but many economic factors are still in flux — and could tip home sales in a less rosy direction over the summer.

Still, most renters lack the funds for a down payment, and more buyers are turning to government-backed loans, suggesting that affordability remains a problem.

With no end in sight for the war in Iran, investors are growing increasingly nervous about how sky-high energy prices are impacting the U.S. economy.

A new Zillow analysis found that homesellers collectively lost nearly $1.5B on dual agency transactions in three years — and over $1.3B on off-MLS listings.