By the Numbers

Mortgage rates have dropped to 12-month lows, but pending sales have also fallen — an indication that buyers are cautious as the government remains shuttered.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has steadily inched closer to 6% over the past few months — but economists are warning buyers that rates may not drop much more.

Higher home prices, insurance costs and tax bills are countering the past few months of falling mortgage rates, which remain at relatively high levels.

In the 1980s, mortgage rates and home prices soared after a housing boom, then sales dried up — much like today’s market. Will our recovery look similar too?

Mortgage rates ticked down this week and more homes are hitting the market, but demand has weakened.

Cutting short-term rates two more times in 2025 could push down mortgage rates, but Fed Chair Jerome Powell said tackling high home prices is “not what we do.”

Bank repossession of homes has increased 33% from a year ago while foreclosure filings are up 17%, a new ATTOM report finds.

Investors purchased over 345,000 homes in the U.S. during the second quarter of 2025 — the highest level of investor activity in at least five years.

Mortgage rates are holding relatively steady around the lowest levels of the year, but buyers still aren’t committing as other economic concerns persist.

Purchase cancellations and listing withdrawals are up as frustration runs high among homebuyers and sellers, according to a trio of new reports.

Condo prices are still high, but they’re down in some large markets and more affordable than other property types. Plus, buyers have significant leverage.

The government shutdown has delayed a key jobs report; if it drags on, there’s a risk that “the Fed gets it wrong” later this month when considering rate cuts.

Hope is dimming for renewed housing market activity amid a slowdown in mortgage applications, a drop in pending sales and persistent economic uncertainty.

The overall impact on real estate is expected to be minimal at first. But economists say a lengthy shutdown would hinder the already sluggish market.

Nationwide trends point to Oct. 12-18 as the best week to buy a home in 2025, a Realtor.com analysis found, but mortgage rates are still a wildcard.

While pending home sales increased in August, some economists say mortgage rates need to fall closer to 6% before the market can “improve more noticeably.”

Meanwhile, mortgage rates ticked back up after several weeks of declines — but 30-year rates are still holding close to 11-month lows.

The month-over-month jump “likely overstates any improvement in housing activity,” according to Nancy Vanden Houten, lead economist at Oxford Economics.

Mortgage rates are also expected to fall to 5.9% by the end of next year, according to Fannie Mae’s September Economic and Housing Outlook.

The Fed’s Sept. 17 rate cut was expected, but new unemployment numbers were not, causing volatility this week. Still, affordability could improve by year end.