Real Estate Pending Home Sales Hit 71.2 in August as Buyers Stay Sidelined "Nationally, contract signings today are running roughly 30% below where they were in the years leading up to the pandemic." That is NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun on the August pending home sales data, released September 17. The national Pending Home Sales Index rose 0.3% month over
Real Estate Hoping for a 2008-Style Housing Crash? Don't Hold Your Breath Americans hoping for an '08-style housing crash to afford a home are out of luck. A LendingTree consumer survey found 31% of Americans are actively rooting for a housing market crash, and 59% of Gen Z hopes for one. More than a quarter of non-homeowners say a
Real Estate NYC ordered to scrap Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax rollout A Staten Island judge ordered NYC to scrap the rollout of Mayor Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax on luxury second homes, invalidating 17,000 notices and forcing the city to redo its property roll.
Macro Globe and Mail: Interest rates could keep rising for decades The Globe and Mail argues higher interest rates could be the norm for decades. U.S. 10-year yields recently broke 5.2% and 30-year mortgages sit above 7%.
Macro 30-Year Fixed Mortgage Rate Jumps to 7.45%, Highest Since April 2024 The 30-year fixed mortgage rate jumped 19 basis points to 7.45%, the highest since April 2024, as bond yields surged on Fed comments, higher oil, and stronger economic data.
Macro 30-Year Fixed Mortgage Rate Approaches 7.5% MortgageNewsDaily says the average top-tier 30-year fixed mortgage rate is now just under 7.5%, the highest since April 2024, as the 10-year Treasury yield tops 5%.
Real Estate Houston Has 131% More Home Sellers Than Buyers, Redfin Says Houston now has 131% more home sellers than buyers per Redfin, making it the third-strongest US buyer's market as the national seller-buyer gap hits a record 57.9%.
Real Estate Homebuilders Say ICE Crackdowns Are Squeezing Labor Supply Homebuilders told John Burns Research that ICE crackdowns are causing labor shortages and stretching cycle times, adding pressure on top of higher rates and tariff-driven input costs.
Real Estate Miami Has 138% More Home Sellers Than Buyers, Redfin Says Miami has 138% more home sellers than buyers per Redfin, second only to Nashville, as the U.S. hits its strongest buyer's market on record.
Politics Merkley, Wyden Pitch $50K Federal Match for First-Time Homebuyers Sen. Jeff Merkley and cosponsor Sen. Ron Wyden are pitching the Homeownership Promise Act, a 5:1 federal savings match up to $50,000 for first-time homebuyers. Homebuilders and mortgage lenders are the read-through.
Markets US home prices posted fastest annual gain in a year in August: Redfin Redfin says US home prices rose 3.7% year over year in August, the fastest annual pace in a year, even as sellers outnumbered buyers by 58% in the strongest buyer’s market on record.
Real Estate US Home Sellers Outnumber Buyers by Record 563,000: Redfin Redfin says US home sellers outnumbered buyers by a record 58% in August 2026, roughly 563,000 more listings than active buyers. Sun Belt metros lead the imbalance as builders keep adding supply into a stalled demand backdrop.
Real Estate US Home Sellers Hit 6-Year High as Buyer's Market Deepens: Redfin Redfin data shows US home sellers hit a 6-year high in August 2026, outnumbering buyers by 58% as concessions reach nearly half of all sales and mortgage rates push toward 7%.
Real Estate Affordable Apartments Sit Empty as Poorest Americans Priced Out NBC News reports affordable apartments are sitting empty across U.S. cities because the poorest renters still cannot afford them, with Austin vacancies near 16%. The mismatch has implications for apartment REITs and homebuilders.
Macro 30-Year Mortgage Rate Hits 7.24%, Highest Since Early 2025 The average 30-year US mortgage rate climbed to 7.24%, per Mortgage News Daily — the highest level since early 2025, and a fresh headwind for homebuilders and buyer demand.
Real Estate 59.5% of U.S. Homes Sold Below Asking in August: Redfin Redfin reports 59.5% of U.S. homes sold below their original asking price in August as new listings hit a 6-year high and buyers gain negotiating leverage, especially in Florida and Texas.
Markets Jerome Powell Sells Gibson Island Estate for $7.2 Million Former Fed Chair Jerome Powell sold his Gibson Island, Maryland waterfront mansion for $7.2 million in an off-market deal. He bought it in 2006 for $3.86 million.
Politics Mamdani Releases 170,000 Pages Showing NYC Misled Public on 9/11 Air NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani released 170,000 pages of internal records suggesting officials misled the public about the safety of Ground Zero air after the 9/11 attacks, days before the 25th anniversary.
Real Estate Manhattan Rents Hit Record: 2BRs at $8,054, 3BRs at $12,228 Manhattan rents set new all-time highs in July, with two-bedrooms averaging $8,054 and three-bedrooms hitting $12,228, as inventory fell 22% year-over-year.
Real Estate Manhattan Rents Hit Records: Studios $4,088, One-Beds $5,486 Manhattan studios now average $4,088/month (+8% YoY) and one-bedrooms $5,486 (+7%), with two- and three-bedroom rents also hitting records as listings collapse.
Politics Trump Officials Push NPS to Hand Yosemite Strip to Private Developer Trump officials are pressuring the National Park Service to cede a quarter-mile strip of Yosemite to Kingsbarn Realty Capital, a deal rejected under three previous administrations.
Real Estate Miami Tops U.S. Buyer's Markets With 154% More Sellers Than Buyers Redfin says Miami is the strongest U.S. buyer's market with 154% more sellers than buyers in July, as national homebuyer counts fall to a record low.
Real Estate US Homebuyer Demand Hits Record Low as Sellers Outnumber Buyers 51% US homebuyer demand fell to a record low in July with about 967,000 buyers versus 1.46 million sellers, a 51.3% seller surplus. Nearly 80% of major metros are now buyer’s markets, led by Miami and Texas.
Macro Gray Divorce Rates Surge Among Americans Over 65 While overall U.S. divorce rates decline, divorces among adults aged 65 and older have nearly tripled since 1990, now accounting for 15.2% of divorces.
Real Estate Manhattan average rent hits record $6,655 a month Manhattan's average apartment rent hit a record $6,655 a month in July, up 10% year over year, with vacancy at the tightest level since 1968.
