Scaling from Freelancer to Business Owner

The Mortgage Bankers Association's index of home-purchase applications rose 5.1% in the week ended Jan. 16, data from the group showed Wednesday. View the full article

The contract rate on a 30-year mortgage dropped for a third week to 6.35%, the lowest since mid-March View the full article

The Mortgage Bankers Association's measure of refinancing dropped 7.1% to 634.1 in the week ended May 23. View the full article

Roughly 40,000 home-purchase agreements were canceled in December, equal to 16.3% of homes that went under contract,according to a report from Redfin. View the full article

At the same time builders and lenders report contracting credit on offer, sentiment in the residential construction industry improved in the latter half of 2024. View the full article

An index of market conditions from the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo, in which below 50 means more builders see conditions as poor than good, edged down in February to 36, the lowest level since September. View the full article

Measures of current sales of single-family homes and prospective-buyer traffic, dropped to their lowest levels since the end of 2023. View the full article

Confidence among US homebuilders unexpectedly fell in January, as costly sales incentives outweighed a recent boost from lower mortgage rates and the president's housing proposals. View the full article

The war in the Middle East is adding to a slew of challenges already facing the construction industry in recent years, including elevated mortgage rates, labor constraints and higher prices for materials. View the full article

US homebuilder confidence barely rose this month on a pickup in current sales, though demand expectations stumbled to a more than one-year low and prices of construction materials are climbing on the heels of higher tariffs. View the full article

In markets across the US, homebuilders sitting on unsold inventory are subsidizing mortgage rates so heavily they sometimes match the record lows last seen during the Covid-19 pandemic. View the full article

Developers including D.R. Horton Inc., Lennar Corp. and KB Home all missed expectations last quarter and estimates suggest both sales and earnings have fallen further as conflict in the Middle East unsettled buyers and raised costs. View the full article

For the second consecutive week, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage increased as investors were still sorting through the lack of information due to the shutdown. View the full article

The national median payment applied for by purchase applicants rose from $2,025 in December to $2,070 last month, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. View the full article

The national median payment applied for by purchase applicants fell to $2,039 in October from September, the Mortgage Bankers Association said. View the full article

A median-income household could comfortably afford a $331,483 home with a 20% down payment in January, $30,000 more than a year ago, Zillow found. View the full article

The average purchase loan size hit a four-month high of $447,500 as fewer home shoppers are applying for government-backed mortgage products. View the full article

Between the estimated damages in Los Angeles and rising home insurance prices, policyholders are left wondering how the market will fare in 2025. View the full article

Despite the decrease, average profit margins approached 50%, as the lock-in effect continues to stymie inventory growth and keep home values elevated. View the full article

A group of homeowners filed a class action lawsuit against the largest homebuilding company in the United States, seeking all money lost. View the full article

Slow repair cycle times, widespread premium increases and the volume of catastrophic events all contribute to dissatisfaction, according to the U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Study from J.D. Power. View the full article

The deal was highly vetted with regulators following the publicly traded company's failure to obtain approval in a past agreement, an executive said. View the full article

The Massachusetts attorney general noted some consumers were caught by surprise when they realized the full cost of their agreements after signing. View the full article

The company's latest funding announcement caps off a year of tailwinds that propelled growth for home equity investment platforms and related lending products. View the full article