When an offer to buy a home is accepted and a contract has been signed, the closing process begins. But until the transaction is officially closed several weeks later, the home’s sale is considered pending. The vast majority of pending sales become final sales, which is why contract signings are considered a good indicator of future home sales numbers. That’s also the reason the National Association of Realtors tracks contract signings each month with its Pending Home Sales Index. According to the most recent results, contract signings were relatively flat in June, falling 0.8 percent from the month before. Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, says improvement may be on the way. “The Realtors Confidence Index shows early indications of potential contract signings increasing moving forward,” Yun said. “Realtors are optimistic that home buying and selling activity will increase.” In June, only the Northeast saw month-over-month gains, while the West, South, and Midwest all saw declines. (source)

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Application Survey, average mortgage rates were mostly flat last week from one week earlier. Rates saw little movement for 30-year fixed-rate loans with both conforming and jumbo balances, loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration, and 15-year fixed-rate loans. But despite steady rates, demand for loans was down from the week before, with refinance activity 1 percent lower week-over-week and purchase demand down 6 percent. Joel Kan, MBA’s vice president and deputy chief economist, says uncertainty is to blame. “There is still plenty of uncertainty surrounding the economy and job market, which is weighing on prospective home buyers’ decisions,” Kan said. “The 30-year fixed rate was little changed … but high enough that there was not much interest in refinancing. Purchase applications decreased by almost 6 percent, as applications for conventional, FHA, and VA purchase loans fell, despite slowing home-price growth and increasing levels of for-sale inventory in many regions.” (source)

The housing market has an affordability problem. The cost of buying a house has skyrocketed over the past several years. During the pandemic, a shortage of houses collided with a surge in buyer demand and drove prices higher. Then, mortgage rates began to increase early in 2022. Now, the combination of higher prices and elevated rates has caused the market to slow from its previously frenetic pace. But, according to a new commentary from Fannie Mae’s Economic and Strategic Research Group, that may be good for home buyers. The group releases a monthly forecast detailing where they see the economy and housing marketing heading from here. According to their most recent release, they’ve revised their forecast and see prices and rates moderating over the next year and a half. The group predicts home price growth of 2.8 percent this year, and just 1.1 percent in 2026. They also believe mortgage rates will begin to fall by the end of the year and move even lower next year. In other words, home buyers may soon see some relief, which is likely why Fannie Mae also revised their home sales forecast. They now expect more sales this year and further improvement in 2026. (source)

Sales of newly built single-family homes saw a slight improvement in June from the month before, according to new numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. New home sales were up 0.6 percent month-over-month, though they still trailed last year’s levels by 6.6 percent. A slower new home market this year has contributed to a rising number of available new homes for sale. In fact, the inventory of available new homes is up 8.5 percent from last year at this time. But while that may be bad news for home builders, it’s good for prospective buyers, as it’s helping to bring down the price of the new homes currently for sale. In June, for example, the median sales price of new houses sold was $401,800. That’s nearly 5 percent less than in May, when it was $422,800. (source)

The amount of profit home sellers made from the sale of their home was slightly higher during the second quarter than it was in the first, according to new numbers from ATTOM Data Solutions. Profit margins rose to 50 percent on the average sale, up from 48.9 percent during the first quarter. Rob Barber, ATTOM’s CEO, says homeowners continue to do well. “While profit margins aren’t going up significantly, they’re still sitting at pretty good levels,” Barber said. “The median home sale last quarter netted a 50 percent profit, whereas in the years right before the pandemic, the typical seller was netting around 30 percent.” In dollar amounts, today’s home seller nets $123,000 in raw profit on the typical sale – about $5,000 less than they did last year. But while profits have been getting smaller in most markets, they aren’t shrinking everywhere. In fact, profits were up almost 10 percent in St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Hartford. In Chicago, they’re up 10.3 percent and in Honolulu they’re almost 17 percent higher than year-before levels. (source)

When we move, we typically don’t move far. In fact, between 1989 and 2021, the median distance moved was between 10 and 15 miles. Lately, though, that distance has been growing. In 2022, it grew to almost 50 miles. Today, it’s closer to 20 miles. The pandemic started the trend, with a higher share of potential buyers searching for extra space outside of their metro areas. But according to a new analysis from the National Association of Realtors’ consumer website, the trend hasn’t subsided. Danielle Hale, the website’s chief economist, says there are a number of reasons for this. “Affordability remains a primary driver of home searches, but evolving workplace policies, job opportunities, and shifting local conditions also play a role,” Hale said. The result? During the second quarter of this year, 58.9 percent of online home shoppers in the 100 largest cities looked at listings outside of their current metro area. That’s an 11 percent jump from 2019, when just 48.1 percent of shoppers were looking to live elsewhere. (source)

The housing market has been in flux for the past couple of years. After getting red hot during the pandemic, it began to cool in 2022 when mortgage rates headed higher after spending years near historic lows. That slowed buyer demand and allowed the number of homes available for sale to rebound. Now, hopeful home buyers and sellers are having to adjust to conditions that have changed drastically over the past three years. For example, a new report from the National Association of Realtors found home sellers struggling to find the right price in today’s market. “Price cuts have emerged as a key trend in this spring’s housing market,” the group’s June housing report reads. “With demand softening and competition increasing, sellers are adjusting – albeit selectively. In June, more than 1 in 5 listings saw a price reduction. Yet despite growing markdowns, national median list prices have held steady, suggesting most sellers are still anchored to peak-era expectations.” (source)

There are a few common reasons people decide to buy a house. Things like getting married, starting a family, or a new job are regularly cited by recent home buyers as the reason they decided to buy. Feeling financially secure isn’t typically mentioned but it sure doesn’t hurt. That’s why the results of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s June 2025 Survey of Consumer Expectations are encouraging. The survey found Americans are generally feeling more optimistic about their finances this year. In fact, compared to last year at this time, there are a smaller share of households expecting their financial situation to worsen in the next year and a growing share that expect to be in better shape. Respondents also say they expect better access to credit and fewer worries about losing their job. In other words, Americans are feeling more financially optimistic than they’ve been recently and – with home price increases slowing and mortgage rates expected to moderate – that could mean more buyers entering the market in the months ahead. (source)

Home buyers have been feeling discouraged over the past few years. Higher home prices, rising mortgage rates, and a lack of available homes for sale took some of the excitement out of buying a house. Shopping for a house became stressful and buyers grew hesitant. Last summer, for example, Fannie Mae’s Home Purchase Sentiment Index – which measures how Americans feel about buying and selling a home, mortgage rates, home prices, and the economy – found just 17 percent of survey respondents thought it was a good time to buy. Lately, though, there’s been a bit of a turnaround. The most recent survey results show buyers have gotten more optimistic. In fact, the share of participants who think it’s a good time to buy is now up more than 10 percent from last summer. And with price increases slowing, stable mortgage rates, and a growing number of homes for sale, buyer optimism may continue to grow as the year goes on. (source)

There are plenty of exciting things about buying a house. Packing up and moving everything you own isn’t one of them. In fact, according to a new survey, it’s something more than two-thirds of Americans say they dread – so much so, they’d prefer getting a root canal or serving on a jury over having to do it. That’s pretty bad. The survey – conducted by Duck, a brand of moving supplies – found that, despite how much movers dislike the packing process, 32 percent of them are still planning to do the work themselves and 45 percent have started decluttering in hopes of lessening the load and saving some money on supplies and expenses. That might work to cut costs but it won’t box up your belongings or help you move your furniture. That’s what friends and family are for and, fortunately for future movers, 90 percent of Americans say they’re willing to lend a hand. (source)