If you’re a first-time home seller, you may’ve wondered why you can’t just put a sign out in front of your house and wait for the best offer. The answer, of course, is you can. But, if you do, you’re not likely to sell it quickly and you’re probably not going to get top dollar for it. In fact, according to one recent analysis, home sellers who chose to sell their house without listing it on the Multiple Listing Service – the database of listings Realtors and online search sites use – lost more than $1 billion over the past two years. That’s a big number but what it breaks down to for the typical seller is about $5,000, or 1.5 percent less than they could’ve gotten had they had their home listed on the MLS. The data isn’t that surprising. After all, home buyers are online these days and, if your home isn’t showing up on popular search sites or in their Realtor’s listings, it isn’t likely to get much traffic or many offers. (source)

A home is more than just a shelter or a place to sleep at night. It’s where you live your life. It’s where you gather with friends and family, make memories, spend holidays and anniversaries, raise your kids, and achieve your dreams. In other words, it may just be a building but it’s an important one. Americans increasingly agree. In fact, according to one new analysis, home is becoming even more important to us. The analysis found that almost half of respondents to a recent survey said their home has become more important to them over the past few years – compared with just 10 percent who said it’s less important. There are several reasons for this, including the pandemic, rising housing costs, and economic uncertainty. Those factors have led Americans to be more appreciative of their homes, which is likely also the reason far more respondents named lifestyle benefits – like security, customization, and outdoor space – than the financial benefits of homeownership as the reason for their home’s growing importance. (source)

Home buyers still face affordability challenges. Home prices and mortgage rates remain elevated. But while buying a home is more expensive than it was a few years ago, market conditions may be lining up to provide spring buyers with the best conditions they’ve seen since before the pandemic. How so? Well, for one, rates have been falling recently. That helps. Competition among buyers is also slower. In fact, homes for sale are spending just four fewer days on the market than they were pre-pandemic. That means more time for home shoppers to deliberate and consider their choices. Also, neither buyers nor sellers have a clear advantage in negotiations, according to one new analysis. That also hasn’t happened since before the pandemic. Add in the slowest price increases since 2012 and an increasing number of homes for sale and the spring market begins to look pretty favorable for interested home buyers. (source)

February is still winter but, according to new numbers from the National Association of Realtors, it may’ve been the start of this year’s spring sales season. That’s because the NAR found sales of previously owned homes up 4.2 percent in February from the month before. Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, says buyers are starting to enter the market. “Home buyers are slowly entering the market,†Yun said. “Mortgage rates have not changed much, but more inventory and choices are releasing pent-up housing demand.†Regionally, the West saw the biggest improvement, with a 13.3 percent month-over-month gain. The South was next with a 4.4 percent sales increase. In the Northeast and Midwest – where inventory still lags – buyers were not as active. The NAR also found prices up 3.8 percent year-over-year, with the median existing-home price for all housing types now at $398,400. (source)

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates increased last week from one week earlier. Rates were up across all loan categories including 30-year fixed-rate loans with both conforming and jumbo balances, loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration, 15-year fixed-rate loans, and 5/1 ARMs. But while the rate bump did slow refinance activity, demand for loans to buy homes actually increased from the week before. In fact, purchase application demand was up 1 percent week-over-week. Mike Fratantoni, MBA’s senior vice president and chief economist, says it’s now at a six-week high. “Purchase application volume inched up to its highest level in six weeks, led by a 3 percent increase in FHA purchase applications,†Fratantoni said. “Overall, purchase application volume is up 6 percent compared to last year at this time. Growing inventories of homes on the market and steadier mortgage rates are supporting home buying activity thus far this spring.†The MBA’s weekly survey has been conducted since 1990 and covers 75 percent of all retail residential mortgage applications. (source)

The pace of new home construction surged in February, according to new numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Single-family housing starts rose 11.4 percent from January’s rate, while the number of new homes that completed construction during the month was 7.1 percent higher than the month before. The news is an encouraging sign for the housing market amid higher home prices, elevated mortgage rates, and economic uncertainty. New home construction is often cited as the answer to the current market’s challenges, since it remains the fastest way to add additional housing supply in the areas where home buyers most want to buy. That helps slow prices and competition, which helps buyers. Put another way, the areas currently seeing the most new home construction are also the ones where buying conditions are seeing the most improvement. (source)

The National Association of Home Builder’s monthly Housing Market Index measures how confident builders are in the market for newly built homes. When the index scores above 50, it means more builders view market conditions as good than poor. In March, the index fell three points to 39. Robert Dietz, NAHB’s chief economist, says uncertainty is behind the decline. “Construction firms are facing added cost pressures from tariffs,†Dietz said. “Data from the HMI March survey reveals that builders estimate a typical cost effect from recent tariff actions at $9,200 per home. Uncertainty on policy is also having a negative impact on home buyers and development decisions.†Despite the uncertainty, though, the component measuring builders’ expectations for the next six months held steady in March at 47. The share of builders that reported using sales incentives was also unchanged from February, as was the average price reduction, which held firm at 5 percent. (source)

The number of homes available for sale hit a historic low a few years ago. Inventory was already lower than normal when the pandemic-era buying boom drove it even lower. That resulted in rising prices and growing home buyer frustration. Fortunately, though, things have improved since then. New home construction ramped up and – particularly in the South and West – has helped home buyers, providing more homes to choose from and smaller price increases. But according to one new analysis, the market still has a long way to go. In fact, the numbers – released by the National Association of Realtors’ consumer website – show the market still short nearly 4 million homes. That’s the third-largest gap since 2012 and one that it would take years to close at the current rate of new home construction. Danielle Hale, the website’s chief economist, says builders made some strides but there’s still work to do. “While builders made strides last year, the scale of the historic housing shortage, paired with strong pent-up demand, meant that new supply couldn’t fully close the nearly 4 million-home gap,†Hale said. (source)

Everyone with a home to sell hopes to get the most money they can for it. That’s why sellers usually make repairs, remove clutter, clean, and get the house ready before listing it. But while prepping the house is important, so is choosing the best time to put it on the market. And, according to one new analysis from the National Association of Realtors’ consumer website, that time is approaching. In fact, based on last year’s trends, homeowners who list their homes between April 13 and April 19 could potentially make an extra $27,000 on their sale. Danielle Hale, the website’s chief economist, says spring is always a good time to sell. “Spring is typically a good time to list your home …,†Hale said. “Very predictably, homes listed in the spring tend to be priced higher and sell faster than the average week throughout the year.†It’s true. Historically, homes actively for sale in mid-April sell about nine days faster than the average week. (source)

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates fell last week from one week earlier. Rates were down across all loan categories, including 30-year fixed-rate loans with both conforming and jumbo balances, loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration, 15-year fixed-rate loans, and 5/1 ARMs. Joel Kan, MBA’s vice president and deputy chief economist, said it was the sixth straight week rates declined. “Mortgage rates declined for the sixth consecutive week, with the 30-year fixed rate dropping to … the lowest level since October 2024,” Kan said. “As a result, applications increased over the week and were up 31 percent from one year ago.” The MBA’s Market Composite Index – which measures both purchase and refinance demand – saw an 11.2 percent increase week-over-week, with demand for loans to buy homes up 7 percent from the week before. The MBA’s weekly survey has been conducted since 1990 and covers 75 percent of all retail residential mortgage applications. (source)