A modest improvement in housing affordability may motivate more home buyers to make a move. Read more from NAR’s latest housing report.Pending home sales rose slightly in August as lower mortgage rates provided some motivation to prospective home buyers. But buyers continue to face challenges such as high home prices, and many may be holding out for even lower rates, surveys show.The National Association of REALTORS®’ Pending Home Sales Ind
Consumers’ view on the economy tumbled in September, falling by the largest level in more than three years as fears grew about jobs and business conditions, the Conference Board reported Tuesday.The board’s consumer confidence index slid to 98.7, down from 105.6 in August, the biggest one-month decline since August 2021. The Dow Jones consensus forecast was for a reading of 104. By contrast, the index had a reading of 132.6 in Febru
One of the most consequential Federal Reserve meetings in recent history has put investors’ focus squarely on one question: whether the central bank has kicked off its rate cutting cycle in time to keep the economy from slowing too rapidly.The Fed delivered a 50 basis point rate cut on Wednesday - lowering borrowing costs for the first time in more than four years - and assured investors the jumbo-sized reduction was a measure to safe
U.S. home builder confidence edged up in September as mortgage rates fell, breaking four months of consecutive declines, but remained at relatively low levels as rising costs continued to impede construction.The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index of builder confidence rose to 41 this month from 39 in August, the National Association of Home Builders said on Tuesday. A Reuters poll showed economists expected the outlook to increase to 40 this m
Apple is making it easier for users to control their smart home devices on Apple TV, iPads and iPhones with its latest software update.Apple continues its smart home evolution by introducing significant updates in its latest operating system releases: tvOS 18, iOS 18, and iPadOS 18. These upgrades bring new functionalities designed to enhance user experience, optimize inter-device integration, and advance home automation.Taken in context with r
Mortgage rates have dropped to their lowest levels since 2023 in 22 of the 50 largest US metros — even as rent prices continue to rise, according to a new analysis from Zillow released on Monday Monthly mortgage payments are now cheaper than rent in 22 of the 50 largest U.S. metros — a shot of cold comfort for renters aiming to jump into the market this fall, according to an analysis from Zillow released Monday.While mortgage rates have fal
U.S. consumer sentiment rose to a four-month high in September amid expectations that inflation will continue moderating over the next year and household incomes improve, but views on the labor market weakened against the backdrop of slower job gains.The brightening inflation outlook was reinforced by other data on Friday showing import prices dropped by the most in eight months in August, driven by a broad decline in the costs of goods. Governme
If you need further proof that the nation’s formerly sizzling job market has gone cold, look to what had been perhaps the hottest part of the post-pandemic hiring frenzy: pay for newly hired workers.After adjusting for inflation, average wages for new hires fell 1.5% over the 12 months ending in July – from $23.85 an hour to $23.51– the largest such decline in a decade, according to an analysis of Labor Department figures by the W.E. Upj
Borrowing costs fell ahead of the Federal Reserve’s anticipated rate cut next week. But economists say home buyers may not want to wait to see if rates go lower.The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to 6.2% this week, down significantly compared to a year ago when they surged above 7%. But some prospective home buyers are holding out for even lower rates in anticipation of the Federal Reserve’s meeting next week, where it’s expected to cut s
The median cost of housing for both U.S. renters and homeowners rose last year and while the share of income renters put toward housing was unchanged overall the degree to which households were cost-burdened varied by race, the Census Bureau said on Thursday.More than 21 million renter households spent more than 30% of their income on housing costs in 2023, representing 49.7% of the renter households for whom rent burden is calculated.Despite the
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