Weekly Housing Headlines

Pending home sales jumped 6.1% in March; mortgage applications decreased 4.2% from one week earlier; interest rates fell for the second week in a row, from 6.76% from 6.81%; Fannie Mae lowered its mortgage rate outlook for 2025 and 2026; the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index climbed 3.9% in February; home price appreciation in the U.S. continues to slow; and the spring housing market continues to gain momentum.

Pending Home Sales Jumped 6.1% in March
National Association of Realtors - 4/30/2025
The Northeast experienced month-over-month losses in transactions, while the Midwest, South and West saw gains, which were most substantial in the South.

Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey
Mortgage Bankers Association - 4/30/2025
Mortgage applications decreased 4.2 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending April 25, 2025.

Interest rates fall for the second week in a row: Freddie Mac
Scotsman Guide - 5/1/2025
Interest rates on a 30-year mortgage fell by five basis points to 6.76% from 6.81%, according to Freddie Mac. It was the second consecutive week that interest rates declined after a sudden 0.21% spike a month ago.

Fannie Mae lowers mortgage rate outlook for 2025, 2026
Mortgage Professional America - 4/29/2025
The ESR Group now projects real GDP growth at 0.5% for 2025 and 1.9% for 2026, both down from previous estimates of 1.7% and 2.1%, respectively. These adjustments reflect weaker-than-expected economic data from Q1 2025.

Case Shiller Home Price Index Climbs 3.9% in February
Realtor.com - 4/29/2025
The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index picked up 3.9% through February, down from 4.1% the previous month.

Weekly Housing Trends View — Data for Week Ending April 26, 2025
Realtor.com - 5/1/2025
The spring housing market is gaining some momentum, with sellers testing renewed pricing power as the median listing price edged higher year-over-year this past week.

U.S. home price growth slows as seller-buyer price expectation gap widens
Mortgage Professional America - 4/30/2025
Home price appreciation in the U.S. continued to slow, and a growing disconnect between what sellers want and what buyers are willing to pay is widening the gap across the housing market.

Which is the best month to sell a home in the U.S.?
Mortgage Professional America - 5/1/2025
According to a new report by ATTOM, sellers who close on their homes in May secure the highest average premium of the year — a 9.5% increase over the estimated market value.

Tariffs and stock market volatility are clouding spring home shopping season
CNN Business - 4/27/2025
In the four weeks between March 17 and April 13, more than 14% of all home purchase agreements in the U.S. were canceled, according to data provided to CNN by Redfin. That’s the highest level for this time of year since 2020.

Homeownership Slips Further Away For Californians
National Mortgage Professional - 4/25/2025
Only 18% of Californians earned enough to purchase the state’s median-priced detached home, priced at $865,440 in 2024, according to the California Association of Realtors.