Weekly Housing Headlines

Mortgage applications decreased 5.1% from one week earlier; sales of previously owned homes in April declined 0.5% from March; Fannie Mae released its 2025 Economic and Housing Outlook, which projects that total single-family home sales will reach 4.92 million units by year-end; and the number of homes for sale continues to climb, as inventory maintained levels not seen since December 2019.

Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey
Mortgage Bankers Association - 5/21/2025
Mortgage applications decreased 5.1 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending May 16, 2025.

Existing-Home Sales Edged Lower by 0.5% in April
National Association Of Realtors - 5/22/2025
Sales of previously owned homes in April declined 0.5% from March to a seasonally adjusted, annualized rate of 4 million units, according to the National Association of Realtors. That is the slowest April pace since 2009.

Fannie Mae Releases Housing & Economic Forecast
MortgagePoint - 5/21/2025
The Fannie Mae's 2025 Economic and Housing Outlook projects that total single-family home sales will reach 4.92 million units by the end of 2025, with existing house sales making up 4.24 million of those units.

Weekly Housing Trends View — Data for Week Ending May 17, 2025
Realtor.com - 5/22/2025
The number of homes for sale continued to climb, as inventory maintained levels not seen since December 2019. At the same time, the typical home continues to sit on the market nearly a week longer than it did a year ago.

Redfin Predicts Home Prices Will Dip 1% by the End of the Year, and Reports That Purchases Are Getting Canceled at Near Record Rate
Redfin - 5/22/2025
This marks a stark reversal from years of home-price increases. Aside from a brief period in 2023, home prices have been rising year over year since 2012 due to a prolonged seller’s market.

Housing affordability at the ‘worst level in 30 years’: Zonda
Scotsman Guide - 5/21/2025
High mortgage rates, tariff uncertainty and job insecurity have been weighing on prospective homebuyers’ minds and dragging new-home sales down, according to a report released Wednesday by Zonda.

Mortgage rates climb to highest level in more than three months amid bond market unrest
CNN Business - 5/22/2025
The average rate on a standard, 30-year fixed mortgage was 6.86% in the week ending May 22, the highest level since mid-February, according to data released Thursday from Freddie Mac.

Realtor.com Site Visitor Survey 2025Q1: Concerns on Recession are Rising
Realtor.com - 5/20/2025
In Q1 2025, 63.4% of U.S. homebuyers expected a recession within a year — marking the third-highest level of concern since 2019, following the onset of the pandemic and the Fed’s aggressive rate hikes in 2022–2023.

Second-lien lending surges in equity-rich market
Mortgage Professional America - 5/20/2025
The home equity lending sector is experiencing notable shifts as originations rise and non-bank competitors chip away at traditional institutions’ dominance, according to Home Equity Lending News’ new study.

First American: Home Prices Increased Only 2 Percent Year-Over-Year in April
MortgageOrb - 5/20/2025
U.S. home prices increased 0.4% in April compared with March but were up only 2% compared with April 2024 – a clear indication that home price appreciation is slowing – according to First American’s home price index report.