Housing markets

Rising pessimism about how the Trump Administration is handling the economy in its early days is spreading into the housing market, a Clever RE survey found.

Pent-up demand and the rapid pace of home appreciation is fueling the ongoing rise in home prices, even as mortgage rates present obstacles for buyers.

Tax liens have so-called super priority in repayments, even placing ahead of a previously filed mortgage.

More than two-thirds of the counties most at risk of a housing downturn were concentrated in five states, according to a new report from Attom.

The potential impacts of import tariffs cloud the outlook, though, and could lead mortgage rates to surge and fall throughout the coming year.

Meanwhile, home prices are set to grow 3 to 4% in 2025, a Fitch report predicts.

The latest refinance surge helped lift total application activity up for a second straight week, even as purchases fell, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Most participants in a monthly Wolters Kluwer survey no longer think the next short-term rate reduction will be in March.

On an annual basis, home prices grew by 4.2% in November, FHFA's index found.

Higher mortgage rates will persist through 2026, affecting sales and refinancings. Those expectations led Fannie Mae to cut its volume outlook for the next two years.