Contracts to buy U.S. previously owned homes fell in December to snap a four-month streak of increases, with particularly sharp declines in the pricier Northeast and West regions as higher mortgage interest rates dented affordability.

The market sputtered amid high mortgage rates, high prices, and homeowners with lower rates who have no plans to move.

NAR forecasts mortgage rates to stabilize near 6% in 2025, likely establishing a new normal. Inventory will gradually grow.

In November, the National Association of Realtors reported that its membership was 1,526,631. How many members renewed by the Jan. 1 deadline is unclear, but some Massachusetts agents have stepped ...

The major U.S. index futures are currently pointing to a roughly flat open on Friday, with stocks likely to show a lack of direction

The core index, one that strips volatile food and energy costs and is used by the Fed in setting interest rates, rose 0.2% in December and 2.8% annually, unchanged from November.

Listen to this article Let Trump be Trump. A campaign staffer’s now-famous motto during President Donald Trump’s 2016 bid for president nods to the mercurial nature of the real estate mogul and former reality television star — as well as a similar slogan from “The West Wing.

The average 30-year mortgage rate was 6.95% this week compared with 6.96% a week earlier, according to Freddie Mac data.

Mortgage rates in the U.S. dropped for a second straight week. The average for 30-year loans was 6.95%, down from 6.96% last week, Freddie Mac said in a statement.

Mortgage rates actually increased and have remained a major hurdle for prospective home buyers. Car loans haven't downshifted much, and credit-card annual percentage rates, or APRs, have only crept slightly lower - offering little relief to people who have run up debt to cover everyday costs.

Mortgage rates pulled back slightly this week, with the 30-year fixed rate averaging 7.03 percent, down from 7.06 percent the previous week, according to Bankrate’s latest lender survey. The Federal Reserve held off cutting rates on Wednesday and could keep to that stance until the inflation picture becomes clearer.