The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development reported that the median sales price slid to $361,800 from $380,700 in May.

Meanwhile, the seasonally adjusted purchase index declined 6% from the previous week, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported.

Privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in June came in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of
1,598,000, down 5.1 % from the revised May rate of 1,683,000, but 23.3% above the year-ago rate of 1,296,000.

July’s reading of 80 was down one point from June, but still signaled strong demand for housing, the National Association of Home Builders said.

During the four-week period ended July 11, the average weekly share of homes for sale with a price drop passed 4% for the first time since September 2020.

Adjectives reflecting the desire for privacy and physical isolation gained a place of prominence: “private,” “covered,” “quiet,” “separate” and “enclosed” were among the top 100 most-used description terms.

The department determined that the settlement would not do enough to protect its ability to investigate other conduct by the association affecting competition in the real estate market.

Strong growth of single-family construction spending drove the increase, while spending on multifamily construction was flat, the National Association of Home Builders said.

In light of the increasing number of natural disasters in recent years, the foundation commemorated its 20th anniversary by launching Hope Rising, “a campaign designed to ensure the foundation can respond to disasters as quickly and effectively as possible.”

Denying a mortgage to a woman because she is on or plans to be on maternity leave is against the law, but some lenders are accused of doing just that.

The shortage of housing in America is more “dire” than previously expected, and the NAR’s new report puts pressure on lawmakers to provide additional public funding and policy incentives to fix this massive underbuilding gap.

Market competition has eased up recently, but seven in 10 buyers still face bidding wars, according to a new report from Redfin.

The number of Asian-headed households grew 83% in the past two decades, but economic inequality and inequity between different Asian ethnic regions is still an issue.

First-time homebuyers found their long-term plans changed due to COVID.

Higher income, backed up by lower mortgage rates, has expanded the reach of the average homebuyer, but an increased demand for homes has concurrently driven up prices, negating two of the three main factors in First American Financial Corp.’s Real House Price Index.  

Existing-home sales slid for the third month in a row in April, declining 2.7% from March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.85 million, according to the National Association of Realtors.