Erika Lasker

HELOC Lenders Are Requiring Massive Minimum Draws — Erasing the Primary Benefit of Lines of Credit

Min 1 The average adjustable-rate HELOC climbed to 7.24% as of late April 2026 according to real estate analytics firm Curinos, up four basis points from one month prior. Home equity loan rates fell 10 basis points to 7.37% over the same period. But the more significant

Housing Starts Surge 10.8% to 15-Month High — But Building Permits Crash 10.8% Signaling Pipeline Drying Up

Min 1 The U.S. Census Bureau and HUD released March 2026 housing construction data on April 29 showing housing starts surged 10.8% month-over-month to seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.502 million. This represents the highest level since December 2024 and exceeded forecasts of 1.40

Fannie Mae Forecasts Mortgage Rates Falling Below 6% by Year-End — Predicting 5.7% by December 2026

Min 1 Fannie Mae's March 2026 Economic and Housing Outlook forecasts the 30-year fixed mortgage rate will drop below 6% for the remainder of 2026, reaching 5.7% by year-end. This represents a significant improvement from current levels around 6.2-6.3% and provides hopeful

Case-Shiller Home Prices Rose Just 0.9% Year-Over-Year in February — Slowest Growth Since July 2023

Min 1 The S&P Cotality Case-Shiller 20-City Home Price Index rose just 0.9% year-over-year in February 2026, down from 1.2% in January and below market forecasts of 1.1%. This marks the slowest annual growth since July 2023, highlighting the ongoing cooldown

New Listings Rose 1.1% Year-Over-Year in April Despite Gas Spikes and Rate Volatility — Sellers Show Up Anyway

Min 1 Realtor.com released its April 2026 Monthly Housing Trends Report on April 30 showing new listings climbed 1.1% year-over-year despite turbulent market conditions including spiking gas prices, surging mortgage rates, and cratering consumer sentiment. New listings also jumped 8.7% compared to March 2026. Danielle

Purchase Applications Surge 10% Week-Over-Week, 14% Year-Over-Year as Rates Fall to 6.35%

Min 1 The Mortgage Bankers Association released data on April 22 showing mortgage applications increased 7.9% on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending April 17, 2026. The Market Composite Index rose 9% on an unadjusted basis. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index increased 10% from one week earlier,

Foreclosure Filings Surge 26% Year-Over-Year as 118,727 Properties Enter Pipeline in Q1 2026

Min 1 ATTOM released its Q1 2026 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report showing 118,727 properties had foreclosure filings during the first quarter. This represents a 6% increase from Q4 2025 and a 26% jump from Q1 2025. March alone saw 45,921 properties with filings, 18% higher than February

Pending Home Sales Rose 1.5% in March Despite Higher Rates — Signaling Pent-Up Buyer Demand

Min 1 The National Association of Realtors released its Pending Home Sales report on April 21, 2026 showing March contract signings increased 1.5% from February despite mortgage rates rising during the period. Year-over-year pending sales declined 1.1%, but the month-over-month gain signals improving buyer

Zillow Just Slashed Its 2026 Home Sales Forecast From 3.4% Growth to 0.5% — Here's Why

Min 1 Zillow drastically revised its 2026 existing-home sales forecast downward in April, cutting the projected year-over-year increase from 3.4% to just 0.5% by year-end. The revision reflects upward adjustments to mortgage rate expectations driven by persistent inflation concerns keeping borrowing costs elevated above

Mortgage Rates Just Hit 6.23% — Lowest Spring Level in Three Years as Market Shows Signs of Life

Min 1 Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey released April 23, 2026 showed the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.23%, down from 6.30% the prior week. This marks the lowest level in the last three spring homebuying seasons, breaking below the 6.30%+ range that

National Home Price Growth Just Hit 1.1% — Slowest Rate in 14-Year History

Min 1 The American Enterprise Institute Housing Center released data showing national home price appreciation slowed to just 1.1% year-over-year in February 2026. This marks the slowest rate of appreciation since AEI started collecting data at the start of 2012. The figure represents a dramatic deceleration from

Consumer Confidence Just Crashed to 47.6 — Lowest Reading in 70+ Year History

Min 1 The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index crashed to 47.6 in preliminary April 2026 readings released Friday, April 10. This represents a 10.7% drop from March's 53.3 and the lowest reading in the survey's 74-year history. The figure surpassed the