Last week, average mortgage rates fell across most loan categories, according to the latest survey from the Mortgage Bankers Association. In fact, rates for 30-year fixed-rate loans with both conforming and jumbo balances fell, as did interest rates on 15-year fixed-rate loans. Loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration rose …

In August, the number of signed contracts to buy existing homes dropped 2.4 percent from the month before. The numbers, released by the National Association of Realtors, indicate a few things important to prospective buyers and home sellers. First, because contract signings precede closings, a decreasing number of pending sales …

Because they are vital to the health of the housing market, first-time home buyers are a closely watched group. In recent years, they have been less active but there is new research indicating that the number of first timers is spiking. So what can new home buyers expect their …

Of the top 100 metropolitan areas included in Freddie Mac's Multi-Indicator Market Index, 84 percent are showing an improving three-month trend. The index – which compares current housing conditions to long-term norms – also found 42 of the 50 states on the upswing. Len Kiefer, …

The residential real estate market's rebound following the housing crash has been gradual, with month-over-month volatility sometimes masking the fact that things were getting better one small step at a time. Year-over-year results, on the other hand, have consistently revealed the slow upward grind of housing markets across the country. …

Pending home sales are an important indicator of the housing market's health because they measure contract signings, not closings. Since signings typically precede closings by a few weeks, pending sales are seen as a good predictor of where future home sales numbers will fall. In June, the National Association of …

Sales of previously owned homes were expected to drop in June, following three consecutive months of gains. But, according to new numbers from the National Association of Realtors, home resales beat economists' expectations and rose 1.1 percent from the month before. The improvement keeps sales at their highest annual …

The number of Americans who say it's a good time to sell a house rose 5 percent in June, according to Fannie Mae's monthly Home Purchase Sentiment Index. That represents an all-time survey high. Combined with a 3 percent bump in the number of survey respondents who said it was …

Home buyers looking to buy a house this year have been met with a more challenging housing market than in years past. Following the housing crash, supply outweighed demand and the market favored buyers. With more homes than buyers, prices were low and buyers had all the negotiating power. …

According to Freddie Mac's Multi-Indicator Market Index – which measures how far individual housing markets have rebounded since their post-recession lows – nearly 100 percent of the nation's top metropolitan areas have shown year-over-year improvement. Additionally, 49 of 50 states have also posted positive annual gains. Len Kiefer, Freddie Mac's …