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[ad_1] Pending home sales in November were unchanged compared with October and 5.2% lower than November of last year, according to the National Association of Realtors. The reading, which is based on signed contracts during the month, is a forward-looking indicator of closed sales as well as the most current look at what potential homebuyers are thinking. Mortgage rates are key in this report, with the average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage soaring over 8% in mid-October before dropping sharply to 7.5% in the first week of November, according to Mortgage News Daily. It ended the month around 7.25%. Analysts had expected the drop to cause a slight gain in pending sales, but apparently it wasn't enough, given steep home prices and tight supply. "Although declining mortgage rates did not induce more homebuyers to submit formal contracts in November, it has sparked a surge in interest, as evidenced by a higher number of lockbox openings," said Lawrence Yun, NAR...

[ad_1] A residential neighborhood in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, May 22, 2022. Jordan Vonderhaar | Bloomberg | Getty Images The average rate on the popular 30-year fixed mortgage dropped to 6.57% on Monday, according to Mortgage News Daily . That's down from a rate of 6.76% on Friday and a recent high of 7.05% last Wednesday. Mortgage rates loosely follow the yield on the 10-year Treasury , which fell to a one-month low in response to the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank and the ensuing ripple through the nation's banking sector. In real terms, for a buyer looking at a $500,000 home with a 20% down payment on a 30-year fixed mortgage, the monthly payment this week is $128 less than it was just last week. It is still, however, higher than it was in January. So what does this mean for the spring housing market? In October, rates surged over 7%, and that started the real slowdown in home sales. But rates then started falling in December and were near 6% by t...

[ad_1] Demand for mortgages increased for the second straight week , despite some volatility in mortgage rates. Total application volume rose 6.5% last week compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's seasonally adjusted index. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($726,200 or less) decreased to 6.71% from 6.79%, with points falling to 0.79 from 0.80 (including the origination fee) for loans with a 20% down payment. That was the average, but mortgage rates were largely higher for most of the week before dropping sharply Friday on news of the Silicon Valley Bank failure. Despite rates being higher, mortgage applications to purchase a home rose 7% for the week but were still 38% lower than the same week a year ago. Homebuying basically stalled in early February, after rates rose about a full percentage point, but buyers seem to be coming back now, perhaps because they are concerned...