Weekly Housing Headlines

Mortgage rates fell to their lowest level of 2025 at 6.19%; mortgage applications decreased 0.3% from one week earlier; sales increased 1.5% in September; the typical home that sold last month went for 1.4% less than its final list price — the biggest September discount in six years; homes are spending only four days longer on the market than a year ago; and most potential homebuyers are putting off purchasing a home because they expect mortgage rates to drop.

Mortgage rates fall to lowest level of 2025
CNN Business - 10/23/2025
The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate dropped to 6.19% for the week ending October 23, down from 6.27% last week, according to Freddie Mac data released Thursday.

Mortgage Applications Decreased in Latest MBA Weekly Survey
Mortgage Bankers Association - 10/22/2025
Mortgage applications decreased 0.3 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending October 17, 2025.

NAR Existing-Home Sales Report Shows 1.5% Increase in September
National Association of Realtors - 10/23/2025
Month-over-month sales increased in the Northeast, South and West, and fell in the Midwest. Year-over-year, sales rose in the Northeast, Midwest and South, and remained flat in the West.

Redfin Reports Homebuyers Are Scoring the Biggest Autumn Discounts Since 2019
Redfin - 10/20/2025
The typical home that sold last month went for 1.4% less than its final list price — the biggest September discount in six years — as a slow housing market empowered buyers to negotiate.

Weekly Housing Trends: Latest Data as of Oct. 18
Realtor.com - 10/23/2025
With mortgage rates dipping below 6.3%, buyers and sellers are seizing the opportunity. Homes are spending only four days longer on the market than a year ago — compared with gaps of six to eight days in recent weeks.

Most potential homebuyers expect mortgage rates to drop. That’s why they’re waiting
CNBC - 10/23/2025
Rates have been creeping down over the last few months and are hovering around the lowest level in a year, with the average rate on the popular 30-year fixed loan now sitting at 6.17%, according to Mortgage News Daily.

Redfin Reports Mortgage Rates Drop Near 3-Year Low, Opening Door For Homebuyers — But Few Are Walking Through
Redfin - 10/23/2025
A homebuyer on a $3,000 budget has gained $26,000 since last year as mortgage rates drop to the low-6% range. But pending home sales are still slipping.

MBA: Sees No Dip in Mortgage Rates Ahead
National Mortgage Professional - 10/20/2025
As the mortgage rate market improves, Mortgage Bankers Association economists forecast headwinds such as tariffs and inflation may keep rates above 6% and potential buyers on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.

Down Payments Finally Stop Rising — Here’s What Homebuyers Are Paying Now
Realtor.com - 10/20/2025
The typical down payment buyers paid from July to September 2025 was an average of 14.4%, or $30,400 — up roughly $500 from the last quarter but nearly unchanged from a year ago, according to a Realtor.com report.

New-Home Construction Is Barreling Toward a Standstill if Government Shutdown Continues
Realtor.com - 10/17/2025
As the government shutdown stretches on, nearly 1,300 Individual Permits for construction projects of all sizes remain pending review with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.