Weekly Housing Headlines

Home sales increased 0.2% in April; mortgage applications increased 1.7% from one week earlier; after three months of increases, mortgage credit availably decreased slightly in April; the median U.S. home sale price rose 2.4% year over year – the biggest increase since March 2025; refinance volume jumps to a four-year high with the strongest home price gain in almost two years; and mortgage delinquencies increased in the first quarter of 2026.

NAR Existing-Home Sales Report Shows 0.2% Increase in April
National Association of Realtors - 5/11/2026
Month-over-month sales increased in the Midwest and the South, were unchanged in the Northeast and declined in the West. Year-over-year, sales rose in the South, were flat in the West and fell in the Northeast and Midwest.

Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey
Mortgage Bankers Association - 5/13/2026
Mortgage applications increased 1.7 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending May 8, 2026.

Mortgage Credit Availability Decreased in April
Mortgage Bankers Association - 5/12/2026
After three months of increases, mortgage credit availably decreased slightly in April as lenders tightened up on conventional loan programs with high LTV and low credit requirements.

Refi Volume Jumps To 4-Year High As ICE Reports Strongest Home Price Gain In Nearly Two Years
National Mortgage Professional - 5/12/2026
Lower rates earlier this year fueled a refinance surge and boosted first-time buyer activity, giving loan officers a more balanced pipeline.

Redfin Reports Home Prices Posted the Biggest Increase in Over a Year in April
Redfin - 5/12/2026
The median U.S. home sale price rose 2.4% year over year – the biggest increase since March 2025 – as house hunters came off the sidelines amid a stabilizing job market.

Mortgaged home equity levels ‘relatively strong’ as seriously underwater rates rise
Scotsman Guide - 5/8/2026
Seriously underwater residential property rates rose to 3.2% from January through March, meaning the combined balances of loans securing those properties were at least 25% more than the properties’ market values.

Mortgage Delinquencies Increase in the First Quarter of 2026
Mortgage Bankers Association - 5/14/2026
The delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one-to-four-unit residential properties increased to a seasonally adjusted rate of 4.44 percent of all loans outstanding at the end of the first quarter of 2026.

Weekly Housing Trends: U.S. Market Update (Week Ending May 9, 2026)
Realtor.com - 5/14/2026
Inventory continues to build, holding steady at the previous week’s multiyear-low pace, while time on the market holds steady, with homes spending just one additional day on the market compared to last year.

Troubling Sign for Mortgage Rates as Inflation Surges to 3-Year High of 3.8%
Realtor.com - 5/13/2026
Rising inflation will put upward pressure on mortgage rates, as lenders adjust their rates to ensure their returns outpace the falling purchasing power of the dollar.

California Housing Affordability Hits Four-Year High In Q1 2026
National Mortgage Professional - 5/13/2026
According to the California Association of Realtors, 22% of California households could afford to purchase a median-priced existing single-family home in Q1 2026, up from 21% in Q4 2025 and 19% one year earlier.