Weekly Housing Headlines

Mortgage applications decreased 2.7% from one week earlier; the average rate on the popular 30-year fixed mortgage crossed over 7% on Thursday for the first time since May 2025; existing-home sales decreased by 2.0% month-over-month and 1.2% year-over-year; August closings fell year over year as borrowing costs above 6.5% sidelined buyers; elevated borrowing costs that have suppressed refinance activity since April continued to do so in August; and credit availability decreased in August, as lenders reduced their offerings of loan programs that require flexible documentation.

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Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey
Mortgage Bankers Association - 9/9/2026
Mortgage applications decreased 2.7 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending September 4, 2026.

30-year fixed mortgage rate tops 7% for the first time in over a year
CNBC - 9/10/2026
The average rate on the popular 30-year fixed mortgage crossed over 7% on Thursday for the first time since May 2025, hitting 7.07%, according to Mortgage News Daily. That is an increase of 10 basis points from Wednesday.

NAR Existing-Home Sales Report Shows 2.0% Decrease in August
National Association of Realtors - 9/10/2026
Existing-home sales decreased by 2.0% month-over-month and 1.2% year-over-year, according to the National Association of Realtors Existing-Home Sales report.

August home sales slip as mortgage rates hit year-long high
Mortgage Professional America - 9/8/2026
Zillow data shows August closings fell year over year as borrowing costs above 6.5% sidelined buyers and pushed demand toward rentals.

Refinance demand slumps as higher rates weigh on mortgage activity
Scotsman Guide - 9/8/2026
Elevated borrowing costs that have suppressed refinance activity since April continued to do so in August, newly released data shows, as purchase loans comprised around 4 in 5 mortgage rate locks for a fourth consecutive month.

Mortgage Credit Availability Decreased in August
Mortgage Bankers Association - 9/10/2026
Credit availability decreased in August, as lenders reduced their offerings of loan programs that require flexible documentation, along with cash-out refinance loans.

U.S. home price insights – September 2026
Cotality - 9/8/2026
The rise in mortgage rates cooled home prices in July. Annual appreciation edged up slightly to 1.4% from 1.3% in June, but prices were essentially flat for the month. That slowdown contrasts sharply with the typical pre-pandemic June-to-July gain of 0.4%.

Some homeowners have been waiting years for mortgage relief. It keeps slipping away
CNN Business - 9/5/2026
Refinancing applications have remained low in the years that mortgage rates climbed back above 6%, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

New vs. Existing Home Prices: What the National Median Misses
Eye On Housing - 9/4/2026
This year marked the largest difference between the national median trends for existing and new home prices. However, the national trend reversal is best understood as a regional and compositional phenomenon.

Why Are Mortgage Rates So High? What Can Lower Them?
Financial Advisor - 9/8/2026
With no end to the conflict with Iran in sight and renewed fears about rising inflation, economists are warning that mortgage rates could stay stubbornly high for months to come – or push even higher.