Weekly Housing Headlines

Mortgage applications increased 7.9% from one week earlier; non-QM share of the mortgage market doubled between 2020 and 2022; pending home sales increased 1.5% in March; the median home price is now more than five times the median household income; homeowners are more likely to remodel than relocate; foreclosure filings surged 26% annually in Q1; and 38 of the most populous U.S. metropolitan areas were buyer’s markets in March, up from 29 a year earlier.

Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey
Mortgage Bankers Association - 4/22/2026
Mortgage applications increased 7.9 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending April 17, 2026.

Qualifying for stability means unqualified mortgages for some
Cotality - 4/17/2026
The recent rise of non-Qualified Mortgage (QM) borrowing reflects changing borrower profiles – not a return to past risky lending practices. Cotality found that non-QM share of the mortgage market doubled between 2020 and 2022.

NAR Pending Home Sales Report Shows 1.5% Increase in March
National Association of Realtors - 4/21/2026
Month-over-month pending home sales rose in the Northeast and South, and declined in the Midwest and West. Year-over-year pending home sales rose in the South, and declined in the Northeast, Midwest and West.

Home prices race ahead of incomes, leaving no major U.S. city affordable
Mortgage Professional America - 4/21/2026
According to a new analysis from Best Interest Financial and Clever Real Estate, the median home price of $414,900 is more than five times the median household income of $81,604, producing a home‑price‑to‑income ratio of 5.08.

U.S. Homeowners Are Remodeling Instead of Relocating
Redfin - 4/17/2026
More than two in five (43%) Americans renovated their home in the last year, and another 33% plan to renovate in the next year, according to a recent survey commissioned by Redfin.

Homebuyers Have the Power in Even More Major Metros Over Last Year
MortgagePoint - 4/20/2026
According to a new report from Redfin, 38 of the most populous U.S. metropolitan areas were buyer’s markets in March, up from 29 a year earlier. The report noted that just five were seller’s markets, down from nine in 2025.

Foreclosure Filings Surge 26% Annually As Pipeline Pressure Mounts
National Mortgage Professional - 4/20/2026
U.S. properties with foreclosure filings totaled 118,727, according to ATTOM's Q1 2026 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report. That marks a 26% increase from the same period last year and a 6% increase from the previous quarter.

RE/MAX reports biggest March sales surge since 2023
Mortgage Professional America - 4/20/2026
RE/MAX reported the largest month-over-month gain in home sales in three years and modest increases in both inventory and prices across 50 metro areas.

Weekly Housing Trends: U.S. Market Update (Week Ending April 18, 2026)
Realtor.com - 4/23/2026
New listings surged, inventory continues to build, asking prices are softening and mortgage rates have pulled back from their early-April spike, giving shoppers a bit more breathing room heading into the market’s busiest stretch.

U.S. Home Prices Inched Up 0.1% in March
MortgagePoint - 4/22/2026
The Redfin Home Price Index, noted that prices rose 1.7% from a year earlier, the slowest year-over-year growth rate in records dating back to 2012. Home-price growth has been slowing since the start of 2025, Redfin said.