Weekly Housing Headlines

The average rate on 30-year fixed home loans dipped to 6.65% for the week ending Aug. 20; new purchase mortgage applications decreased 5.7%, and mortgage applications fell 0.4%; pending home sales decreased 2.3%; single-family construction plunged in July; home prices increased 1% from July 2025; and this week’s year-over-year data shows active inventory climbed 3.6%, the median listing price fell 1.3% and new listings fell 0.1%.

Mortgage Rates Fall Slightly to 6.65% Despite Bond Market Turmoil and Growing Concerns About Federal Debt
Realtor.com - 8/20/2026
The average rate on 30-year fixed home loans dipped to 6.65% for the week ending Aug. 20, down 2 basis points from 6.67% the previous week, according to Freddie Mac.

July New Home Purchase Mortgage Applications Decreased 5.7 Percent
Mortgage Bankers Association - 8/20/2026
Purchase activity for newly built homes slowed in July, with both applications to purchase and the estimated number of new home sales falling behind last year’s pace.

Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey
Mortgage Bankers Association - 8/19/2026
Mortgage applications decreased 0.4 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending August 14, 2026.

NAR Pending Home Sales Report Shows 2.3% Decrease in July
National Association of Realtors - 8/18/2026
Pending home sales in July fell to the lowest level since January 2026. Month-over-month pending home sales declined in all four major U.S. regions. Year-over-year pending home sales increased in the Midwest but declined in the Northeast, South and West.

Single-Family Home Construction Plunges in July, but Permits Offer Signs of Hope
Realtor.com - 8/18/2026
Single-family housing starts last month were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 808,000 in July, which is 9.9% below June and 15.7% below that month last year, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Tuesday.

Affordability Pressures Keep Builder Confidence Low
Eye On Housing - 8/17/2026
Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes inched up one point to 35 in August, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index.

Home Price Growth Stalls Near 1% As Local Divide Widens
National Mortgage Professional - 8/17/2026
Home prices increased 1% from July 2025 but declined 0.5% from June on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, according to the latest Home Price Index from First American Data & Analytics.

Weekly Housing Trends: U.S. Market Update (Week Ending August 15, 2026)
Realtor.com - 8/20/2026
This week's year-over-year data shows active inventory climbed 3.6%, the median listing price fell 1.3%, new listings fell 0.1% and homes spent the same time on the market as they did a year ago.

Cash buyers cede ground as financed buyers return to U.S. market
Mortgage Professional America - 8/19/2026
Cash purchases accounted for 31.4% of U.S. home sales during the first four months of 2026, down from 32.3% a year earlier. Easing prices and growing inventory gave mortgage-reliant buyers more room to compete.

Housing investors say this is their worst market in at least 3 years
CNBC - 8/14/2026
Investors in the single-family housing market indicated falling sentiment on the quarterly RCN Capital/CJ Patrick Company Investor Sentiment Index.