MBA submitted comments in response to the Federal Housing Administration’s request for information seeking stakeholder input on the barriers to supporting, facilitating, and making available mortgage insurance for mortgages with original balances of $70,000 or less.

Redfin, Seattle, said its Homebuyer Demand Index ticked up last week as steadily declining rates lured some buyers back in. But many would-be buyers are waiting for lower rates and prices, with the typical home’s time on market rising at its fastest annual pace on record and supply increasing.

Trepp, New York, reported the commercial mortgage-backed securities special servicing rate increased in November for the fourth consecutive month.

Housing costs are – appropriately – getting a lot of attention. Part of that attention stems from affordability challenges heightened by recent rapid increases in home prices, interest rates and rents. Another part stems from the fact that shelter costs are such a significant driver of measures of inflation, and thus a key motivator of Federal Reserve policies. In this week’s Chart of the Week, we examine selected indices of housing costs.

Marcus & Millichap, Calabasas, Calif., sold Doral Shops, a fully occupied 113,300-square-foot retail property in Doral, Fla. The property sold for $57 million.