January Pending Home Sales Slump as Supply Tightens

Pending home sales fell for the third straight month, the National Association of Realtors reported Friday. Despite strong demand, tight supplies continued to hamstring activity.

January New Home Sales Down 4.5%

January new home sales fell by 4.5% amid supply chain and inventory shortages, HUD and the Census Bureau reported Thursday.

January Housing Starts Down 4.1%

Housing starts stumbled out the gate in January amid ongoing supply chain issues and labor shortages, HUD and the Census Bureau reported Thursday.

Homeownership Rate Holds Steady; Vacancy Rates Hit 38-Year Low

The nation’s homeownership rate held relatively steady at 65.5 percent in the fourth quarter, the Census Bureau reported this week. But analysts said the rate could be somewhat higher, given the current shortage of homes available for sale.

December Pending Home Sales Slide 3.8%

Pending home sales fell in December, marking two straight months of declines, the National Association of Realtors reported Thursday. All four regions posted both month-over-month and year-over-year drops in contract activity.

New Home Sales Finish 2021 on Solid Ground, But Down for Year

New home sales rose by nearly 12 percent in December, the highest level since last March, HUD and the Census Bureau reported Wednesday. Despite the improved numbers, however, sales were off from a year ago and 2021 sales fell by more than 7 percent from 2020.

First American: Rising Rates Could Trigger Buyers

Fear of missing out on low rates and the potential loss of house-buying power could supercharge the housing market ahead of the spring home-buying season, said First American Financial Corp., Santa Ana, Calif.

Housing Starts End Year on Positive Note

Housing starts posted a modest increase in December, HUD and the Census Bureau reported Wednesday, and jumped by nearly 16 percent from a year ago.

Industry Briefs Jan. 18, 2022: First American Acquires Mother Lode Holding Co.

First American Financial Corp., Santa Ana, Calif., signed an agreement for its acquisition of Mother Lode Holding Co., a California-based provider of title insurance, underwriting and escrow services for residential and commercial real estate transactions with 17 operating subsidiaries throughout the U.S., including its principal subsidiary Placer Title Co.