Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Mortgage Rates Move Little in Latest Survey

Fri, 22 January 2021  |  mortgage interest rates 

The latest results from Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) show that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 2.77 percent.

“Mortgage rates have hovered near historic lows for almost a year, fueling purchase and refinance activity amid a global health crisis,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist. “We’re now seeing rates fluctuate a bit as political and economic factors drive Treasury yields higher. However, we forecast rates to remain relatively low this year as the Federal Reserve keeps interest rates anchored near zero for a longe... Read More

Home Values Break New Growth Records as Demand Surge Presses On

Fri, 22 January 2021  |  housing 

Home value growth continued its meteoric rise in December as towering demand for homes carried on into winter, according to Zillow's® latest Real Estate Market Report. Houses are going under contact quickly and sales far outpace the year prior as all-time low mortgage rates help keep monthly payments manageable, despite rising prices.

Typical home values in the U.S. climbed to $266,104, up 8.4% from a year ago -- the highest annual increase since January 2014.

Home value growth over the last quarter in the U.S. was 3.2% -- higher than at any time since the Zillow Ho... Read More

In-Home Data Usage Surges Throughout Pandemic

Fri, 22 January 2021  |  data pandemic 

As millions of Americans sheltered in place and shifted to working from home and remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing research from Comscore found that overall in-home data usage levels throughout 2020 remained significantly higher than in 2019.

Throughout the first several of months of COVID-related lockdowns, data consumption from Comscore Connected Home custom reporting showed increased usage across all connected devices; smart TVs, laptops, gaming consoles, phones, smart speakers, streaming boxes & sticks and tablets all saw strong growth in data usage versu... Read More

Annual Home Sales See Highest Level Since 2006

Fri, 22 January 2021  |  housing 

Existing-home sales rose in December, with home sales in 2020 reaching their highest level since 2006, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Activity in the major regions was mixed on a month-over-month basis, but each of the four areas recorded double-digit year-over-year growth in December.

Total existing-home sales, https://www.nar.realtor/existing-home-sales, completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, increased 0.7% from November to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 6.76 million in December. Sales in total r... Read More

Auto Sales to Jump in 2021

Thu, 21 January 2021  |  transportation spending 

Auto sales are expected to jump in 2021 according to the car shopping experts at Edmunds. Noting that the auto industry is on track for greater stability and healthier sales this year, Edmunds forecasts that 15.5 million new cars will be sold in 2021, a 6.5% increase compared to last year.

"2020 was an incredibly tumultuous year for the industry, but some unique market conditions helped retail sales end up in a much stronger place than anticipated, and the good news is that these should serve as some decent tailwinds into 2021," said Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds' executive directo... Read More

Rents in Major Cities Continue to Decline

Thu, 21 January 2021  |  housing rentals 

Major urban markets, such as San Francisco and Manhattan, continue to see double-digit declines compared to last year, but rent increases in less dense areas have kept nationwide rents growing for one- and two-bedroom units, according to the realtor.com® December rental report released today. Nationally, the median rent for studio apartments was down 0.7% year-over-year, rent for one-bedrooms was up 0.8%, and rent for two-bedrooms was up 2.6% year-over-year.

"Right now is a great time for renters in major cities to lock in a low price for 2021," said realtor.com® Chief Economist... Read More