REI Lense Blog – page 3
Mortgage Rates Rise for a Third Week—and Existing-Home Sales Cool Again
Mortgage rates rose for a third straight week as existing-home sales fell for a third month. Inventory is slowly improving, but affordability remains the key constraint.
7 min read
Mortgage rates climb to 6.76% and existing-home sales fall again: what it means for buyers and sellers
The 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose to 6.76% while existing-home sales fell for a third straight month, keeping affordability pressure high for U.S. buyers.
7 min read
High mortgage rates cool existing-home sales even as inventory reaches a decade-high months’ supply
August existing-home sales fell to a 3.98M annual pace as mortgage rates stayed elevated. Inventory rose to 4.9 months’ supply and prices remained up year over year.
6 min read
Existing-Home Sales Hit a 14-Month Low as Inventory Climbs: What High Rates Mean for Fall 2026
Existing-home sales fell in August even as inventory and months’ supply rose. What high mortgage rates mean for buyers, sellers, and pricing.
6 min read
Home Prices Cool in Key Metros as Rates Stay High: Where Cuts Are Concentrating
Late-summer listing data show price cuts spreading across major metros, led by former boomtowns where inventory has rebuilt amid high mortgage rates.
7 min read
Diverging Home Prices: Why Some Big Metros Are Falling While Others Still Rise
Late-summer listing data show U.S. home prices diverging by metro and price tier as inventory and price cuts rise in some markets.
6 min read
Renting vs. Buying in 2026: Why Monthly Ownership Costs Now Beat Rents in Many Metros
High mortgage rates are widening the gap between rents and ownership costs, making renting the cheaper short-term choice in many U.S. metros.
6 min read
Why the Buying vs. Renting Break-Even Point Is Stretching Out (and What to Do About It)
Zillow’s rent-vs-buy analysis shows the break-even point for buying vs renting can be close to 15 years nationally and far longer in some metros.
7 min read
Cooling Pockets Are Spreading: Where Buyers Are Gaining Leverage in a Tight U.S. Housing Market
Late-summer data show price cuts and longer days on market in select U.S. housing pockets, giving buyers leverage even as many areas stay tight.
7 min read
Record-high home prices with rising listings: why the market feels stuck in 2026
Even as listings rise and price cuts spread in some metros, many areas are still posting record or near-record prices because supply remains tight and the mix of homes for sale skews higher-end.
6 min read
Regulations and Tariffs: Two Cost Layers Quietly Pushing Up New-Home Prices
New analyses show how regulatory overhead and tariff-driven input costs can raise construction budgets and, ultimately, new-home prices.
7 min read
AI Wealth Is Fueling Bay Area Luxury Home Demand—Even With Mortgage Rates in the Mid-6% Range
AI-driven wealth is boosting Bay Area luxury home demand, with Redfin data showing high-end sales rising faster than mid-market activity in 2026.
6 min read
Mortgage rates climb again, and the housing market’s 2026 rebound hits a wall
Mortgage rates climbed back toward the high-6% range in August, stalling pending activity and keeping home prices sticky despite more price cuts.
7 min read
Manufactured and modular homes are getting a policy and financing reboot — will it move the needle?
Manufactured and modular homes are gaining momentum as policy and financing reforms target codes, construction lending, and outdated requirements that add cost.
7 min read
Sunbelt affordability diverges: Florida’s low-cost supply shrinks as Northwest Arkansas stabilizes
Florida’s affordability report shows shrinking low-cost options, while Northwest Arkansas sees modest stabilization as inventory improves—highlighting how local supply and rules drive outcomes.
7 min read
Patchy Affordability Is Reshaping Housing: Cooling Markets, Hot Spots, and Local Zoning Shifts
U.S. housing affordability is diverging by metro, driving local moves on manufactured-housing zoning, public-housing redevelopment, and adaptive reuse to add supply.
7 min read
Housing Shrinkflation: Why New Single-Family Homes Are Smaller Even as Costs Stay High
New single-family homes are trending smaller, but buyers are paying more per square foot. Here’s what the latest data says and why it matters.
7 min read
Starter Homes Are Scarce, and New Builds Are Shrinking: What It Means for Entry-Level Buyers
Starter homes are scarce as resale turnover stays low and builders shrink new-home floor plans. Here’s what it means for entry-level affordability.
6 min read
US Home Prices Are Flattening—Why Your Local Market May Look Totally Different
FHFA shows US home prices flat month to month and up 2.1% year over year, while Case-Shiller reveals widening metro splits and new-home pricing cools.
7 min read
Affordability Refugees: How Cross-Metro Home Shopping Is Reshaping U.S. Housing Demand
Realtor.com data shows out-of-market home shopping now accounts for about 60% of views in major metros, shifting demand to nearby cheaper markets.
7 min read
New Home Prices Are Falling Year Over Year: Why Builders Are Cutting Deals (and What Buyers Should Watch)
New-home prices are slipping year over year in 2026, with builders leaning on incentives and a rare negative premium vs resale in some national benchmarks.
8 min read
Banks and builders reengage on housing supply: what’s changing and what to watch next
Large banks are committing new capital to affordable housing supply as rates stay elevated, with attention shifting to zoning, codes, and faster construction.
6 min read
Diverging U.S. Home Prices in 2026: The Patchwork Market Behind ‘Up’ and ‘Down’ Headlines
Metro-level 2026 data show U.S. home prices diverging: some markets soften as supply rises, while others still post strong gains and new highs.
7 min read
New NAHB data: Housing affordability hits fresh lows as mortgage rates climb
NAHB’s Q2 2026 index shows housing affordability worsened as mortgage rates rose and home prices stayed elevated, with big differences across metros.
6 min read