Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Economy

Mortgage demand grows, driven by sales of new homes

Mortgage rates turned higher again last week. But the increase did not cut into mortgage demand, as buyers sought newly built homes.

Total mortgage application volume rose 3% compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. An additional adjustment was made for the Juneteenth holiday.

Applications for a mortgage to purchase a home rose 3% for the week but were 21% lower year over year. These applications have increased for three straight weeks to the highest level since early May, despite still-high mortgage rates.

“New home sales have been driving purchase activity in recent months as buyers look for options beyond the existing-home market,” said Joel Kan, MBA’s vice president and deputy chief economist, in a release. “Existing-home sales continued to be held back by a lack of for-sale inventory as many potential sellers are holding on to their lower-rate mortgages.”

Sales of newly built homes in May soared 12% compared with April and were 20% higher than May 2022, according to a report Tuesday from the U.S. Census. Builders are driving demand in part by offering incentives, like paying down mortgage rates.

Last week the average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($726,200 or less) increased to 6.75% from 6.73%, with points remaining at 0.64 (including the origination fee) for loans with a 20% down payment. The average rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with jumbo loan balances (greater than $726,200) rose more sharply to 6.91% from 6.80%.

More from CNBC

Nvidia dips on report U.S. considering new A.I. chip export restrictions for China Google cuts jobs at Waze as it continues to merge mapping products Treasury yields dip as investors weigh interest rate outlook

“The spread between the jumbo and conforming rates widened to 16 basis points, the third week in a row that the jumbo rate was higher than the conforming rate,” Kan said. “To put this into perspective, from May 2022 to May 2023, the jumbo rate averaged around 30 basis points less than the conforming rate.”

The widening spread and the increase in the jumbo rate stem from the recent regional bank failures. Lenders hold jumbo loans on their balance sheets, because Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac don’t buy loans of that size. Bank credit, especially at community banks, has tightened substantially, resulting in higher rates.

Applications to refinance a home loan rose 3% for the week but were 32% lower than the same week one year ago. The vast majority of borrowers today have mortgages with interest rates below 4%.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

    You May Also Like

    Economy

    Boeing’s crew spacecraft Starliner will stay docked with the International Space Station into August, NASA confirmed on Thursday, as the mission remains on hold...

    Editor's Pick

    In this edition of StockCharts TV‘s The Final Bar, Dave shows how breadth conditions have evolved so far in August, highlights the renewed strength in the...

    Stock

    S&P 500 pared back its intraday gain on Wednesday following a Bloomberg report that Royal Group has built a multi-billion-dollar short position in U.S....

    Economy

    A U.S. judge has ruled that former Bed Bath & Beyond investor Ryan Cohen can be sued by investors over a tweet he posted featuring an...

    Disclaimer: Richpeoplenetworks.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.


    Copyright © 2024 Richpeoplenetworks.com