Mortgages

• Mortgage demand drops nearly 10% to end 2025, despite lower interest rates - The Mortgage Bankers Association's seasonally adjusted index reported a 9.7% drop in total mortgage applications despite decreased mortgage rates.
• Home prices are getting slightly more affordable, but down payments are still holding buyers back - Housing is getting more affordable thanks to lower prices and lower mortgage rates, but it still takes more time to save for a down payment than pre-pandemic.
• When will mortgage rates go down to 5%? They're already below 6% with these lenders. - Mortgage rates may not have reached 5% yet, but they're in the 5% range with several major lenders. Discover how and where to find 5% mortgage rates.
• What the Christmas movie ‘Elf’ can teach us about today's cost of living - To live like the New York-based family in the movie "Elf" today, it would take millions. Here are the biggest financial lessons from the film.
• November home sales struggle as supply stalls - Existing home sales edged slightly higher as prices continued to rise and supply dropped. The higher end of the market is performing better.
• Mortgage rates move higher after the Fed rate cut, causing loan demand to drop - Mortgage rates moved higher after the Fed cut interest rates last week. That caused demand to drop for both home buying and refinancing.
• Homeowners are losing thousands in equity thanks to weakening prices - Weaker prices mean homeowners are starting to lose equity after several years of huge gains.
• Home prices go negative for the first time in over 2 years — and may stay that way for a while - Home prices have not gone negative since mid-2023, a year after the Federal Reserve first brought rates up from zero, and mortgage rates moved sharply higher.
• Refinance demand for FHA loans jumps 24%, as homeowners seek the most savings they can - Current homeowners are turning to government FHA loans, which offer lower interest rates, to find savings, as conventional rates turn higher.