Kline Team Mortgage, Mike Kline

06/05/2026

Resilient Market Finds a New Equilibrium:
This year’s spring housing market has shown resilience, despite facing the usual challenges. In fact, according to a new analysis from the National Association of Realtors’ consumer website, the market is finding new balance. Danielle Hale, the website’s chief economist, says there are encouraging signs. “Higher rates and geopolitical uncertainty could have sidelined both buyers and sellers this spring,” Hale said. “Instead, we’ve seen six months of sellers adjusting their expectations and buyers rewarding them for it. List prices are down at a record pace, but price reductions are also down. That combination tells you sellers are doing their homework before listing, not after. The market is finding a new equilibrium.” Through April, new and active listings were both up over last year, while list prices were down 2.4 percent. That means more choices for buyers at prices that reflect actual market value, not home sellers’ hopes. (source)

SOCIAL CAPTION: The spring market has shown resilience despite higher rates, rising inflation, and geopolitical uncertainty. New and active listings are both up, while list prices have fallen from last year.

06/03/2026

Real Estate Investors are Buying Fewer Homes:
When home prices were skyrocketing during the pandemic, real estate investors became more active in the market. The promise of being able to buy and flip a home for profit was enticing for money-minded buyers but also a problem for traditional buyers – particularly first-time buyers – who had to compete with investors for available homes at a time when there were fewer for sale. Since then, prices have cooled and, according to one recent analysis, so has investor activity in the market. In fact, the data shows investor purchases down 6 percent year-over-year during the first quarter of 2026, pushing overall activity to its lowest level since 2020. Before that, the last time this little investor activity was seen in the market was 2016. But while fewer investors in the market makes more room for other buyers, the reasons behind the drop, including higher mortgage rates and slower price growth, impact all buyers. (source)

SOCIAL CAPTION: The share of home purchases made by real estate investors during the first quarter of 2026 was 6 percent lower than year-before levels, according to a recent analysis.

06/02/2026

Median Mortgage Payment Down from Last Year:
Affordability is the top concern for anyone hoping to buy a home. That’s why the Mortgage Bankers Association tracks median mortgage payments each month through its Purchase Applications Payment Index. The index measures mortgage payments using loan data from purchase applicants and measures it across time and relative to wage growth. In April, payments rose $21 from March but are still down 1.6 percent from last year at $2,152. The national mortgage payment for lower-payment mortgages was $1,493. Edward Seiler, MBA’s associate vice president of housing economics and executive director of the Research Institute for Housing America, says better conditions may be ahead. “Housing affordability conditions weakened slightly in April, as mortgage rates edged higher and rising loan amounts pushed monthly payments up from March,” Seiler said. “However, affordability remains improved compared to a year ago, supported by lower mortgage rates and continued income growth. Looking ahead, continued income gains and some stabilization in mortgage rates could help support better affordability conditions.” (source)

SOCIAL CAPTION: The national median mortgage payment rose $21 in April but remains 1.6 percent lower than last year, according to new numbers from the Mortgage Bankers Association

05/28/2026

05/26/2026

Sellers Have Learned to Price for the Market:
If you’ve ever sold a home, you know that your list price is important. It can be the difference between multiple offers and a home that sits on the sidelines while other available homes sell more quickly. These days, according to a new analysis from the National Association of Realtors’ consumer website, sellers are learning to price their homes right for the market after a period of increasing price cuts – a sign sellers hadn’t yet adjusted to a cooler market. Jake Krimmel, senior economist at Realtor.com, says where homes are priced right, buyers are showing up. “Buyers have been sidelined but they haven’t disappeared – they’ve simply been waiting for the right conditions,” Krimmel said. “In the metros where sellers have come to market with realistic prices, buyers are showing up. That supply-demand-price alignment is what separates a dynamic market from a stagnant one, and we’re beginning to see it take hold in a meaningful way.” (source)

SOCIAL CAPTION: The share of listings with price cuts has fallen this spring – a sign sellers are pricing their homes more realistically.

05/22/2026

Spring Season Warms More Where the Homes Are:
Spring is when the home buyers show up. That’s why sales expectations for the season always run high. Some of the time, those expectations get derailed by world events and economic uncertainty. Buyers get hesitant and the season’s numbers are underwhelming. Other times, it depends on where you look. This year’s spring season may be one of those times. In fact, according to one recent analysis, spring sales are booming in some regions and not in others. They’re showing the most promise in areas where more inventory has been built. Put simply, the demand from buyers is there and – where there are homes available to buy – they’re buying them. Currently, that’s primarily in the South and West. Austin leads all major metros with an annual sales growth of 20 percent so far this spring. It also leads the nation in inventory growth, with the number of homes for sale up 52 percent over pre-pandemic averages. On the flip side, the Northeast and Midwest – where fewer new homes have been built – have seen a slower spring so far this season. (source)

SOCIAL CAPTION: Spring home sales are higher where the homes are, according to a new analysis. Southern cities where more new homes have been built have seen booming sales compared to metros in the Northeast and Midwest.

05/19/2026

Buyers Have Misconceptions About Process, Rates:
Most Americans aspire to own a home one day, if they don’t already. But while most of us are – or want to become homeowners – many of us still have misconceptions about how to buy a home. It’s a major financial transaction, so some confusion is to be expected, especially if it’s your first time around. But, according to a recent survey, some of Americans’ most common misconceptions could be holding them back. For example, potential buyers may be overestimating what it takes to become a qualified buyer. More than a third believe a credit score of more than 700 is required and 66 percent think you need perfect credit to get the best rate. Additionally, 15 percent of potential buyers believe a 20-percent down payment is mandatory to buy a home. None of those beliefs are correct but all of them could dissuade an otherwise qualified buyer from entering the market, especially at a time when the same survey found 63 percent of respondents believe mortgage rates are higher than they’ve ever been – which is also not true. (source)

SOCIAL CAPTION: Americans have misconceptions about home buying, according to a new survey, including 15 percent who believe a 20-percent down payment is mandatory.

05/18/2026

Early Spring Remains the Best Time to Sell:
Most people decide to sell their house because it’s time for them to move. They may need more space, want to be closer to work or family, or want to downsize. There are any number of reasons someone may be looking to make a move. Very few of them involve timing the market perfectly. However, if you’re a homeowner who is thinking about selling your house sometime soon, now may actually be the perfect time to do it. Why’s that? Well, according to ATTOM Data Solutions, spring is the time when home sellers sell for the largest premiums. That means sellers get more than market value for their homes. How much more? Well, ATTOM’s data shows homes that sold in March, April, and May over the past 10 years sold for an average premium of 9 percent. The end of May is particularly good for sellers, with May 26 and 27 bringing premiums between 13.5 percent and nearly 15 percent, according to ATTOM. (source)

SOCIAL CAPTION: Homes that sold during early spring over the past 10 years sold for an average premium of 9 percent, according to newly released data.

05/13/2026

New Home Sales Up from Last Year:
The most recent measure of new home sales from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development covers sales numbers from the months of February and March. According to the data, sales were up. In fact, sales were 7.4 percent higher in February and 3.3 percent higher in March compared to year-before levels. Bill Owens, the National Association of Home Builders’ chairman, says demand conditions are improving. “An uptick in new home sales reflects improving demand conditions, supported by a modest pullback in mortgage rates and ongoing supply constraints in the existing home market,” Owens said. “Builders are gradually increasing production, but elevated construction costs and labor shortages continue to limit the pace of expansion.” Also in the report, the median new home sales price was $387,400 – nearly 10 percent lower than its December 2025 peak of $429,100. (source)

SOCIAL CAPTION: According to newly released data, new homes are nearly 10 percent less expensive than they were in December – with the median sales price down to $387,400.