2026

U.S. mortgage rates continued to climb this week, adding pressure to homebuyer affordability as the housing market adjusts to elevated borrowing costs and renewed inflation risks stemming in part from the war involving the U.S. and Iran. The average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 6.69% for the week ended Aug. 6, 2026 from 6.66% a week earlier and 6.63% a year ago, according to Freddie Mac's...

Mortgage spreads are once again playing our friendly neighborhood housing hero by keeping mortgage rates under 7% in a crazy, hectic year. This has allowed housing to stay intact, sales-wise. While sales in our weekly tracker data have slowed down, as they typically do once mortgage rates get above 6.64%, they eked out a small positive year-over-year gain for the second week in a row.  In previous...

A pleasurable alfresco dining experience, whether you’re enjoying a quiet meal alone, gathering with family or entertaining a crowd, often comes down to a few thoughtful choices. The right dining table, a clever layout, effective temperature control and well-planned lighting can make all the...

A well-designed double vanity can make morning and evening routines feel more organized and less rushed. Separate sinks, dedicated storage and personalized grooming areas help ease busy mornings; striking materials, eye-catching mirrors and stylish lighting turn the vanity into a...

With art projects, fort building, tea parties and bedtime stories, kids are busy all day, every day — and their rooms usually have the clutter to prove it! In this series, we’re approaching each room in the house from the perspective of identifying what sparks joy. Here we look at ways to clear the...

Expanding your business is a huge milestone — and one to be celebrated. But transitioning from a solo operation to managing a team brings with it a whole new raft of challenges. Effective leadership, communication and delegation suddenly become key as you move from wearing all the hats to...

The Fed hawks must feel very awkward today. Before the July Fed meeting, Fed Governor Chris Waller said that if the July CPI report came in hot, a July rate hike would be on the table. Since that day, CPI inflation came in as a big miss, PPI inflation came in as a big miss, and today the jobs number whiffed with a negative report: 103,000 negative revisions and wage growth at cycle lows. Yes, very awkward...

There is a number every listing agent should be able to explain this week: 4.6%. It is the premium Compass says its private listings earn sellers. There is a second number that says the opposite. And there is now a third party, the United States Congress, asking which one is true. Start with Washington, because that is what turns a marketing squabble into something bigger. On July 22, the House...

REMAX and Keller Williams have received final approval of their homebuyer commission lawsuit settlement agreements in the Batton 1 lawsuit.  Judge LaShonda Hunt, who is overseeing both of the Batton lawsuits, granted final approval to both settlements this week after a fairness hearing on Tuesday.  According to the orders filed by Judge Hunt, the court found the settlement fair and adequate. She...

Fitch Ratings downgraded the long-term issuer default ratings of United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) to B+ from BB-, citing a sharp increase in leverage driven by second-quarter losses and higher borrowings. UWM’s ratings outlook is stable, Fitch said. UWM’s corporate leverage, measured as gross nonfunding debt to tangible equity, jumped to 6.1x at the end of the second quarter, up from 3.2x at the end...