TeeJay Tech Bro

  There were 628,000 (SAAR) new single-family home sales nationwide in June. That’s 1.6% above the revised May rate of 618,000. Sales of newly built homes were 5.6% below the June 2025 estimate, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The median price of new houses sold was $398,300, down 2.7% from a year ago. The average sales price, $475,400, was down 6.5% — reflecting a June sales mix that tilted toward lower-priced homes. The seasonally adjusted estimate of new houses for sale at the end of June was 485,000, a supply of 9.3 months at the current sales rate — compared with 9.4 months in May and 9 months in June 2025. What happened New home sales edged higher in June, running at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 628,000 — up 1.6% from May, but still 5.6% below their year-ago pace. Step back from the single month, and a pattern has emerged. Through the first half of 2026, builders have sold fewer new homes than in any comparable stretch since 2017. The year-to-date pace is running...

  In short: A divided Federal Reserve held rates steady, but three policymakers pushed for a hike. With mortgage rates expected to fall only to 6.4% by year-end, the affordability tailwind buyers felt in the first half of 2026 may soon become a headwind. What’s next for rates? The Committee held the federal funds rate at 3.5%–3.75%, with nine voters favoring a hold and three favoring a hike — the first time three voters have dissented in the same direction since 2016. The bias of the next move is a hike.  Zillow expects mortgage rates to ease only gradually, drifting to roughly 6.4% by the end of 2026 . What’s the impact on housing?  Mortgage rates are slightly lower than a year ago, but that boost to housing activity may not last much longer. Although rates are expected to decline from today’s levels, a year-end rate of 6.4% would be slightly higher than the range buyers encountered in the fall and winter of 2025. That would erode recent affordability gains and make it ...

  Nationally, a typical household needs 8.5 years to save for a down payment and an additional 6.2 to break even on the purchase relative to renting, according to a new analysis by Zillow.  In San Jose, the combined timeline is almost 50 years. In Memphis, it’s about 11 years. Targeting a starter home can cut the timeline roughly in half: nationwide, a typical household reaches the breakeven point in 7.2 years.  The common wisdom is that saving early to buy a home is the smart financial move, but the reality is more nuanced. Buyers should think about not just when they can afford to buy, but how long they’d need to stay before owning makes more financial sense than renting.  Nationwide, a household saving 10% of the median income can save for a down payment and come out ahead compared to renting in less than 15 years. That includes 8.5 years to save enough to put 20% down on the typical single-family home, then another 6.2 years before owning comes out ahead financi...

  Outside interest is growing fastest in Buffalo, Chicago and Houston, where out-of-town rental search shares grew the most year over year. In established hotspots — Raleigh (59%), Hartford (55%), New Orleans (54%) and Nashville (52%) — outside rental searchers outnumber local rental searchers on Zillow. The largest shares of long-distance rental searches typically come from neighboring states. The notable exception is New Yorkers looking south, especially in Florida.  P rospective renters are looking beyond their own backyards, and new Zillow® data reveals where they’re setting their sights. An analysis of rental listing page views found that out-of-town interest is growing fastest in Buffalo, Chicago and Houston. The share of searches coming from renters outside these markets has surged over the past year — an early signal of where relocation demand may be heading next. Rental search patterns are an early signal of migration trends — when outside search share grows in a mark...