Nicole Friedman

2 weeks ago | mansionglobal.com | Nicole Friedman

Sales of existing homes in March posted their biggest monthly decline in more than two years, after mounting economic uncertainty roiled the housing market at the start of the critical spring selling season. U.S. existing-home sales fell 5.9% in March from the prior month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.02 million, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday. That marked the biggest month-over-month decline since November 2022.

2 weeks ago | wsj.com | Nicole Friedman

So far this spring, supply is increasing faster than demand. The inventory of homes for sale is rising, because some sellers who have been waiting for mortgage rates to fall have decided they can’t keep waiting. But with home prices near record highs and mortgage rates holding above 6.5%, buyers are being choosy. That’s setting the stage for potentially a third straight year of anemic sales activity, after sales fell in 2023 and 2024 to levels not seen since the mid-1990s.

2 weeks ago | wsj.com | Nicole Friedman

Many buyers, spooked by rising economic uncertainty, stayed away from the housing market during the start of the crucial spring season.

1 month ago | wsj.com | Nicole Friedman |Gina Heeb

Mortgage rates usually fall during periods of economic uncertainty. But during the past tumultuous week for the markets, mortgage rates ended essentially flat and dealt another blow to the housing market’s crucial spring selling season. The average rate on the standard 30-year fixed mortgage dipped slightly to 6.62% this week, according to a survey of lenders by mortgage-finance giant Freddie Mac. It was 6.64% a week earlier.

1 month ago | wsj.com | Jean Eaglesham |Nicole Friedman

LOS ANGELES—Susan Spira called her insurer days after the Los Angeles wildfires destroyed her family’s home—only to be told her policy had been canceled. The reason: In the chaotic days after the house burned to the ground, her monthly premium hadn’t been paid. “I nearly fell apart,” she said. Spira, a real-estate lawyer, fought back and the insurer, California’s Fair Plan, agreed her Pacific Palisades house was covered when the infernos sparked.