Pending home sales declined in June as elevated mortgage rates and record-high home prices continued to weigh on buyer demand. The National Association of Realtors' Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI), which tracks signed contracts on existing homes, fell 5.4% from May and was down 0.3% compared with a year earlier. The latest report suggests affordability remains a significant hurdle for prospective buyers. While employment gains continue to support household finances, higher borrowing costs and elevated home prices have kept many buyers, particularly first-time purchasers, on the sidelines. “The highest mortgage rates in nearly a year and the record-high national median home price together are contributing to a tepid housing market that is especially difficult for first-time homebuyers,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. He added that continued job growth could help support housing demand, while noting that pending sales should be viewed as an indicator of future closings rather than a direct measure of completed transactions due to contract contingencies and fallout rates. Contract activity weakened across every major region during the month. The Northeast posted the smallest monthly decline at 3.0% , while the Midwest recorded the largest drop at 8.9% . The South fell 4.1% and the West declined 4.7% . Compared with a year earlier, pending sales increased 2.2% in the Northeast and 0.3% in the Midwest, while the South and West posted declines of 0.9% and 1.1% , respectively.

July 17, 2026 Download our Mobile App: Download our Mobile App: 30 Yr. Fixed 6.63% -0.05%   5.99% 6.82% 15 Yr. Fixed 6.16% -0.03%   5.55% 6.25% 30 Yr. Jumbo 6.83% -0.01%   6.1% 6.92% Compare Mortgage Rates from Local Lenders for Jul 17, 2026 Mortgage Rates End Week at Lows Fri, Jul 17, 2026 2:41PM The good news is that mortgage rates ended the day at their lowest levels of the week. That's welcome news after Monday's rates matched the highest seen since July 2025. Today's improvement came courtesy of weakness in the stock market, which is not necessarily a common or reliable source of inspiration for rates these days. But a majority of this week's drop is tied to back-to-back inflation reports coming in much lower than expected.  The bad news goes back to the long-term highs seen on Monday. In a short-term context, we've definitely seen solid improvement since then. In the bigger ... (read more) Mortgage News Daily Rate Change Points 30 Yr. Fixed 6.63% -0.05 0.00 15 Yr. Fixed 6.16% -0.03 0.00 30 Yr. FHA 6.25% -0.04 0.00 30 Yr. Jumbo 6.83% -0.01 0.00 7/6 SOFR ARM 6.30% -0.04 0.00 30 Yr. VA 6.26% -0.04 0.00 Updates Daily - Last Update: 7/17 Freddie Mac Rate Change Points 30 Yr. Fixed 6.55% +0.06 0.00 15 Yr. Fixed 5.93% +0.11 0.00 Updates Weekly - Last Update: 7/16 Mortgage Bankers Assoc. 30 Yr. Fixed 6.65% +0.07 0.67 15 Yr. Fixed 6.05% +0.06 0.88 30 Yr. Jumbo 6.62% +0.12 0.54 Updates Weekly - Last Update: 7/15 UMBS 30YR 5.5 99.86 -0.03   99.15 101.64 UMBS 30YR 6.0 101.72 -0.03   101.17 102.75 10 YR Treasury 4.551 -0.004   3.948 4.668 Bonds Picking Up Some Safe-Haven Demand Fri, Jul 17, 2026 9:35AM In a month where bonds have made a visible reconnection with fuel prices thanks to the Iran war resurgence, there have been several notable departures in the correlation. Today is the latest example. If we're splitting hairs, we can still observe yields and fuel prices generally moving in the same direction overnight, but when fuel prices surged between 4am ... (read more) MBS Price Change UMBS 5.0 97.60 -0.07 UMBS 5.5 99.86 -0.02 UMBS 6.0 101.72 -0.03 GNMA 5.0 97.95 -0.13 GNMA 5.5 100.18 +0.16 GNMA 6.0 102.05 +0.29 Pricing as of: 7/17 6:22PM EST US Treasury Yield Change 2 YR Treasury 4.175 +0.025 5 YR Treasury 4.283 +0.009 7 YR Treasury 4.408 +0.005 10 YR Treasury 4.546 -0.010 30 YR Treasury 5.070 -0.014 Pricing as of: 7/17 6:22PM EST Other News Pending Home Sales Decline But Remain Broadly Range-Bound Fri, Jul 17, 2026 1:51PM Pending home sales declined in June as elevated mortgage rates and record-high home prices continued to weigh on buyer demand. The National Association of Realtors' Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI), which tracks signed contracts on existing homes, fell 5.4% from May and was down 0.3% compared with a year earlier. The latest report suggests affordability ... (read more) Housing Starts Snap Back as May's Multifamily Drop Proves Short-Lived Fri, Jul 17, 2026 1:59PM Residential construction rebounded in June as housing starts and completions recovered from May's unusually weak levels, though building permits continued to trend lower. The latest Census Bureau data suggests that while builders remain cautious about future projects, construction activity itself regained momentum after last month's sharp pullback. Privatel... (read more) Broker and Corresp. Products; Verification, POS, Flood Cert. Tools; AI Governance; Vacancy Stats Fri, Jul 17, 2026 11:44AM I was speaking with a friend recently, and I asked her what she does for lunch. She replied, “Zentangle.” Yup, it’s a thing, something that wasn’t around when I was a kid. When I was a kid, people living on the street were known as homeless. Now the term is the “unhoused.” When I was a kid, any vacant house was usually creepy and rumored to have someone livi... (read more) Latest Video Pending home sales plunge in June July consumer sentiment improves to 54.4, well above expectations Oil rises on U.S.-Iran tensions May business inventories rise 0.3% Around the Web BLS Consumer prices up 3.5 percent over the year ended June 2026 CNBC Homebuyer affordability slipped for fifth straight month, real estate index shows Realtor.com Pending Home Sales Plunge 5.4% in June as Prices Surge to Record High CNBC Dallas Fed President Logan calls for 'modestly' higher interest rates Eye on Housing Multifamily Gains Lift Overall Starts Despite Single-Family Decline Investing Live US June import prices +0.3% vs -0.7% expected Investing Live US July prelim UMich consumer sentiment 54.4 vs 51.0 expected CNBC Import prices post surprise gain as costs of goods from China hit highest since 2008 CNBC Treasury yields tumble as traders weigh domestic outlook and fresh Middle East strikes Reuters US weekly jobless claims fall; labor market remains stable CNBC Homebuyer affordability slipped for fifth straight month, real estate index shows Investing Live US May business inventories +0.3% vs +0.3% expected NY Fed US NY Fed GDP Nowcast Q2: 2.80% (prev 2.73%)

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