Monthly costs on a median-priced home would have topped 43% of typical wages in more than 3 in 10 counties during the third quarter, according to @Attomdata. Those costs exceeded historical norms in 570 of 583 counties. na2.hubs.ly/H08zXkX0

The 30-year mortgage rate averaged 7.32% for the week ending Oct. 22, down from 7.4% in the prior period, according to Freddie Mac. The drop is the first in almost two months. na2.hubs.ly/H08zWp60

@JLL forecasts North American construction costs will rise 3.2% to 4.2% in 2027. Material costs, U.S. trade policies and labor shortages are the main pressures in the region, the firm wrote in a new report. na2.hubs.ly/H08zdqL0

The share of small investors actively buying homes hit a 15-year high in the first half of 2026, @realtordotcom reported. Investors with fewer than 10 properties made 66% of investor purchases. na2.hubs.ly/H08zcrp0

Trump signed an executive order Oct. 22 directing USDA and VA to lower mortgage rates and targeting refinance costs. na2.hubs.ly/H08zcqV0

@rcn_capital's investor sentiment index rose five points to 89 in the third quarter, up from record lows in the spring and summer. Readings below 100 indicate pessimism. Investors voiced particular alarm about more Fed rate hikes. na2.hubs.ly/H08ySQJ0

Everyone who makes Top Emerging Stars or Top Workplaces gets a free marketing kit: press release templates, social copy, banners and an email signature graphic. Nominations close Nov. 3. na2.hubs.ly/H08z3hD0

Mortgage applications fell for a seventh straight week through Oct. 16, the @MBAMortgage reported, even as average 30-year fixed rates eased to 7.41% from 7.5%. The purchase index ran 18% below last year's pace. na2.hubs.ly/H08yLpb0

Pending home sales fell more than 7% in September from August and more than 11% from a year earlier, NAR said. Average 30-year mortgage rates rose from 6.8% to nearly 7.5% during September, according to MBA data. scotsmanguide.com/news/pendi…

Single-family housing starts fell 4% in September from August, the Census Bureau reported. Completions of new single-family homes are down 10.8% year to date, and permits hit their slowest pace of the year. scotsmanguide.com/news/singl…

Office vacancy was 19.8% in the third quarter, down 30 basis points from a year earlier, @CushWake reports. New office deliveries totaled 7.1 million square feet through three quarters, the lowest such total in more than 30 years. scotsmanguide.com/news/offic…

Scotsman Guide obtained a draft White House order on mortgage costs. Not official yet: it proposes cutting LLPAs and waiving appraisals on some refis, and would direct USDA and VA to lower rates. It could still change or never be issued. scotsmanguide.com/news/trump…

Tappable equity has topped $13 trillion for the first time since tracking began in 2005, Odeta Kushi of @FirstAm told Scotsman Guide. She said 80% of it is rate-locked, with mortgage rates below the prevailing rate. na2.hubs.ly/H08wGKz0

Bank servicers beat nonbanks on digital servicing in a @JDPower survey, with website averages of 740 and 704. Chase led bank servicers on mobile apps at 760 and Rocket Mortgage led nonbanks at 719. na2.hubs.ly/H08w8GV0

Buying a home cost $771 a month more than renting one in September, per @Zillow. Rental demand rose 19.2% from a year earlier, and single-family rental demand jumped 21.6%. na2.hubs.ly/H08w4KW0

Commercial real estate sentiment dropped below 50 in September for the first time since 2023, per CREDA. Interest rate sentiment fell from 52 to 31. na2.hubs.ly/H08tMKq0

Builder sentiment fell to a 14-year low in October, and about 43% of builders cut prices, the highest share in six years. na2.hubs.ly/H08tMlj0