National News

The pace of housing starts for both single-family and multifamily residences was down on a month over month basis, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported.

The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index fell for the eighth straight month in August, as the key measure of builder confidence indicated a pessimistic outlook.

The brokerage’s new “communities” will provide its agents with specialized training, technology, coaching and referral opportunities.

Sellers using Zillow may request and view an offer directly from Opendoor and compare it to an open-market sale with a real estate agent.

The national rental vacancy rate dropped to 5.6% in the second quarter of the year while the homeowner vacancy rate remained at 0.8%.

Home prices were up 10.9% in Boston on a year-over-year basis, compared to 18.3% nationwide, CoreLogic reported, citing its Home Price Index.

“Contract signings to buy a home will keep tumbling down as long as mortgage rates keep climbing, as has happened this year to date.” — National Association of Realtors chief economist Lawrence Yun

At the same time, the inventory of new homes for sale rose 10.7%, the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported.

The pace of new multifamily construction, however, jumped, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

At the same time, the median existing-home price rose 13.4% year over year to $416,000.

Nationwide, sales hit their highest level of the year, rising 4.7% from June but falling 17.6% on a year-over-year basis, RE/MAX said.

July saw the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index post its second-largest monthly drop ever, as worries about housing affordability dampened builder sentiment.

According to the annual survey, the typical Realtor saw their transaction sides rise from 10 to 12 and their sales volume increase from $2.1 million to $2.6 million.

The residential-brokerage franchisor announced a host of company-wide steps it is taking to grow its business.

A new report from ShowingTime reveals a continued drop in home showings nationwide: During May, buyer traffic decreased 18.2% year over year.

Prices for single-family homes in Boston increased by 11.1% year over year in May, up from 10.9% month over month.