Homebuilder Confidence Index Craters Due to Coronavirus Impact

For many months prior to the coronavirus outbreak, the real estate market was primarily plagued by a lack of available inventory for all the buyers looking for new homes. Affordable housing was especially rare, with prices being pushed up thanks to high demand, and homebuilders unable to construct new houses fast enough to meet that demand. However, the coronavirus has put a halt to many of these plans, causing the homebuilder confidence index to collapse.

Mortgage Applications Surge at Beginning of New Year

The first week of 2020 brought a resurgence in the housing market, starting the year off strong for mortgage applications. The rise in applications is credited to low interest rates, which have spurred an increase in both home purchases and refinancing by current homeowners. In fact, demand by new homeowners has risen to the highest level it has been since October 2009, according to the Mortgage Bankers’ Association.