Home Loan Demand Increases for Third Straight Week—Surging 11% | | |
Mortgage applications increased for a third straight week—11% from the week prior, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association for the week ending Feb. 27. New home loans and refinancing contributed to the increase.
The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 11% on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 12.1% compared with the previous week.
Read more from Realtor.com.
| | More Homeowners Have a Rate Above 6% Than a Rate Below 3% For the First Time in 5 Years | | |
For the first time in five years, more U.S. homeowners have a mortgage rate above 6% than a rate below 3%.
More than one in five (21.2%) mortgaged U.S. homeowners had a 6%-plus rate in the third quarter, up from 17.1% a year earlier and the highest share since 2015. A slightly lower share (20%) of mortgaged homeowners have a rate under 3%, the smallest share since the end of 2021.
Read more from Redfin.
| | Greater Philadelphia Tops National Housing Market Price Growth in January | | |
Greater Philadelphia saw the strongest home price growth among 40 major metro areas in January, with prices rising 8.6 percent year over year, writes Ryan Mulligan for the Philadelphia Business Journal.
In January, the region’s median home price increased to $380,000, up from $350,000 a year earlier. According to a recent report from Homes.com, this growth is more than three times the national increase of 2.8 percent, with the national median sale price at $374,900.
Read more from Philadelphia.Today.
| | Back on the Market: Relistings Jump as Home Sellers Bet on Stronger Spring Market | | |
Nearly 45,000 U.S. homes that were delisted last year were relisted for sale in January 2026—the highest January figure in records dating back to 2016. That represents a record 3.6% of homes that were on the market in January.
This is based on a Redfin analysis of MLS data. We compare this January to prior Januarys because the data is seasonal. A relisting is defined as a home that goes on the market after having been delisted from the market for at least 31 days during the prior 12 months.
Read more from Redfin.
| | Philadelphia Lands in Top 10 of Renters’ Most Wanted Cities List | | |
Philadelphia ranked among the top ten most popular major cities for renters looking for apartments leading up to this year’s peak rental season, writes Michaelle Bond for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
To determine the ranking, the nationwide apartment search platform RentCafe analyzed millions of apartment searches across the 150 largest cities in the United States. The ranking considered factors such as page views of apartment listings, saved searches, favorites, as well as unit availability.
Read more from Philadelphia.Today.
| | The Typical First-Time Homebuyer Is 35 Years Old | |
The typical first-time homebuyer was 35 years old in 2025, down from 36 the year before and down from a peak of 38 in 2018.
Meanwhile, the typical repeat buyer was 47 years old, down from a historic peak of 52 the year before.
The small improvement in affordability from 2024 to 2025, along with a bit more inventory, brought the median homebuying age down. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.6% in 2025, down from 6.72% in 2024, and while home-sale prices continued rising last year, price growth lost steam. Affordability is improving in most major U.S. metros, and we expect it to improve more throughout the year.
Read more from Redfin.
| Pennsylvania Named 8th Best State to Retire in 2026 | |
Pennsylvania is the eighth best state to retire, according to WalletHub.
With an overall total score of 56.85 out of 100, the commonwealth falls less than five points behind the no. 1 state – Wyoming with 61.56 points.
The state especially excels in the quality of life category, ranking fifth overall nationwide. This category looked at qualities such as risk of social isolation, elderly-friendly labor market, elderly food insecurity rate, access to public transportation, mildness of weather and number of museums, theaters, golf courses and bingo halls per capita.
Read more from the PA Association of Realtors.
| Women’s History Month: Single Women Surpass Housing Market Odds | |
Despite making less money on average, single women homebuyers continue to outpace men, representing 20% of all homebuyers compared to single men at only 8%, according to the National Association of Realtors®.
Until 1974, women were not legally allowed to obtain a mortgage without a cosigner. Since NAR began researching and publishing its Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers in 1981, the share of single women homebuyers has nearly doubled. This demographic of homebuyers formerly accounted for only 11% of all homebuyers.
Read more from the PA Association of Realtors.
| | I hope you enjoyed this Market News Update. For more information about how I can help you, please contact me. | | Information and analysis is obtained through third parties and is deemed accurate but not guaranteed. Philadelphia Mortgage Advisors is a licensed mortgage lender by the PA Dept. of Banking and Securities, NJ Dept. of Banking & Insurance, the State of DE, the Florida Office of Financial Regulation and MD Mortgage Lender #23004. NMLS #128570. | | | | |
