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

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

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

Warsh’s silence on resurgent inflation is deafening #Economy #InterestRates #MonetaryPolicy scotsmanguide.com/news/warsh…

The push to expand U.S. manufacturing capacity appears to be yielding results, with an increasing number of industrial companies breaking ground on a variety of projects across the country. #Commercial #Economy #RealEstate scotsmanguide.com/news/u-s-i…