The rate of home-price appreciation slowed to just over half the rate of inflation in July, Cotality noted. 

Atlanta’s high rental potential and relatively low prices make it a perfect choice for residential investors looking for comfy margins, Cotality said.

Despite the decrease in borrowing costs, the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Market Composite Index showed a decrease in mortgage applications in the week ended Aug. 29. 

Signed contracts declined despite lower interest rates and improved affordability and inventory, the National Association of REALTORS® said.   

The pace of home-price appreciation declined to its slowest pace in two years, according to the S&P Cotality Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index. 

The upside surprise came despite monthly and yearly declines in the pace of sales. 

Nationally, home sales rose 0.6% year over year but slid 0.7% month over month, RE/MAX said. 

The association said the housing market is making a definitive swing back in the direction of the buyer thanks to wage growth, slowing home-price gains and rising inventory. 

The single-family sector managed to eke out a slight monthly gain, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index slid a point to 32, reflecting ongoing negative sentiment in the homebuilding industry. 

Home sales fell 8% month over month and 4.5% year over year to 5,147 transactions, GAMLS said in its 12-county Housing Market Snapshot. 

NAR’s report — which surveyed nearly 5,000 Realtor members — also found that the typical agent took on 10 transactions in 2024, the same as a year prior.

Home-purchase activity remained elevated from 2024, but a cloudy economic outlook has deterred some would-be homebuyers. 

Geographically, the only region to post a monthly increase in pending sales was the Northeast, where they rose 2.1%, according to NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index.

Nationally, the pace of home-price appreciation declined to its slowest pace in almost two years, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index. 

The inventory of new homes for sale surged year over year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.