Housing Market Watch: U.S. home price growth slows to its weakest pace since 2021 as inventory builds.

Investor Trends: Rising rental demand fuels investor re-entry into suburban markets.

Mortgage Rate Shift: 30-year fixed mortgage rates dip below 6.7% for the first time in 8 weeks.

New Jersey Spotlight: Bergen and Monmouth counties post double-digit YoY home price gains despite national slowdown.

Stock Market Recap: Dow edges higher, tech stocks rebound, and real estate investment trusts (REITs) see mixed results.

Younger buyers face steep prices Homebuilder pressures: While Lennar beat forecasts, warned margins remain under stress—indicating cautious investor sentiment..

Instead, they’re Insurance risk squeeze: Reinsurer woes and higher rates feed cost pressures on homeowners—not REIT-linked yet but a financial drag..

These prop Trade-war tariff impact: 25% auto and construction tariffs heading into effect; bond yields and mortgage costs may rise, dampening housing and mortgage-refi stocks..

Bond market volatility (10-year yield turbulence in April) affects mortgage rates—impacts housing demand and mortgage-REITs rising 16% YoY .

The national median price reached $435,300, marking the 24th straight annual gain—a sign of persistent affordability challenges .

First-time buyers accounted for just 30% of all purchases, down from the historical norm of ~40% .

Homebuilder Stocks: Lennar-related shares under pressure as margin warnings weigh in, despite land banking benefits.

REIT Sector: Apartment REITs and rental property stocks poised to gain value as multifamily absorption rebounds.

Financials & Mortgage: Bank earnings sensitive to mortgage demand; rate commentary linked to Fed outlook.

Consumer Staples & Retail: Retailers tied to housing demand, e.g., appliance and furnishing chains, may see volume variations.

Construction Materials: Tariffs on foreign materials could raise costs; related stock values fluctuate in response.

REIT M&A: Recent deals like Blackstone’s large multifamily acquisitions signal investor confidence in rentals businessinsider.com.

Macro Signals: The Fed’s July meeting (no rate cut yet), inflation concerns, and trade policy shifts continue to influence real estate and equity markets businessinsider.com

Mortgage rates remain elevated at around 6.75–6.84%, deterring potential buyers and weighing on deHome insurance premiums increased 20% from 2022 to 2024, with another 8% rise projected in 2025.

According to NAR, if rates drop to 6%, an additional 550,000 households could In high-risk regions, homeowners saw premiums jump from $7,000 to $12,000 within a year.

Zillow projects homes to end 2025 with values **2%Insurance cost spikes are triggering localized mortgage delinquencies, threatening housing affordability.

BuiU.S. listings rose 31.5% year-over-year in May, marking the 19th consecutive month of growth—to manage risk amid slowiThe typical home stayed on the market 51 days—about 6 days longer than last year.

Lennar and others now option 74% of land, up from 36% in 2017, maintainiPrice cuts hit 21% of listings in the South and West, double the rate in the Northeast.

With new home sales flat and inventory lingering, this strategy positions builders to ramp up quickly wheIn Manhattan, 69% of transactions were all-cash in Q2 2025.

Investor Activity Surge Luxury sales (top 10%) are up 18% year-over-year, with median prices at $6.52 million in early 2025—Inventory in the luxury segment dropped 21%, highlighting strong demand among wealthy investors.

Rather than large institutions, small-scale investors (owning <100 homes) account for nearly 25% of Multifamily REIT bounce: Tariffs will slow new construction, lifting value of existing rentals—Blackstone’s $10B acquisition is an example..

These investors often refurbish properties (~$250K buys, renting for Apartment REITs setup: JPMorgan flags brokerages and net-lease REITs for near-term growth; expect residential REITs to shine in 2026.

Median sale price in Jun ’25: $581,900 (+6.0% YoY) with 8,248 homes sold (+3.7%) and 31,871 active listings (+11.8%) .

Top metros seeing fastest price growth: North Bergen (+78.9%), Fort Lee, Summit, Plainfield, Elizabeth among others mysanantonio.com

Median price for single-family homes statewide rose 7.1% YoY, hitting $600K. Higher-end suburbs like Livingston saw strong gains, while Jersey City prices plateaued (~$694K) mysanantonio.com.

State inventory barely budged (+0.2%), but Elizabeth spiked +130% YoY and Union County +15%; Jersey City homes now take longer to sell (≈39 days) mysanantonio.com.

Affordability index declined from 78 to 74; condo prices in Union County jumped 11.8% ($427K) and in Livingston 38.7% ($877.5K)—pricing many entry buyers out businessinsider.com bankrate.com

Flipping declined sharply: 67,394 homes flipped in Q1 2025—the lowest quarterly figure since 2018—with flips making up just 8.3% of all sales attomdata.com.

Gross profit per flip dropped to $65,000, delivering a 25% ROI before expenses, down from 28% in Q4 2024 housingwire.com

Daily margins are tightening especially in high-priced areas. Only 26% of metro markets saw ROI above 50%, mostly in the Midwest and Northeast prnewswire.com

A weaker U.S. dollar has made American real estate 5–10% cheaper in foreign currencies, spurring a 44% rise in international home purchases Apr ’24–Mar ’25 Investopedia

Despite record-high median home prices nearing $447,000, foreign buyers now pay, on average, $494,400—benefiting from exchange rate shifts Investopedia

Russia, Europe, and Japan-based buyers saw the most pronounced purchasing power gains in June redfin.com.