Mortgages

The slowdown in the otherwise red-hot housing boom has been stunningly swift. The U.S. housing market surged during the pandemic as homebound people sought new places to live, boosted by record-low interest rates. Now, real estate agents who once reported lines of buyers outside open houses and bidding wars on the back deck say homes are sitting longer and sellers are being forced to lower their...

They are usually reserved for homebuyers, but bidding wars are becoming more common in the rental home market. Demand for apartment and single-family rentals is surging and outpacing supply.

Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are on track to lend nearly as many dollars to apartment properties in 2020 as they did in 2019.