The Peril Premium
A new affordability formula now incorporates natural‑hazard risk, turning 180,000 single‑family homes into "triple‑threat" properties. These homes face simultaneous exposure to hurricane wind, inland flooding and fire‑following‑earthquake events, forcing buyers to add insurance, repair and safety costs to mortgage calculations. The most affected metros are New Orleans, Houston and Baton Rouge, where thousands of homes represent a growing share of the housing stock. Lenders and insurers must adapt underwriting to this expanded cost base.
US Home Price Insights — May 2026
U.S. home prices showed only a 0.4% year‑over‑year increase in March 2026, marking the slowest growth since the post‑pandemic correction began. After seven straight months of declines, the market posted a second consecutive monthly gain, up 0.3% from February. Only...
Feeling the Heat
Cotality’s 2026 analysis warns that extreme‑heat risk is expanding beyond the Southwest, with the Midwest seeing the steepest percentile jumps by 2030 and half of U.S. homes facing two extra weeks of 95 °F days by 2050. Texas and Florida remain...
Housing Markets Run on Speed. Buyers Run on Timing.
The housing market is engineered for speed—instant listings, rapid mortgage closings, and automated insurance validation—yet buyers feel left behind. A Cotality survey shows only 8% of home seekers are confident after finding a property, rising to just 13% on closing...
House Rich, Cash Poor: A Structural Mismatch in Home Equity
Cotality’s Homeowner Equity Report shows U.S. homeowners hold about $11 trillion in tappable equity, averaging $300,000 per borrower. Despite record‑high home‑equity lending, more than 97% of that wealth remains unused. The equity is concentrated in older, affluent households, leaving younger, cash‑poor...
Why Adjustable-Rate Mortgages Are Surging in a Falling-Rate Market
Adjustable‑rate mortgages (ARMs) have surged to about 21% of U.S. mortgage originations, the highest share in three years, even as rates fall. In high‑cost states such as California, ARMs account for over 31% of loans, driven by a widening affordability...