US Home-Purchase Applications Slide to Lowest Since February

A "For Sale" sign on a house in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Photographer: Joe Lamberti/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

A measure of US mortgage applications for home purchases slid last week to the lowest level since February, indicating elevated housing prices are impeding a nascent upswing in demand from falling mortgage rates.

The Mortgage Bankers Association’s index of mortgage applications to buy a home decreased 5.2% to 130.6 in the week ended Aug. 16. Refinancing applications also tumbled after surging to a two-year high in the prior week.