Housing Week Ahead: Hottest Markets, Ultraluxury, and Home Sales Data

A lighter economic calendar this week still yields crucial insights for the housing market, led by key property reports and vital inflation data.On Tuesday, Realtor.com® senior economist Hannah Jones releases the August Hottest Markets report, tracking where homebuyer interest is the strongest.Then on Thursday, I'll release the August Luxury Housing Report, which will focus on the markets with the biggest gap between entry-level luxury and the top 1%. As well, senior economist Joel Berner will deliver the latest Weekly Housing data covering current inventory and pricing trends.On the economic indicators front, attention shifts to mortgages, home sales, and inflation. I'll be covering Thursday’s Freddie Mac mortgage rate release, which recently hit a 2026 peak of 6.71% driven largely by escalating conflict in Iran.A sustained geopolitical resolution remains the primary catalyst needed to bring borrowing costs back down. Also on Thursday, Chief Economist Danielle Hale will analyze existing-home sales. Given the recent softness in pending sales, significant upward momentum is not anticipated for this release.Finally, Friday’s consumer price index report will provide crucial inflation ...