This isnt how the housing market usually works

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Buyer options expand as inventory climbs 28.9%, hitting post-pandemic high

• Delistings surge 47% as sellers pull bak amid market uncertainty

• Price reductions reach the highest level in nearly a decade

There can be little argument that the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath distorted the housing market. The median home price surged nearly 50% in that five-year period, according to the National Association of Realtors. Home prices rose because of increased demand and historically-low mortgage rates.

Now that mortgage rates have normalized to around 6.5%, an increasing number of buyers cant afford those prices and have continued to rent. Normally, sellers would respond by cutting their asking prices, but according to an industry report, that isnt happening.

While active listings are surging and giving buyers more choice than at any point since the pandemic began, Realtor.coms June Housing Trends Report found an increasing number of sellers are withdrawing their homes from the market, unwilling to settle for less than peak-era prices.

In June, the number of active listings nationwide reached 1,085,520, a 28.9% increase year-over-year and a 4.8% rise month-over-month, marking the 20th consecutive month of inventory growth. Despite being about 11% below June 2019 levels, the surge has significantly narrowed the pre-pandemic inventory gap.

However, that isnt bringing down prices, at least not yet. One reason may be sellers unwilling or perhaps unable to compromise on price. According to the report, delistings rose 47% year-over-year in May and are up 35% year-to-date.

That means many sellers are testing the waters but quickly pulling back if they dont get their desired price. In fact, delistings have grown faster than active inventory, signaling growing seller impatience.

Testing the market

The market is a study in contrasts, said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com. Buyers are seeing more choices than theyve had in years, but many sellers, anchored by peak price expectations and strong equity positions, are stepping back if they dont get their number.

In some markets like Phoenix, Miami, and Riverside, this trend is even more pronounced, suggesting a reserve of latent supply that could return later, possibly at unchanged price points. Nationally, the delistings-to-new listings ratio hit 13% this spring, a substantial rise from 10% in both 2023 and 2024 and 6% in 2022.

This indicates that for every 100 new homes listed, 13 were delisted, homes likely withdrawn due to slow activity or buyer pushback.

Discover how knowing your style from extrovert to detailoriented can make fitness stick

• Matching workouts to your personality can boost both enjoyment and results.

• Extroverts tend to enjoy high-intensity or group sessions, while those high in neuroticism prefer shorter, private workouts and get more stress relief.

• Personality traits like conscientiousness link to baseline fitness and activity levels, and neuroticism predicts greater drops in stress after training.
  

A new study from University College London asked a simple question: Do our personalities influence what workouts we enjoy and how well they work?

The research focused on the "Big Five" traits extroversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, and openness and tested whether those traits related to fitness levels, session enjoyment, and stress reduction.

We found that our personality can influence how we engage with exercise, and particularly which forms of exercise we enjoy the most, researcher Dr. Flaminia Ronca said in a news release.

The study

For the study, the researchers had 86 volunteers complete the full program. All participants completed surveys measuring stress and Big Five traits before the intervention.

Researchers measured peak oxygen uptake, which is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise, as well as heartrate measures and general fitness.

An intervention group did home-based cycling and strength training for the duration of the eight-week trial, while a control group maintained their usual routines. Enjoyment of each session was logged via questionnaire.

The results

Ultimately, the researchers identified a link between the Big Five traits and overall fitness.

• Conscientiousness: Participants high in this trait tended to start with better general fitness and logged more weekly activity.
  

• Extroversion: This trait was linked to higher peak oxygen uptake and peak power output, as well as greater enjoyment of highintensity sessions.
  

• Neuroticism: This trait was correlated with poorer heart-rate recovery and less enjoyment of sustained, intense workouts.
  

The study also revealed links between the Big Five personality traits and exercise enjoyment.

Extroverts preferred explosive, high-energy sessions like high intensity interval training (HIIT). On the other hand, highly neurotic individuals felt less enjoyment from longer lab-based or sustained efforts, but they experienced the greatest stress reduction from aerobic training.

Participants who ranked highest in openness actually reported lower enjoyment for very intense workouts an unexpected finding that challenges earlier assumptions.

Those with the most agreeableness aligned with more enjoyment for easy, longer sessions.

What It Means for You

This study shows that recognizing your personality traits can help you pick workouts youll actually enjoy and, in turn, stick with.

• If you thrive in high-energy, social environments, try high-intensity or group sessions.
  

• If you're sensitive to stress or self-conscious, start with short, private workouts your mental health might thank you.
  

• Do you prefer structure? A regular routine might feel right.
  

• Rather than pushing through discomfort, pay attention to what feels energizing (or not) it might just lead to better results and well-being.
  

We hope that if people can find physical activities that they enjoy they will more readily choose to do them, senior author Prof. Paul Burgess said in the news release.

After all, we dont have to nag dogs to go for a walk: being so physically inactive that we start to feel miserable might be a peculiarly human thing to do. In effect, our body punishes us by making us miserable. But for some reason, many of us humans seem poor at picking up on these messages it is sending to our brain.

At least 14 children have died in hot cars so far this year

A baby in California died last week after his mother left him and his 2-year-old sibling inside a car while she was getting lip filler at a Bakersfield medical spa on a 101-degree day, authorities said.

Bakersfield Police criticized Maya Hernandez for placing the value of her appearance over the safety and well-being of her children in a report filed in Kern County Superior Court.

It was the latest in a series of similar deaths. In Belcamp, Maryland,a 6-month-old babydied on Sunday after it was left insidea vehicle. In Silver Spring, Maryland, a baby died under similar circumstances on May 7.

There have been at least 14 such deaths so far this year.

Nationwide, at least 1,139 children have died in hot cars since 1990 and at least another 7,500 survived with varying injuries, according todatacollected by the non-profit Kids and Car Safety.

Approximately 88% of children who die in hot cars are age 3 or younger and the majority (55%) were unknowingly left by an otherwise loving, responsible parent or caregiver.

90 minutes in a hot car

It is estimated that Hernandezs children were in the vehicle without air-conditioning for 90 minutes, wrote Det. Kyle McNabb, noting that the internal temperature of a car can rise to a blistering 143 degrees in just one hour of 100-degree weather.

Denial rates vary widely, with two Michigan metros having the highest denial rates

By Truman Lewis of ConsumerAffairs

After decades of attempts to level the housing playing field, Black Americans still face a harder path to home ownership than whites, with Black applicants being 1.7 times more likely to be turned down.

Detroit and Grand Rapids, Mich., had the highest denial rates in the nationwide survey conducted for LendingTree.

High mortgage denial rates along with limited generational wealth, income disparities and discriminatory practices are amongthe persistent challenges that keep the Black home ownership rate lower than that of other racial groups.

But these disparities arent uniform. Denial rates and the gaps between Black and overall applicants vary widely across the country.

LendingTree chief consumer finance analyst Matt Schulz says a higher denial rate for Black consumers means limited access to thebenefits of owning a home.

For generations, homeownership has been one of the most powerful tools for building wealth that Americans have. Home ownership isnt cheap, and there are ongoing costs; however, the equity that you can build over the years can be incredibly helpful. Not only can it provide you funding when youre in a financial pinch, but it can also be used in working toward other financial goals, Schulz says.

Key findings

Black homebuyer denial rate is 19.00% nationally

Black mortgage applicants are 1.7 times more likely to be denied a home loan than all homebuyers. In 2024, the mortgage denial rate for Black Americans was 19.00%, 7.73 percentage points higher than the denial rate for all applicants, 11.27%.

In what is perhaps a sign of progress, the denial rate disparity between Black and all mortgage applicants in the 50 largest metros decreased from 5.30 percentage points in 2022 to 4.80 percentage points in 2024.

Mortgage denial rates across 50 largest metros: All buyers vs. Black buyers

Source: LendingTree analysis of 2024 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data.

While the difference in denial rates between Black homebuyers and all buyers has narrowed slightly, the home ownership gap remains wide. The national home ownership rate in 2023 was 65.2%, yet it was 44.7% among Black consumers significantly lower than the rate among white (72.4%), Asian (63.4%) and Hispanic (51.0%) households.

The U.S. EV market is mostly restricted to large, expensive SUVs

By Truman Lewis of ConsumerAffairs

• U.S. EV buyers face a market dominated by costly SUVs and trucks, with few affordable options under $30,000.

• China churns out low-cost electric cars, some under $10,000, fueling exports to Southeast Asia, Europe, and beyond.

• Regulatory hurdles and consumer preferences keep most of these bargain EVs out of American showroomsfor now.

As electric vehicles gain ground globally, a stark divide is emerging: American roads are filling up with large, expensive electric SUVs and trucks, while China and other overseas markets enjoy a flood of low-cost EVs aimed at budget-conscious drivers.

In the United States, automakers have focused on high-margin models like the Ford F-150 Lightning, Chevrolet Silverado EV, and Teslas SUV lineup, often priced well above $40,000. Smaller, inexpensive EVs remain scarce, leaving many American consumers unable to find truly affordable electric alternatives.

Meanwhile, China has become a powerhouse of cheap electric mobility, producing dozens of models that cost less than $15,000or even under $5,000 in some cases, like the wildly popular Wuling Hongguang Mini EV. These vehicles are increasingly finding buyers outside China, particularly in Southeast Asia, Europe, and Latin America, where city-friendly size and low prices make them attractive.

European streets, for example, now host models like the MG4 and BYD Dolphin, offering affordable electric options far below typical U.S. price points.

Nissan's N7

Nissan has successfully developed and introduced the N7 mid-sized electric sedan. It'sselling well in China and Nissan now plans to export it to other globalmarkets, except for the U.S.

Some reviewers have said the N7 resembles a newer Nissan Altima. "It's a clean, if nondescript sedan with headlights clearly inspired by the Ariya," the car site CarBuzz said.

Despite this growing output inexpensive Chinese EVs abroad, most are unlikely to reach American shores soon, hampered by steep tariffs, safety regulations, and geopolitical tensions.

However, industry watchers say the tide could slowly shift, with companies like GM teasing sub-$35,000 EVs for the U.S. market in coming years. For now, the gap between Americas pricey EV landscape and the bargain-filled markets overseas remains as wide as ever.