Indeed, seasonally adjusted sales of new homes rose 31 percent in July from a year earlier, while seasonally adjusted sales of existing homes (a bigger market) fell 17 percent over the same 12 months. The Fed raises rates to cool off the housing market and the inadvertent effect is to increase housing construction. On third glance, though, rate lock really does screw up the housing market. When the inventory of existing homes for sale declines because of rate lock, “the matching process that has to occur becomes more complicated,” he said. In May the inventory of existing homes for sale, 1.08 million, was less than half its average since 1999.

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Persons: Robert Dietz, ”, ” Campbell, Princeton’s Markus Brunnermeier Organizations: National Association of Home Builders Locations: U.S, “