Home price gains continue to lose steam. Prices rose 4.3% year-over-year in November, according to Tuesday’s S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index, which tracks prices in 20 metropolitan cities. This is down from 4.5% in October. Aside from prices, mortgage rates affect affordability. The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage stands at 3.63%, its lowest point since May 2013, Freddie Mac said last week. With a massive quantitative easing program in Europe, analysts wonder if the Federal Reserve will delay its rate hike, once widely expected to occur in 2015. If consumers think rates will fall further, they may delay home purchases, hoping to score a better deal in the future, causing price increases to decelerate further. TheStreet’s Scott Gamm reports from New York.
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