Fewer single-family homes traded hands between July and September than in the third quarter of last year, even as a steady drop in interest rates appeared to help draw more homeowners to list.

Sprinkler requirements for new buildings and advances in fireproof materials mean states and cities could unlock tens of thousands of new housing units with a simple building code change, a new report says.

Sometimes, homebuyers are hesitant to pull the trigger. They might love the house they found – it’s priced right and mortgage rates are coming down – but they just can’t decide whether to move forward.

Scammers succeeded in stealing one Massachusetts property and almost got their hands on another this summer using a type of fraud called “seller impersonation.”

If the past is prologue, millions of homeowners with high-rate mortgages won’t refinance their loans, even as mortgage rates tumble.