In the same time span, mortgage rates rose 0.5%, resulting in a 2.4% reduction in September sales.

Statewide listings are also down more than 5%.

It comes as the average monthly 30-year fixed mortgage rates rose to 6.86%, the highest since January of last year.

“You have an awful lot of people who locked into mortgages at very favorable rates, five to six years ago,” says David Clark, a consultant with the Wisconsin Realtors Association. “You might be pretty reluctant to put an existing home on the market if you’ve got a 3% mortgage rate and trade it in for a 7% mortgage rate.”

How recent grants are removing barriers to housing

NEW GLARUS — Wisconsin Housing Preservation Corp. (WHPC) will celebrate the groundbreaking of Prairie Haus Senior on Tuesday, October 20, at 3 p.m. Located at 1003 Elmer Road in New Glarus, the new senior housing development will add 50 rental apartments for adults age 55 and older, expanding housing options in Green County. The development is anticipated to open in mid-summer 2027.

With a projected cost of $10.8 million, the three-story development will include 35 one-bedroom and 15 two-bedroom apartments. Of the 50 units, 30 will be market-rate rentals and 20 will be income-restricted for households earning up to 60% of the area median income (AMI).

The project will be funded through 501(c)(3) tax-exempt bond financing, WHPC equity, a WHPC Capital Magnet award, and gap funding from the Green County Development Corporation...

“Completing our first project with Volker Development is an exciting milestone for our team,” remarked Alison Gorham, Vice President & Director of Wisconsin Operations at McShane. “Kelly Station reflects a shared commitment to delivering quality affordable housing that prioritizes both residents and the surrounding community.”

Madison, Wisconsin – McShane Construction Company is pleased to announce the completion of Kelly Station, a 76-unit affordable housing community for client Volker Development.

Located at 2462 E. Washington Avenue in Madison, Wisconsin, Kelly Station is a five-story podium-style building with four floors of apartment residences atop an above-grade precast parking garage. The exterior design features masonry at the ground level, complemented by a combination of Hardie plank and lap siding across the upper four stories.

Governor Tony Evers joined community leaders, business partners, and local and state officials last Friday to celebrate the groundbreaking of Scholar’s Ridge.  The new residential development in Plymouth is located on South Pleasant View Road, and will create 102 single-family homes, expanding opportunities for attainable homeownership in Sheboygan County.

The groundbreaking marks another milestone in the county’s collaborative efforts to expand accessible homeownership, strengthen local communities, and support the workforce that drives the region’s economy.

Sheboygan County’s Forward Fund, a public-private partnership intended to increase the supply of affordable housing, was a key to making Scholar’s Ridge possible.  The fund was launched through significant investments from four founding business partners; Johnsonville, Kohler Co., Masters Gallery Foods and Sargento, with each contributing $2 million...

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago (FHLBank Chicago) has awarded $5 million through its 2026 Community First Developer Program to support the development of affordable housing professionals and expand housing development capacity across Illinois and Wisconsin.

The funding, distributed through FHLBank Chicago member financial institutions, will support an estimated 95 fellowships and internships at 27 organizations. The latest awards bring the program’s cumulative funding to $17 million since its launch in 2022.

The initiative provides grants to nonprofit, for-profit and quasi-governmental organizations that offer practical training opportunities for emerging affordable housing developers...