Affordability

“Fading recession fears and the prospect of further home price increases have brought some house hunters off the sidelines, but for the most part, buyers remain hesitant to jump into the market because their buying power is so much lower than it was a year ago,” said Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather.

According to a new analysis, of the top ten cheapest cities to buy a home in 2023, nine are located in the South, while eight out of the top 10 costliest cities remain in pricey California.

A new report from CoreLogic revealed annual single-family rent growth has returned to pre-pandemic rates, growing by just 3.3% year-over-year in June, representing the lowest gain since autumn 2020.

“The steep decline in sales driven by the rapid rise in mortgage rates seems to be behind us, as the initial shock of higher mortgage rates has worn off,” said Mark Fleming, the Chief Economist for First American Financial Corporation.

While HELOC activity surged in 2022, a new report from CoreLogic showed that demand slowed significantly in the first half of this year as Freddie Mac revealed the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage reached its highest level in over two decades.

Despite the increasing risks of flooding, heat waves, and hurricanes, Americans are still flocking to metros such as Las Vegas, Sacramento, and Tampa, which topped the list of most popular migration destinations in Redfin's latest report.

Researchers from Finance of America Reverse report that a lack of education about their options could be preventing Americans’ use of their homes as both a shelter and financial springboard.

“Some buyers are hoping they can get a home for under asking price to make up for high interest rates because they’re hearing the housing market is slow. But what’s happening nationally isn’t necessarily true [locally],” said Kristin Sanchez, a Redfin Premier Agent.

Hitting levels last recorded in 2001, Freddie Mac reports the fixed-rate mortgage at 7.23% this week, forcing more prospective buyers to back to the sidelines and pushing purchase activity to a 28-year-low.

“Prospective homebuyers continued to face challenging conditions in July, with elevated and volatile mortgage rates and low housing inventory serving as a formidable one-two punch that suppressed mortgage applications and sales activity,” said Edward Seiler, MBA’s Associate VP, Housing Economics, and Executive Director, Research Institute for Housing America.