Tag Archives: Inflation

Homebuyer affordability plummeted again in September according to the latest MBA analysis, with scarce supply, affordability constraints, and economic uncertainty continuing to hinder potential homebuyers.

As mortgage rates rose for the 10th straight week, hitting a 21-year high, housing demand continues to tail off, with the MBA reporting overall app volume falling nearly 2% week-over-week.

While mortgage rates are discouraging buyers' homeownership goals, quickly rising interest rates continue to hamper renters’ already limited buying power in the nation’s most expensive markets.

Mortgage affordability has worsened coast-to-coast, rising to 30.2% nationwide. New data from Zillow reveals that housing affordability is now the worst it has been in several years, leaving many households cost-burdened.

According to Zillow's latest market report, inventory levels are up 3% from 2021, leaving more options for buyers and more competitive pressure on sellers. However, new for-sale listings saw an 11.4% drop from August, marking the third straight month of double-digit declines.

As escrow and title payments turned negative in 2022, new data from Bank of America showed that median mortgage payments rose nearly 9% in September, while total payments increased 10% year-over-year.

Redfin reports that housing market activity is plunging further this fall than it did over the summer, with increased concern over 20-year high mortgage rates compounded by a volatile U.S. economy.

After more than a year of double-digit yearly rent gains, the U.S. median rental price in September posted its smallest year-over-year increase since last summer, further declining from its peak in July 2022.

The latest analysis from First American Financial revealed that millennials are the most educated generation in American history, with nearly 40% possessing a bachelor’s degree or more, as those with higher education remain more likely to obtain homeownership.

Credit availability fell to its lowest level since March 2013 in September, as reports show credit tightening for the seventh consecutive month.