Housing Market News
Homebuyers Must Earn Nearly $80,000 to Afford the Typical U.S. Starter Home, Just Shy of the All-Time High
Homebuyers need to earn roughly $80,000 to afford the median-priced starter home, up 4.4% from last summer and only about $500 below the all-time high.
The Typical Homebuyer’s Down Payment is a Record $67,500, Up 15% From a Year Ago
The typical homebuyer put down 18.6% of the purchase price, up from 15% a year ago. Nearly 3 in 5 homebuyers put down more than
6 of Every 7 People With Mortgages Have an Interest Rate Below 6%, But the Lock-In Effect Is Starting to Ease
The mortgage rate lock-in effect is prompting many homeowners to stay put, contributing to America’s housing shortage. But the lock-in effect is slowly easing because
Starter Homes Emerge as Bright Spot as Mortgage Rates Settle Near 15-Month Low
Pending starter home sales grew 10% in July year over year, while other price brackets fell. The median price for a U.S. starter home climbed

Condo HOA Fees Surge in Florida Amid Insurance Crisis
HOA dues are up more than 15% from a year ago in Tampa, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, compared with a median gain of 6% across
U.S. Home Prices Tick Up 0.2% for the Second Month in a Row
Home prices grew 0.2% in July, equal to the slowest pace since January 2023. Twenty of the 50 most populous U.S. metros recorded a drop
Redfin Home Price Index: Price Growth Holds Steady at Start of Year
Home prices rose 0.5% month over month in January, on par with December’s gain, as the drop in mortgage rates at the end of last
Homebuyers on a $3,000 Monthly Budget Have Gained Nearly $40,000 in Purchasing Power Since Mortgage Rates Peaked Last Fall
Buyers can afford a more expensive home now that mortgage rates have dropped to 6.7%, down from nearly 8% in October. Redfin economists don’t expect
Redfin Home Price Index: Prices Rose 0.4% in December—the Smallest Increase in Six Months
High mortgage rates and an uptick in housing supply took some pressure off price growth, but prices aren’t falling because there’s still a shortage of
Gen Z’s Homeownership Rate Stagnated in 2023, But Millennials and Gen Xers Saw Gains
26% of adult Gen Zers owned a home in 2023, little changed from 2022. Meanwhile, the homeownership rate for millennials rose to 55% from 52%,
The Lock-in Effect: 89% of People With Mortgages Have an Interest Rate Below 6%, Down From a Record 93% in 2022
Most homeowners with mortgages have a rate below today’s average, prompting many to stay put. But the share of homeowners with relatively low rates has
16% of Home Listings Were Affordable for the Typical Household in 2023, Likely the Bottom for Housing Affordability
That’s the lowest share on record, down from 21% in 2022 and over 40% before the pandemic homebuying boom. White households had three times more