Housing Market News
Affordability
The Typical Homebuyer’s Down Payment Is $56,000, Up 24% From a Year Ago
Over one-third of home purchases in February were made in all cash—not far from the record high. The median down payment for U.S. homebuyers was
First-Time Buyers Must Make $76,000 to Afford the Typical U.S. Starter Home–Up 8% From a Year Ago
Buyers must earn nearly twice as much as before the pandemic to afford the typical starter home, due to the one-two punch of high prices
The Typical Household Earns Roughly $30,000 Less Than Needed to Afford the Median-Priced Home—But That’s an Improvement From Last Year
Buyers need to earn $114,000 to afford the typical U.S. home—35% more than the typical household makes. But that’s an improvement from October, when buyers
Redfin Home Price Index: Prices Rose 0.6% in February, Marking Return to Pre-Pandemic Norm
While mortgage rates remain elevated, they’re not as volatile as they were at the height of the pandemic, which has helped stabilize home price growth.
Majority of U.S. Homeowners and Renters Say Housing Affordability Affects Their Pick for President
Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of respondents to a new Redfin survey say housing affordability makes them feel negative about the economy. More than half (53.2%) of
The U.S. Housing Market Gained $2 Trillion in Value Over the Last Year
The total value of U.S. homes jumped 5%, the biggest gain in nearly a year, as a shortage of houses for sale propped up values.
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
