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.
Homebuyers Are Scoring the Biggest Discounts in 13 Years
The typical buyer who scored a home for below the list price in 2025 got a 7.9% discount—the largest since 2012. 1 in 4 buyers
More Gen Zers are Buying Homes. But It’s a Trickle, Not a Flood.
Homeownership for young Americans is a mixed bag. The homeownership rate for Gen Zers and millennials is ticking up, but both generations are tracking behind
Homebuyers Are Canceling Deals at the Highest Rate on Record
Over 40,000 U.S. home-purchase agreements were canceled in December, equal to 16.3% of homes that went under contract that month—the highest December percentage in records
Home Sellers Outnumber Buyers By a Record Margin, Upping Buyers’ Bargaining Power
There were a record 47% more home sellers than buyers in December, giving the buyers who were in the market negotiating power. The Sun Belt
Trump’s Mortgage Bond Order Pushes Rates Below 6% For First Time in Nearly 3 Years, Boosting Purchasing Power
Purchasing power has increased $30,000 in the last six months, with rates falling below 6% the day after President Trump ordered a $200 billion mortgage
The U.S. Housing Market Has 37% More Sellers Than Buyers—More Than Double Last Year’s Gap
Summer 2025 was the only time in records dating back to 2013 that sellers outnumbered buyers by a larger percentage. This mismatch means it’s a
