Housing Market News
Affordability
All-Cash Home Purchases Ended 2025 at Five-Year Low
29% of homebuyers paid with cash in December—the lowest share for that month since 2020—as a drop in mortgage rates diminished the benefits of paying
Homebuyer Down Payments Shrink for First Time in 5 Months
The typical homebuyer’s down payment dropped 1.5% year over year in December to $64,000 as elevated housing costs and increased negotiating power drove buyers to
64% of Single Americans Struggle to Afford Housing, Compared With 39% of Married People
Nearly half of single Americans earn less than $50,000 per year, compared to just 9% of married couples, according to a recent Redfin survey. That
Homebuyers Need to Earn $35,000 More Than Renters to Afford Monthly Payments. That’s the Smallest Gap in 3 Years.
Homebuyers need to earn $111,000 annually to afford the median-priced home, compared with $76,000 for renters. The median household income is $86,000. While that’s a
Affordability Is Improving: Buyers Must Earn $111,000 to Afford the Typical Home, Down 4% From Last Year
Homebuying affordability is improving nationwide after nearly five years during which it generally worsened. That’s because mortgage rates are lower and home-price growth is muted.
Austin, TX—Once Among the Nation’s Hottest Housing Markets—Is Now the Slowest
The typical Austin home that went under contract in December spent a record 106 days on the market, compared with 60 days nationwide. A decade
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
