Housing affordability

In a reversal of 2021 trends, inventory is increasing and price reductions are occurring across cost levels, though less often among the least expensive homes, according to reports from Zillow and Redfin.

Approximately 8% of listings on the market each week are getting a price cut, while the share of offers facing bidding wars fell below 45% in July, the brokerage's latest report found.

The affordability crisis is expanding as Americans move back to big cities and some areas suffer a housing shortage.

At the same time, homes bought with FHA-backed loans accounted for the smallest share since 2007, according to an Attom sales report.

While housing costs were still up nationwide, Pacific states saw the most rapid pace of moderation on an annual basis, a Federal Housing Finance Agency study found.

Home sales were down by 17% in June, while inventory increased over 27%, compared to numbers from one year ago, according to Remax.

The slowdown in new single-family construction is one of several headwinds homebuilders find themselves facing this summer.

Even with another annual surge of over 20%, the pace of home-price growth eased in May and experts anticipate even further moderation over the next year.

Recent data from several organizations further highlights affordability challenges and souring consumer sentiment, while a growing number of economists think the market has peaked.

California could soon help first-time home buyers with their down payments and mortgage costs under a proposed $1-billion program to make homeownership more financially feasible for low- and middle-income residents.

A larger share felt it was a bad time for both buying and selling, but a growing number expect price growth to slow.

The median rent in the tri-county area jumped 57% from March 2021 to March 2022, according to the latest data from realtor.com.

While housing costs continued to set records, several signs of moderation have begun to appear in the last several weeks, according to Redfin.

Recent affordability and interest rate trends led to “clear evidence” of discouragement among potential consumers in the purchase market in the first three months of 2022, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

Suburban pushback against a proposal that would have loosened regulations of new units in New York State led to its removal from the state budget.

A majority of housing experts also believe first-time homeownership should hit 2019 levels again within four years; however, a substantial number don’t expect it this decade.

While the median income rose 1% over the last year, the median price of a home rose a staggering 25%, according to the the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.