Last year was a wild ride in the US housing market. Mortgage rates doubled and sales plummeted, triggering the longest month-to-month slump on record. A lot of would-be buyers and sellers watched from the sidelines.
Throughout 2022, the Federal Reserve hiked its benchmark interest rate at a record pace to slow the economy and fight high inflation. Housing took the brunt of the impact, as the most interest rate-sensitive sector of the economy. The Fed’s actions had the intended effect, though, with housing affordability deteriorating and demand dwindling, which led to declining sales and slower annual price growth.
So what’s in store for the housing market this year? Home prices rose nearly 40% from the spring of 2020 to the spring of 2022, representing roughly a decade of price gains in just a couple of years. Will what went up also come down?
Housing experts and economists are not in agreement.
Economists’ predictions range from prices rising by around 5% this year, according to Realtor.com, to as much as a 22% decline from the peak in 2022 to the trough, according to John Burns Real Estate Consulting.
What happens with inventory, mortgage rates, and the broader economy will likely determine which tack the market takes.
Source: edition.cnn.com
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