Under Pressure: Rising Homeownership Costs Squeeze Housing Affordability
By
Sam Williamson on June 12, 2025
Key Points: The average monthly cost of owning a home in the U.S. soared to over $1,700 in 2023—a 17 percent increase from 2020—driven by across-the-board cost increases in mortgages, utilities, property taxes, and insurance. While mortgage holders face higher overall expenses, outright owners are seeing their housing budgets stretched more ...
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Affordability Improves Nationally Amid Divergent Regional House Price Trends
By
Mark Fleming on May 28, 2025
Key Points: Affordability improved in March, aided by falling mortgage rates, slower house price growth, and rising household income. National house price growth remains modestly positive, but prices declined in 13 of the top 50 markets year over year, while other markets posted strong gains. Market divergence in house price trends is below ...
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Peak Homebody Era is Pummeling the Housing Market
By
Odeta Kushi on May 23, 2025
Key Points: There is a strong relationship between the median length of time that people stay in their home, known as tenure, and sales activity. Historically, the median tenure length in the U.S. has been six years, but today it’s reached a historic high of nearly nine years. The drivers behind the rise in tenure length are multi-faceted but ...
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Southern Discomfort: Weather and Economic Headwinds Drive Home Insurance Premiums Through the Roof
By
Sam Williamson on May 7, 2025
Key Points: Homeowners insurance premiums in the U.S. increased by 21 percent between 2021 and 2023, driven by severe weather-related events, rising construction costs, and higher claim payouts. The South, particularly coastal cities, faced the steepest hikes, with eight of the 10 metros with the fastest-growing premiums located in the region. ...
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Affordability Improves Amid Year-Long Slide in National House Price Appreciation
By
Mark Fleming on April 30, 2025
Key Points: Rising inventory and affordability challenges are cooling price appreciation nationally. House prices have dipped below their peaks in 47 of the top 50 markets. Despite price declines, significant equity buffers remain for those that purchased over the boom period. In February 2025, home buyers received some welcome news as mortgage ...
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The Primary Force Holding Back the Housing Market Loosens
By
Odeta Kushi on April 18, 2025
Key Points: The rate lock-in effect peaked in Q4 2023 with a 3.2 percentage point difference between the average prevailing mortgage rate and the average outstanding mortgage rate. Due to lower mortgage rates and steadily increasing share of people buying homes at higher rates, the rate lock-in effect has loosened, prompting higher for-sale ...
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