Why Mortgage Rates Hold the Key to Improved Affordability in 2023

By Ksenia Potapov on February 3, 2023
By all respects, 2022 was a tumultuous year for the housing market. Annual house price appreciation remained at a double-digit pace for most of the year, mortgage rates increased by nearly 4 percentage points in less than 12 months and, as a result, affordability plummeted. By October, housing affordability had declined by a record 68 percent ... Read More

Interest Rates Real House Price Index Affordability

House Prices Declining Fastest in Overvalued Markets

By Mark Fleming on January 31, 2023
In November 2022, the Real House Price Index (RHPI) increased by 60 percent on an annual basis. This rapid annual decline in affordability was driven by two factors -- a 7.6 percent annual increase in nominal house prices and a 3.7 percentage point increase in the average 30-year, fixed mortgage rate compared with one year ago. Even though ... Read More

Interest Rates Real House Price Index Affordability

What to Expect from the 2023 Housing Market

By Odeta Kushi on January 10, 2023
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the housing market has experienced a series of highs and lows. The housing market was already strong prior to 2020, but the pandemic redefined the role of a home, creating a surge in demand which, coupled with record-low mortgage rates and limited housing supply, powered the housing market to multiple records ... Read More

Interest Rates Affordability

Why Housing Affordability May Rebound in 2023

By Mark Fleming on December 26, 2022
Affordability continued to suffer in October 2022, as the Real House Price Index (RHPI) jumped up by 68 percent on an annual basis. This rapid annual decline in affordability was driven by a 12 percent annual increase in nominal house prices and a 3.8 percentage point increase in the average 30-year, fixed mortgage rate compared with one year ago. ... Read More

Interest Rates Real House Price Index Affordability

House Prices Decline, But Equity Buffers Remain Robust

By Mark Fleming on November 28, 2022
In September 2022, the Real House Price Index (RHPI) jumped up by 60.6 percent on an annual basis. This rapid annual decline in affordability was driven by two factors – a 13.5 percent annual increase in nominal house prices and a 3.2 percentage point increase in the average 30-year, fixed mortgage rate compared with one year ago. Even though ... Read More

Interest Rates Real House Price Index Affordability

Pandemic Boom Markets Cooling the Fastest

By Mark Fleming on October 21, 2022
Affordability continued its rapid decline in August 2022, as the Real House Price Index (RHPI) soared 49 percent on an annual basis. The ongoing and swift decline in affordability was driven by a 15 percent increase in nominal house prices and a 2.4 percentage point increase in the 30-year, fixed mortgage rate compared with one year ago. As ... Read More

Interest Rates Real House Price Index Affordability