By the Numbers

Mortgage rates didn’t shift significantly after the Fed’s unsurprising announcement, but rising prices — not rates — could be a bigger concern for homebuyers.

The year-over-year decline suggests factors like economic uncertainty, affordability may “further tighten the market just as the buying season hits its stride.”

Some markets could see inventory go up if sellers have "the option to gauge interest in their homes before listing," according to a Redfin analysis.

Concerns about the war in Iran are adding to widespread economic anxiety as mortgage rates — which recently hit three-year lows — start ticking back up.

Existing home sales rose slightly in February, but lagged behind last year’s pace. How consumers react to economic uncertainty may be key to sales this spring.

The U.S. lost 92,000 jobs in February, but economists expect the Fed to stick to its wait-and-see approach while employment data remains “volatile.”

The Middle East conflict “just added to the anxiety pile” for buyers and sellers already concerned about economic uncertainty, dampening sales activity.

After hitting three-year lows last week, mortgage rates jumped in the war’s first few days — but the rise could be temporary if the conflict doesn’t last long.

The U.S. had a deficit of 4.03M homes in 2025 — up from 3.8M in 2024 and the third-largest supply gap of the past 14 years, according to Realtor.com data.

The average weekly rate dipped below 6% for the first time in more than three years — a threshold that could unlock buyers (and sellers) this spring.

While affordability remains a challenge, lower mortgage rates and increases in inventory are giving buyers some wiggle room as they search for their next home.

The slowdown is increasingly tied to hiring confidence and stalled migration — not just sub-3% mortgages, according to Compass Chief Economist Mike Simonsen.

Rates fell to 6.01% this week, the lowest level in more than three years. But homebuying activity remains sluggish even as affordability steadily improves.

The National Association of Home Builders’ monthly sentiment score — which has hovered below 40 since April 2025 — dropped another point this month.

The typical down payment fell 1.5% year-over-year in late 2025 — a shift Redfin economists say may be a sign that buyers are seeking more affordable options.

Cooling inflation gives the housing market an “incremental tailwind.” But economists warn that data released this time of year can be tricky to interpret.

While existing home sales tumbled 4.4% year-over-year in January, improvements in affordability and inventory offer hope for more market activity this spring.

The U.S. household mobility rate fell to 11.2% in 2024, Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies found — and early 2025 data indicates not much has changed.

The latest employment report makes a case for “cautious optimism” ahead of the spring homebuying season — if job and wage growth continue.

A majority of Americans think that people aren’t making enough money to afford homes — and high mortgage rates aren’t helping, according to a Bright MLS survey.