Eye On Housing
The share of adults planning a home purchase within a year fell for a third straight quarter in the first three months of 2022, down to 13%. The last time fewer American adults intended to buy a home was in the second quarter of 2020 (11%). The decline is evidence that the COVID-induced boost to housing demand is past its… Read More ›
An earlier post revealed that 67% of buyers who were actively engaged in the process of finding a home in the final quarter of 2021 have spent 3+ months searching for a home without success. The inability to find a home they could afford once again became the most common reason (41%) these long-time searchers could not buy a home. … Read More ›
The share of prospective buyers actively trying to find a home fell in both the third (57%) and fourth quarters (52%) of 2021, after reaching a series high of 61% in the second quarter of the year. The downward trend demonstrates how falling levels of housing affordability have discouraged a growing share of potential home buyers from actively engaging in… Read More ›
According to the latest Housing Trends Report, home buyers’ affordability expectations deteriorated throughout 2021. By the fourth quarter, the share of buyers who could afford less than half the homes available in their markets was at 76%. That share had risen all year: from 63% in the final quarter of 2020, to 65% in the first quarter of 2021, 71%… Read More ›
In early 2018, only 16% of home buyers expected that finding a home would be easier in the months ahead. The share soared during the early phase of the pandemic, reaching 36% by the end of 2020. But in 2021, buyers’ perceptions of housing inventory worsened throughout the year, and by the fourth quarter, only 24% expected easier availability ahead… Read More ›
Only 15% of buyers were looking for a newly-built home at the start of 2018, but that share shot up to 42% by the final quarter of 2020 (after the start of the pandemic). Since then, however, interest for new construction has fallen steadily, as costs for building materials – especially lumber – have experienced double-digit growth. By the final… Read More ›
The share of adults planning a home purchase within 12 months has fallen for two consecutive quarters, going from 17% in the second quarter of 2021, to 16% and 15% in the third and fourth quarter of the year, respectively. The downward trend provides evidence that higher home prices and low housing availability (relative to demand) are leading some Americans… Read More ›
An earlier post revealed that 66% of buyers who were actively engaged in the process of finding a home in the third quarter of 2021 have spent 3+ months searching for a home without success. For only the third time in this series history, the top reason these long-time searchers haven’t pulled the trigger is not because they can’t find… Read More ›
After growing steadily for six straight quarters, and peaking at 61% in the second quarter of 2021, the share of prospective buyers actively trying to find a home to buy declined to 57% in the third quarter. This is an indication that fast-growing home prices have begun to discourage a segment of potential buyers from getting past the planning stage…. Read More ›
In the third quarter of 2021, 73% of buyers estimate they can afford less than half the homes available for-sale in their markets. That share is up from 71% the prior quarter, 65% the quarter before that, and 63% in the final quarter of 2020. This steady increase is evidence that double-digit increases in home prices have eroded the positive… Read More ›