Could Home Prices Turn Negative This Year? (2/17/25 Market Update)
Feb 19, 2025
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Explore the fascinating dynamics of the U.S. housing market, where home prices might turn negative this year. Discover how inventory levels and regional differences shape the market, with potential price drops in the Sunbelt contrasted by expected appreciation in Northern cities. Get insights from a data-driven approach that identifies trends ahead of major headlines. Real estate enthusiasts won't want to miss the analysis of supply and demand that's crucial for understanding the future of homeownership.
Home price appreciation has significantly slowed to around 2%, indicating potential for negative price trends amid high mortgage rates.
Despite increased inventory levels of unsold homes, buyer demand remains weak, leading to longer contracting times and price adjustments from sellers.
Deep dives
Current Home Price Trends
Home price appreciation in the U.S. is currently at a low rate of around 2% compared to last year, a significant decline from the 4-5% increase seen at the end of 2024. The current situation raises concerns about potential negative price trends as mortgage rates remain elevated, keeping buyer demand subdued. Although newly pending home sales remain on par with last year, the overall activity indicates that home buyers are largely hesitant to enter the market. The data suggests that, while prices are not falling dramatically, they are remaining flat and may continue to do so if the economic conditions do not improve.
Market Supply Dynamics
The inventory of unsold single-family homes in the market has reached 638,000, a rise of nearly 1% from the previous week and indicative of a 29% increase compared to a year ago. Higher mortgage rates appear to be contributing to increased inventory levels, which is expected to continue if these rates remain elevated. February typically sees a seasonal increase in listings, but current new listings still fall below pre-pandemic levels. The data reflects a tightening market for buyers, as despite higher inventory numbers, many sellers are not flooding the market, which keeps prices from dropping sharply.
Weak Buyer Demand and Its Implications
Buyer demand remains weak, as evidenced by the fact that over 60,000 newly pending home sales were recorded this week, only a slight increase from last year's low figures. Homes are spending longer than usual in contract, suggesting that many buyers are still reluctant to commit in the current market. The rising percentage of homes taking price cuts—33% of those on the market—further illustrates the lack of strong demand, as sellers adjust their expectations. This weak demand raises the possibility of negative home price trends moving forward if current conditions persist, pointing to a cautious outlook for the housing market in 2025.
1.
Analyzing Current Trends in the U.S. Housing Market
Welcome to How’s the Market, our weekly look at what’s happening in the US housing market, powered by data from Altos Research.
If you want to see all the inventory, pricing, and supply and demand charts we reference in the show, head on over to our YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/altosresearch.
Hosted by Mike Simonsen, President of Altos Research.A true data geek, Mike founded Altos Research in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. Altos provides national and local real estate data to financial institutions, real estate professionals, and investors across the country, and the company is now part of HW Media, publisher of HousingWire and RealTrends. Mike uses Altos data to identify trends in the real estate market well before the headlines, and his work has been featured in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Fortune, Forbes and other publications.
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