As buyers shy away from a pricey market, more sellers are hoping concessions will help them move their house.
A new report from Redfin found that home sellers gave concessions to buyers in 42.9% of U.S. home sales during the three months ending April 30.
This is up from 25.5% at the same time last year but below February’s all-time high of 45.6%.
Concessions can include money toward repairs, closing costs, and mortgage-rate buydowns.
About one in five homes sold for less than the asking price along with a concession.
Redfin analysts say seasonality is the reason concessions dropped off, as more buyers typically enter the market in spring, giving sellers an edge.
But the high-rate, high-home price environment kept…
After falling slightly the week before, mortgage rates shot right back up last week, continuing to fluctuate within the 6% range.
Officials at Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.39%, up from 6.35% the week prior.
A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 5.25%.
The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage remained unchanged at 5.75%. A year ago, it averaged 4.43%.
“The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.39% this week, as economic crosscurrents have kept rates within a ten-basis point range over the last several weeks,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist.
“After the substantial slowdown in growth last fall, home prices stabilized during the winter and began to modestly rise over the last few months.…
Gen Z is proving that young Americans want to be homeowners and are willing to prioritize it.
According to new Redfin data, Gen Z is ahead of Millennials when it comes to homeownership, with 37% of Gen Z respondents already owning a home or planning to purchase one within the next five years.
Only 32% of Millennials said they have taken that step or plan to within the same time frame.
“The rising tide lifted Gen Z homebuyers in 2020 and 2021; they were part of the pandemic-driven homebuying frenzy,” said Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather.
Gen Z is more likely to prioritize homeownership as a financial goal, with 60% of Gen Z respondents citing it as a top priority…
Mortgage rates ticked down again, the fifth straight week of declines.
Officials at Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.27%, down from 6.28% the week prior.
A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 5%.
The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage fell from 5.64% to 5.54%. A year ago, it averaged 4.17%.
“Incoming data suggest inflation remains well above the desired level but showing signs of deceleration,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist. “These trends, coupled with tight labor markets, are creating increased optimism among prospective homebuyers as the housing market hits its peak in the spring and summer.”
First-time buyers particularly are feeling prepared to enter the market.
More than half of respondents to…
Vacation home hunters are poised to face less competition this spring buying season as the number of locks on second homes dwindles.
According to a new report from Redfin, the number of people locking in mortgages for second homes remained close to a 7-year low in March. Locks for these buyers are down by 52% from February 2020, before the pandemic housing boom, and 49% YOY.
In comparison, primary loan locks are only down 13% from pre-pandemic levels, and 29% YOY.
Locks for second homes peaked at 89% in August 2020 as wealthy Americans took advantage of historically low rates and remote work opportunities.
Now, second-home buyers are deterred by high costs and lifestyle changes. Remote work is gradually fading…
Home prices have fallen for the first time since 2012 as affordability concerns decimate buyer demand.
The median U.S. home sale price dipped by 1.2% to $386,721, the first annual decline in a decade, Redfin reported.
“Buyers are struggling because higher interest rates have increased the cost of homeownership, and sellers are struggling because they’re still adjusting to the fact that their home won’t sell for what their neighbors’ did a year ago,” said Andrew Vallejo, a Redfin real estate agent.
Prices are cooling, but after soaring to record heights after the pandemic, they’re still historically high. The cities with the biggest declines are pandemic hotspots seeing corrections after their boom moment. Two such cities, San Jose and Austin, saw…
The number of million-dollar U.S. homes has dropped dramatically from a record high last year.
They now account for 7% of all U.S. houses, down from 8.6% in June 2022, according to an analysis by Dana Anderson at Redfin.
This could signal a reversal in the housing market, at least on the luxury side. Prices soared so high and so fast that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac raised their lending limits to $1 million in some metros back in 2021. The 18% hike was the highest single jump since at least 1970, outpacing the 15.9% increase seen in 2006.
The exception to the current trend is Florida, which now has more homes worth $1 million than it did last year…
Miami has once again topped the list of the most popular metros for movers.
A record 25% of Redfin.com users looked to move to another metro in January, with the most popular searches being Miami, Sacramento, and Las Vegas.
This is up from 24.5% in Q4 2022, 22.8% last year, and 18% before the pandemic.
Miami, which took first place back in August 2022, once again dominated with the highest net inflow of new migrants.
Interest in Miami may come as a surprise considering most movers are looking for affordable options in a high-rate environment. RealtyHop recently ranked Miami as the second most expensive place to live in the U.S., just below Los Angeles, and the typical Miami home sold…
Investors are backing away from the home purchase market as price appreciation continues to cool.
Investor home purchases declined 45.8% YOY in Q4 2022, according to a new Redfin analysis of 40 U.S. metros. This is a record drop, besting 2008’s 45.1% dip during the subprime mortgage crisis.
Quarter-over-quarter, investment purchases fell 27%, the largest decline excluding the beginning of the pandemic.
Pandemic boomtowns in particular saw massive dips, with investor purchases in Las Vegas and Phoenix dropping by more than 60%.
High borrowing costs and declining home values have “made real estate investing less attractive,” Redfin said.
Home prices have risen less than 1% YOY, down significantly from 15% growth last year. Investors who bought homes at a premium…
Rent price growth is finally slowing, a positive sign for the housing market.
The median asking rent rose 2.4% YOY in January, the smallest increase since May 2012 and the lowest level in almost a year, Redfin reported.
Month-over-month, rents decreased by 1.9% and were down 5.4% from August’s peak.
Eleven U.S. metros saw rents dip, with both Phoenix and Oklahoma City seeing declines of more than 6%.
Though prices are retreating, rents are still 22.5% higher than in January 2020.
Redfin analysts say rents are cooling because of increasing supply and lack of demand. Inflation, economic uncertainty, and low household formation have stalled demand.
“We’re watching closely to see whether rents start falling year-over-year. That would be a welcome…
