What Does Reduced Home Affordability Mean for You?

Salt Lake City Real Estate Podcast with Joshua Stern

Home affordability is shrinking rapidly, according to research by Arch Mortgage Insurance. In the first quarter, affordability (defined as the size of the monthly mortgage payment needed to buy a home) dropped by 5%. This was mainly due to the increase in mortgage rates. As a consequence, more people are now stretched and taking on greater debt relative to their income. Other buyers are being pushed out of the market altogether. “There’s no need to panic if you’re a homebuyer.” And that’s not all: Affordability is expected to drop an additional 15% to 20% by the end of the year. That’s because home prices continue to rise, and the Federal Reserve is expected to ratchet up its reference interest rate, which often leads mortgage rates, two more times this year. What does this mean for you? If you’re looking to sell, you won’t have a hard time finding a buyer. Even with decreasing affordability, demand for homes still far outstrips supply. However, it’s certain that buyers will look to take advantage of current conditions before affordability drops further. That means that this spring and summer might see an additional rush in the real estate market. It also means that right now might be a very good time to list your home if you’ve been thinking about selling for a while. On the other hand, if you are thinking of buying a home, you might think that this news spells doom for you. However, there’s no need to panic. While affordability is dropping, it is still well above historical averages (just like current mortgage rates). In fact, Arch Mortgage Insurance estimates that homes are now 15% to 20% more affordable than they were in the period from 1987 to 2004. When rates go up, it will affect what your monthly payments will be on a new home. From this perspective, it makes sense to move now in case you’ve been looking to buy before rates rise further. So what’s the next step? If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home, give us a call. We’d be happy to answer any questions you may have. We look forward to hearing from you soon.