Housing Market Predictions

[Tariq Hakeem]

Here are the latest housing market predictions for 2021 & 2022. The global pandemic shattered the world order and the US economy suffered its biggest blow since the Great Depression in the second quarter. It has been roughly one year when it put the housing market on hold for several months last spring. Even with rising mortgage rates and higher prices, economists say the housing market should remain strong due to very tight inventories and increasing demand as more millennials are projected to buy houses this year.

Now millennials make up the largest share of homebuyers in the US, according to a 2020 survey from the NAR. According to a new study by Realtor.com, buying is more cost-efficient than renting in a growing number of the largest cities in the country. This is encouraging news for the millions of millennials who are approaching peak homebuying age. Back in March of last year, the real estate market looked to be headed into a steep decline due to widespread stay-home orders.

Since then, homebuyers, supported by low-interest rates, have kept the US housing market afloat. The pandemic has certainly affected every sector but residential real estate market has been very resilient and it continues to be a pillar of support for the economy. The housing market bounced back in 2020 much faster than other sectors of the economy and has sustained that growth and pace into 2021.

2020 was a record-breaking year for the US housing market. The typical U.S. home was worth $266,104 in December, up 8.4% (or $20,587) from a year ago. A total of 5.64 million homes were sold in 2020, up 5.6% from 2019 and the most since before the Great Recession, according to Lawrence Yun, NAR's chief economist. Sales also rose 0.7% from November and 22.2% year over year. Existing home sales reached the highest level in 13 years.

In 2021, so far, the housing market continues to be competitive for buyers resulting in higher home prices and quick-selling homes. In March 2021, the median home listing price reached an all-time high of $370,000, up 15.6% compared to last year. The large metros saw an average price gain of 12.1% compared to last year.