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Home Sellers Drop Prices Amid Rising Affordability Issues


An Article by DSNews.com


Affordability issues are officially taking a toll on the market as the average asking price of a newly listed home is off 1.5% from its peak in spring in light of the rapid rate increase by the Federal Reserve in June.


This is amid new data from Redfin that showed a record amount of existing sellers had to drop their asking price in order to stay competitive during the four-week period ending June 26.

Pending sales also continue to fall, posting their largest declines since May 2020, at the height of the pandemic, yet there are signs that early-stage homebuyer demand is starting to level off.

“Data on home-tours, offers and mortgage purchase applications suggest that homebuyers have noticed the shift in power and are no longer leaving the market in droves,” said Daryl Fairweather, Redfin’s Chief Economist. “Buyers coming back will provide support to the housing market, but between now and the end of year I think the power will continue to shift towards buyers, resulting in mild price declines from month to month.”

“Homebuyers are worried about interest rates, having to go back to the office, getting laid off, and wondering if they can get a better deal by waiting out the market,” said Caroline Loudenback, a Redfin Seattle-area real estate agent. “On the other side, sellers are adjusting to this new reality and learning that sometimes there’s not much they can do to increase buyer interest. Sometimes price isn’t even the reason a home is sitting on the market without selling—some more remote areas that were super popular during the pandemic are now being overlooked as buyers reconsider long commutes with high gas prices. It’s a tricky market and you have to pay close attention to your local sales and listings to understand what’s happening.”

Leading indicators of homebuying activity:

  • For the week ending June 30, 30-year mortgage rates fell slightly to 5.7%.

  • Fewer people searched for “homes for sale” on Google—searches during the week ending June 25 were down 7% from a year earlier.

  • The seasonally-adjusted Redfin Homebuyer Demand Index—a measure of requests for home tours and other home-buying services from Redfin agents—was down 15% year over year during the week ending June 26, but up 7 points from the previous week.

  • Touring activity as of June 26 fell 3% from the start of the year, compared to a 24% increase at this time last year, according to home tour technology company ShowingTime.

  • Mortgage purchase applications were down 24% from a year earlier, while the seasonally-adjusted index was up 0.1% week over week during the week ending June 17.

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