Redfin Reports High Housing Costs Are Keeping Homebuyers at Bay—But Price Relief Is in Sight

Redfin economists expect home prices to decline by the end of the year, and a surplus of listings is motivating sellers to negotiate

(NASDAQ: RDFN) — The median monthly mortgage payment nationwide was $2,860 during the four weeks ending May 25, up 3.6% year over year and just $25 shy of the all-time high. That’s according to a new report from Redfin (redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage.

Housing payments are high for two reasons: The weekly average mortgage rate is 6.86%, the highest level in three months, and the median U.S. home-sale price is up 1.9% year over year.

High costs, along with widespread economic uncertainty, are keeping would-be homebuyers at bay. Pending home sales are down 1.7% from a year ago, and Redfin’s Homebuyer Demand Index—a measure of tours and other buying services from Redfin agents—is essentially flat from a month ago. Of the homes that are going under contract, roughly 14% of those deals are canceled, the highest share for this time of year since the housing market nearly ground to a halt at the start of the pandemic.

But the tide is starting to turn for homebuyers. Home-sale prices are already falling in 11 of the 50 most populous U.S. metro areas—the biggest declines are in Oakland, CA, Dallas, and Jacksonville, FL. Redfin economists expect the median U.S. sale price to fall by the end of 2025. Combined with the fact that wages are forecast to continue rising, that means homebuying affordability should improve in the second half of the year.

Additionally, buyers have more options and more negotiating power. New listings are up 3.9% year over year, and the total number of homes for sale is up 11.9%. Because there are more sellers than buyers in the market, buyers in many parts of the country are able to successfully negotiate prices down and get concessions.

“Sellers are realizing we’re in a new market, which is making them flexible,” said Venus Martinez, a Redfin Premier agent in Los Angeles. “A lot of sellers, especially those who may have bought at the top of the market and need to sell, are willing to accept less money for their homes, give concessions to buyers, and even negotiate commissions. Buyers are more likely to be able to negotiate if a home has been on the market for more than a few weeks, or if it has fallen out of contract.”

For Redfin economists’ takes on the housing market, please visit Redfin’s “From Our Economists” page.

Leading indicators

Key housing-market data

To view the full report, including charts, please visit:

https://www.redfin.com/news/housing-market-update-high-housing-costs-price-relief-in-sight

About Redfin

Redfin (www.redfin.com) is a technology-powered real estate company. We help people find a place to live with brokerage, rentals, lending, and title insurance services. We run the country's #1 real estate brokerage site. Our customers can save thousands in fees while working with a top agent. Our home-buying customers see homes first with on-demand tours, and our lending and title services help them close quickly. Our rentals business empowers millions nationwide to find apartments and houses for rent. Since launching in 2006, we've saved customers more than $1.8 billion in commissions. We serve approximately 100 markets across the U.S. and Canada and employ over 4,000 people.

Redfin’s subsidiaries and affiliated brands include: Bay Equity Home Loans®, Rent.™, Apartment Guide®, Title Forward® and WalkScore®.

For more information or to contact a local Redfin real estate agent, visit www.redfin.com. To learn about housing market trends and download data, visit the Redfin Data Center. To be added to Redfin's press release distribution list, email press@redfin.com. To view Redfin's press center, click here.

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