housing affordability 2026

Professional woman in a red blouse sits at a desk, with a gavel and a house-shaped sculpture in the background.

Housing Market

Realtor.com Economist Unpacks the Midyear Forecast, the Toughest 4-Year Market, and the New Housing Law

Realtor.com chief economist Danielle Hale joins KBP to break down the midyear forecast, the toughest 4-year market, and the new housing law.

July 13, 2026

Housing Market

242 Cities Now Have Million-Dollar Starter Homes

Zillow analysis finds a record 242 U.S. cities now have starter homes valued at $1 million or more, nearly triple the count from before the pandemic.

June 18, 2026

Pink piggy bank perched on stacked cash with a tag reading 'Dream Home' to symbolize saving for a home purchase or goal finances.

Housing Market

Research Firm Says Housing Affordability Won’t Recover for 7 Years. Here’s Your Script.

Oxford Economics projects housing affordability won’t meaningfully recover for 7 years. Here’s the script real estate agents need when buyers say “I’ll just wait.”

June 1, 2026

Housing Market

Middle-Income Households Can Afford Just 23% of Listings Today

A new NAR and Realtor.com report finds middle-income households can access only 23% of listings nationwide, and the U.S. needs 311,000 more homes priced under $261,000 to close the gap.

May 26, 2026

Housing Market

Home Prices Rose in 71% of Markets in Q1 2026, Data Shows

NAR’s Q1 2026 home price report shows prices rose in 71% of metro areas, with affordability improving for both repeat and first-time buyers.

May 12, 2026

Housing Market

State of the Union Housing Takeaways: Mortgage Rates, Investor Bans, and Home Values

President Trump’s 2026 State of the Union highlighted falling mortgage costs and a call to ban large investors from buying homes, with key housing takeaways unpacked

February 25, 2026

Housing Market

Homebuyer Power Is Up $30,000. Here’s What That Means for the Spring Market

Zillow reports buying power jumped $30,302 year over year, lifting the median affordable home price to $331,483 as rates fell to 6.1%.

February 24, 2026

Housing Market

Four Years Into Higher Rates, the Housing Market Has New Rules

Realtor.com® reports inventory up 142.1% since 2022, rates peaked at 7.79%, yet median list prices remain 8.1% higher as delistings surge.

February 23, 2026

Housing Market

U.S. Housing Now the Most Unaffordable in History? 7 Data Points You Won’t See in Doomer Tweets

Doomer housing charts don’t tell the full story. Here are seven data points showing how affordability is slowly improving for buyers and renters heading in 2026.

February 18, 2026

Housing Market

All-Cash Home Purchases Hit a 5-Year Low as Down Payments Decrease

Fewer buyers are paying all cash and down payments are shrinking, according to new Redfin reports. Here’s what the data shows.

February 17, 2026

Housing Market

Buyers Need $35K More Than Renters, But the Gap Is the Smallest in 3 Years

Redfin reports buyers must earn $111,252, about $35,000 more than renters, a 46.3% gap that’s the smallest in 3 years as affordability improves.

February 12, 2026

Housing Market

January Delivered the Biggest Housing Affordability Relief Since 2022

Intercontinental Exchange reports January affordability hit a four-year high as payments fell $164 year over year to $2,091 and income share dropped to 27.8%

February 11, 2026

housing affordability 2026

Realtor.com Economist Unpacks the Midyear Forecast, the Toughest 4-Year Market, and the New Housing Law

242 Cities Now Have Million-Dollar Starter Homes

Research Firm Says Housing Affordability Won’t Recover for 7 Years. Here’s Your Script.

Middle-Income Households Can Afford Just 23% of Listings Today

Home Prices Rose in 71% of Markets in Q1 2026, Data Shows

State of the Union Housing Takeaways: Mortgage Rates, Investor Bans, and Home Values

Homebuyer Power Is Up $30,000. Here’s What That Means for the Spring Market

Four Years Into Higher Rates, the Housing Market Has New Rules

U.S. Housing Now the Most Unaffordable in History? 7 Data Points You Won’t See in Doomer Tweets

All-Cash Home Purchases Hit a 5-Year Low as Down Payments Decrease

Buyers Need $35K More Than Renters, But the Gap Is the Smallest in 3 Years

January Delivered the Biggest Housing Affordability Relief Since 2022

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