Get Cash Back and $0 Commissions
+ The Power of TradeStation
Business Wire 29-Sep-2022 1:46 PM
Sellers should adjust their price to stay competitive as mortgage rates approach 7%
(NASDAQ:RDFN) — The typical homebuyer's monthly mortgage payment has climbed $337 (15%) over the past six weeks to a new high of $2,547, according to a new report from Redfin (redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage.
The extreme volatility and recent surge in mortgage rates has caused many potential homebuyers to delay or cancel their plans to purchase a home altogether. Pending sales dropped to their lowest level since January, and the share of homes sold above list price fell to its lowest level in over two years.
Homeowners are increasingly reluctant to enter the market as mortgage rates approach 7%. Even though new listings are down to their lowest level since February, months of supply (active listings divided by closed sales—the lower the level, the stronger the seller's market) has been growing quickly, reaching three months for the first time since July 2020. This means that more homes are lingering on the market because they are undesirable and/or overpriced, so it's no surprise that the share of home sellers dropping their price reached its highest level on record, at least since 2015 when Redfin began tracking this data.
"It's imperative for home sellers to react quickly and aggressively as the market turns," said Senior Vice President of Real Estate Operations Jason Aleem. "This means adjusting your pricing immediately if you want to be competitive and attract offers from a smaller pool of qualified homebuyers. If your home isn't the ‘belle of the ball' in your neighborhood, you're going to need to cut the price to sell it."
"It's important to remember that much of the housing market data and neighborhood comparables being reported are based on home purchases that were agreed to a month or more ago when mortgage rates were a point and a half lower," said Redfin Deputy Chief Economist Taylor Marr. "Sellers should anticipate that buyers are unwilling or unable to pay a price similar to what their neighbor's home sold for a month ago, and buyers should connect with their lenders to find ways to mitigate the impact of rising rates. This could include paying upfront to lock in a rate, switching to an ARM and tightening your budget so you don't end up with a monthly mortgage payment that's a stretch to afford in the months to come."
Leading indicators of homebuying activity:
Key housing market takeaways for 400+ U.S. metro areas:
Unless otherwise noted, the data in this report covers the four-week period ending September 25. Redfin's weekly housing market data goes back through 2015.
To view the full report, please visit: https://www.redfin.com/news/housing-market-update-mortgage-payments-hit-new-high/
About Redfin
Redfin (www.redfin.com) is a technology-powered real estate company. We help people find a place to live with brokerage, instant home-buying (iBuying), rentals, lending, title insurance, and renovations services. We sell homes for more money and charge half the fee. We also run the country's #1 real-estate brokerage site. Our home-buying customers see homes first with on-demand tours, and our lending and title services help them close quickly. Customers selling a home can take an instant cash offer from Redfin or have our renovations crew fix up their home to sell for top dollar. Our rentals business empowers millions nationwide to find apartments and houses for rent. Since launching in 2006, we've saved customers more than $1 billion in commissions. We serve more than 100 markets across the U.S. and Canada and employ over 6,000 people.
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.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220929005838/en/