Sales of existing homes fell 17.8% in 2022, marking the weakest sales performance since 2014 as interest rates climbed. Interest rates rose quickly last year, a factor that weighed on the residential real estate market. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.15% as of Jan. 19, down from 6.33% last week, but up from 3.56% a year ago, according to Freddie Mac.
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Home Sales Plummet in Ominous Sign for Economy
Sales of existing homes fell in September for the eighth month in a row, as historically high mortgage rates pummel demand for homes, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) announced Thursday.
The 1.5% decline from August contributed to a 23.8% slide compared to September 2021, as the median existing-home sales price rose 8.4% from last September, from $355,100 to $384,800, the NAR reported. NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said that high mortgage rates were contributing to reduced demand, particularly in “expensive regions of the country.”
Read MoreHome Sales Decline, Mortgage Payments Up 54 Percent
The National Association of Realtors released new data Wednesday reporting that mortgage payments have risen more than 50% in the last year. The increase hits on the heels of data from the U.S. Census Bureau showing that new home sales fell 12.6% in July, down 29.6% from a year ago.
Read MoreBuyers Cancelling Home Sales at Highest Rate Since Beginning of Pandemic
A skyrocketing number of home sales are faltering throughout the U.S. housing economy, with experts pointing to slower housing markets and higher mortgage rates as the main drivers of the turnaround.
Read MoreHome Sales Surged to 15-Year High in 2021
U.S. existing home sales soared to a 15-year high in 2021 fueled by low interest rates and remote work, which boosted a competitive housing market, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) announced Thursday.
Home sales totaled 6.12 million in 2021, representing an 8.5% increase from 2020 and the highest level since 2006, according to the NAR. The inventory of unsold homes as of December 2021, 910,000, the lowest figure since January 1999.
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