Housing Market Predictions for Next 5 Years
Housing market predictions depend on one's capacity to predict market-influencing external forces. Forecasting is more subjective as economic conditions change. Here's what some of the experts predict will happen in the housing market in the next five years. Some economists are more hopeful, but even those who predicted price increases through 2023 are changing their tune. For example, Freddie Mac's October forecast indicates 0.2% price decreases in 2023, a change from the previous quarter's estimate of 4% price increases.
Experts are concerned about red flags in the housing market as the Fed attempts to keep inflation under control. Nobody knows how severe the correction will be, but economists are keeping an eye on the unpredictability of the housing market and aren't happy with what they're seeing so far. According to Zillow, the current typical value of homes in the United States is $357,319.
Here is the summary of the housing market predictions for the next few years.
Chief economist and senior vice president of research at the National Association of Realtors, Lawrence Yun: In 2023 and beyond, the real estate market in Atlanta will be the one to watch as 4.78 million existing homes are sold at stable prices. The median home price will rise to $385,800, an increase of only 0.3% from this year's level ($384,500), while home sales will fall 6.8% compared to 2022's level (5.13 million).
There's a chance that half of the country may witness price increases, while the other half will see price drops. Nonetheless, the markets in California may be an outlier, with San Francisco perhaps seeing price decreases of 10-15%. Following a 7% increase in 2022, rents will go up by 5% in 2023. In 2023, the foreclosure rate will be lower than ever before, accounting for less than one percent of all mortgages.
This is less than half the average historical rate of 2.5%, therefore the 1.3% GDP growth will be a significant slowdown. As the Fed lowers the pace of rate hikes in an effort to contain inflation, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate will fall to 5.7% in late 2022 from its peak of over 7% at the time. This is significantly lower than the pre-pandemic average of 8%.
Taylor Marr, Associate Chief Economist at Redfin: Mortgage rates are expected to fall further in the new year as a result of taming inflation and expectations that the Federal Reserve would ease rate hikes in the next year, which will boost demand for house purchases. But demand is still well below its high, so it's too early to declare a comeback or even a recovery.
We are keeping an eye on the job market for signs of sustained deceleration in price growth. Higher salaries and consequent price increases are one effect of a robust labor market like the one we're experiencing right now. A small increase in unemployment and/or slower economic growth would definitely help bring down mortgage rates even further, which seems paradoxical. If this trend continues into 2023, the boost in demand seen thus far may be reflected in a rise in pending sales.
The top economist at Realtor.com, Danielle Hale: In 2023, the housing market could feel more like a buyer's market than a seller's market after being in a sellers' market for several years. While the 22.8% increase in listings should be good news for buyers, it's mostly due to homes taking longer to sell due to tighter affordability. In 2023, the national annual median price for homes for sale is projected to rise by another 5.4%, which is less than half the pace seen in 2022.
Even if a homeowner decides to sell their home, they will likely have a lot of equity in it. However, as buyers and sellers pull back from a housing market and economy in transition, we anticipate house sales to be significantly lower, down 14.1% compared to 2022. The rate of home sales in late 2022 is a good indicator of what the annual total for 2023 would look like.
Selma Hepp, interim lead of the Office of The Chief Economist at CoreLogic: Real estate activity and consumer mood regarding the housing market plummeted after the recent increase in mortgage rates above 7%. In October, home price increases remained close to single digits, and this trend is expected to persist through the rest of the year and into 2023.
Some housing areas have experienced major recalibration since the spring price high and are projected to incur losses in 2023. Nonetheless, more deteriorating inventory, some relief in mortgage rate rises, and reasonably optimistic economic data may help eventually stabilize home values.
Senior economist at Zillow, Jeff Tucker: The softening of the rental market has not yet resulted in any significant respite for tenants. There is hope, though, that prices will decrease in the coming months. Rent increases have slowed from a record 17.2% in February to 8.4% in November. Data like this is encouraging for renters hoping to sign a new lease in 2023, but they should still keep a careful eye on the market and move swiftly if they locate a rental that meets their needs and budget.
Since rental rates are still higher than they were before the outbreak, compromise and adaptability will be required well into next year. Tenants with leases coming up for renewal should realize that they have greater leverage to negotiate this year and should look around at comparable rentals in the area before making a decision.
United States home values are predicted to decline between November 2022 and November 2023. Zillow forecasts that home value appreciation will continue to ease down over the coming months. The national Zillow Home Value Index, which rose 10.4% in the 12 months ending in November, is expected to fall 1.1% over the next 12 months.
For the 12 months from December 2022 to December 2023, Zillow projects only a 0.7% decline in the Zillow Home Value Index. High mortgage rates and major affordability challenges are predicted to drive weaker sales in 2023 when they are projected to total 4.4 million, a 13% decrease from the projected full-year 2022 total.
Zillow’s Bold Housing Market Predictions for 2023
As people look for new ways to overcome the housing affordability crisis, Midwestern markets will heat up, and more friends and family members will pool their money to buy homes together in 2023. That crisis, however, will stabilize – if not improve – from its pandemic-era apex. Rental units will be the focus of new construction, and we should see an increase in homeowners becoming first-time landlords. These are just a few of the new predictions made by the Zillow Economic Research team for 2023.
READ: Latest U.S. Housing Market Trends
READ: Will There Be a Drop in Home Prices in 2023?
National home values are still rising year-over-year, but at a much slower rate than the pandemic housing boom. Affordability constraints have triggered a power rebalancing in the housing market. Home sales are predicted to stay lower than in recent years – at least for the predictions for the next two years (2023 & 2024). Year-over-year home price growth slowed in 2022 as mortgage rates rose sharply, resulting in worsening housing affordability.
With mortgage rates still topping 6%, resulting in rapidly declining home purchase demand, home prices are expected to fall in 2023. Some housing markets are on the verge of a drop in home values within the next 12 months. Home prices are expected to dip over the next 12 to 18 months before stabilizing and then recovering, according to experts. Overall the predictions for the next five years are that home price appreciation is likely to range between 15 and 25%, but they will be uneven.
A drop in demand due to rising mortgage rates causes homes to stay on the market longer and slows price increases. Many would-be sellers are tied to low rates, making the switch to a more expensive mortgage difficult, and reducing inventories. This rebalancing gives wealthy purchasers more time to make decisions, less competition, and greater negotiation leverage than in recent years.
Homebuyers continued to be deterred by mortgage affordability problems, resulting in less competition and a larger supply of available houses. Since last year, the housing market has cooled dramatically, and homes are now staying on the market for much longer, whether they sell or not. As rates, and thus mortgage payments, stay high, many potential buyers are being priced out of the market, and affordability will likely not be on their side any time soon.
Housing Market Forecast 2024, 2025, 2026
There is an abundance of speculation regarding the forecast of the housing market in 2023. However, what about the real estate forecasts for 2023, 2025, and so on? Although, it is quite difficult to forecast the housing market for the next five years here is an insight into what most experts predict can happen.
Mortgage rates are at their highest point in 20 years, which is having a chilling effect on the housing market and driving down prices. But as supply remains constrained, housing prices in many U.S. markets have not yet begun to level off. Some experts have predicted the future of the housing market over the next five years. Only an oversupply can cause a crash.
The housing shortfall will last another year, with supply eventually catching up with demand by five years. The seller's market will persist as long as home inventory stays low. By five years, it is predicted to become a balanced housing market in which neither buyer nor seller has a monopoly. Instead, negotiation power between parties will be more equal and will vary depending on the circumstances.
Chief economist for the National Association of Realtors Lawrence Yun believes we are likely to see total price growth across the country of between 15% – 25% over the next five years. This forecast is likely to manifest as a decline in the coming year, a plateau in 2024, and then a period of relatively robust growth.
According to Greg McBride, the chief financial analyst at Bankrate, over the next five years, the US housing market is predicted to generate an average annual return in the mid to low single digits. In the long term, we are aware that real estate provides consistent returns above the rate of inflation. The longer the time frame, the more certain we can be about the general direction of travel, which has historically been upward in the real estate market.
According to Goldman Sachs, home prices in the United States will fall 5 to 10% over the next year. According to the same Goldman Sachs research, the housing market will bottom out in late 2023. Prices are projected to level off and remain relatively stable until mid-2024, so a turnaround is not anticipated to occur quickly.
Strong household finances and a relative lack of available homes in the United States could cushion a slowdown in the housing market. The economists believe it is unlikely that there will be a large wave of forced sales in the United States because a recession would likely be mild, the housing market is tight, mortgage quality is high, and the majority of mortgages have a fixed interest rate.
30-year fixed rate mortgage will remain around seven percent for the rest of 2022 and most of 2023. Assuming no major shocks occur, we should see rates of 5.5–6% within the next two years. Despite the fact that the residential real estate market has been exhibiting bubble-like characteristics, most experts do not anticipate a housing market crash. However, housing slowdowns brought on by rising mortgage rates have a tendency to weigh on GDP by reducing residential investment and weakening consumption.
The Zillow home price expectations survey found that the housing market is likely to become a buyer's market by 2023. The panel also predicts rent growth to outpace inflation during the next 12 months, as priced-out potential home buyers exert additional pressure on the rental market.
When will the housing market turn into a buyer's market, according to the panel?
- The majority of panelists (56%) forecast a big shift in favor of buyers within the next year (sometime in 2023).
- All 107 survey respondents project home price deceleration in 2023.
- The share of panelists who believe their long-term outlook might be too optimistic jumped up to 67% from 56% last quarter.
- Another 24% predicted that the housing market shift would come in 2024.
- 13% expect the market to favor home buyers in 2025.
- While just 8% expect that to happen by sometime in 2026 or sometime in the next five years.
- Metros in the South and Midwest are the least likely to see price declines over the next year.
- Vacation market areas are most likely to see price declines.
- Rent growth and inflation should outpace stocks and home price appreciation over the next year.
Housing Markets Which Are Predicted to See a Decline in Home Prices
Prospective buyers are finally seeing a calmer market after the frantic rush for real estate over the last two years. Those who can still afford to own a home are quickly regaining lost leverage, but the transition to a more balanced market is still in its early stages. Home buyers priced out of the market face additional challenges, as high and rising rents may reduce their ability to save for a down payment even further.
According to survey respondents, the inexpensive Midwest markets that are least likely to see home price declines over the next 12 months are Columbus, Indianapolis, and Minneapolis, with only 36% reporting that home price declines from current levels were likely over the next 12 months. A majority of panelists expect fast-growing Southern markets like Atlanta, Nashville, and Charlotte to keep their hot streak going, with 44% predicting declines.
Markets expected to cool the fastest — with 77% of respondents expecting declines — are those that experienced the most growth during the pandemic, such as Boise, Austin, and Raleigh. The panel expects suburban and exurban areas to retain their heat over the next 12 months, while vacation and urban areas are expected to see price declines.
Rent growth should remain strong in the short term as high home prices keep many would-be first-time buyers in the rental market. Over the next 12 months, rents are expected to grow more than inflation, stocks, and home values. The panelists predict an average of 5.4% rent growth throughout 2023 – lower than the 8.6% annual growth they expect to see by the end of this year, but still higher than what Zillow data show to be just under 4% annual growth in the years prior to the pandemic.
Real Estate Forecast Next 5 Years
According to some experts, the real estate forecast for the next 5 years shows that it will be a balanced market. Despite declining buyers' optimism that now is a good time to buy a house, the number of households interested in becoming homeowners remains high. This is especially true for younger homebuyers, who are likely first-time buyers and are struggling to save for a down payment as rents continue to reach record highs.
Simultaneously, seller expectations for larger down payments appear to be increasing, fueled by a still-competitive housing market and repeat buyers with relatively more available equity. The housing market is unlikely to shift from a seller's to a buyer's market anytime soon. Rising mortgage rates may take some of the steam out of the market, allowing inventory to rise slightly. It would also slow the rate of home price appreciation and reduce the possibility of a red-hot housing market resulting in an overheated market.
The supply of available homes is so low that even a significant drop in demand due to higher interest rates will not turn this into a buyer's real estate market, according to industry experts. Because there are not enough houses available to meet demand, home prices will continue to rise, but the combination of rising home prices and elevated mortgage rates means fewer people will be able to afford to buy.
There would still be continuous price appreciation, scarcity of inventory, and good demand. Some markets will experience lower appreciation rates than others, with the Sunbelt performing particularly well. Home prices do not appear to be decreasing, even in some of the country's most expensive markets, the tier-one markets.
According to CoreLogic, with gradually improving affordability and a more optimistic economic outlook than previously thought, the housing market may show resilience in 2023. The CoreLogic HPI Forecast indicates that home prices will decrease on a month-over-month basis by 0.1% from November to December 2022 and on a year-over-year basis by 2.8% from November 2022 to November 2023.
Year-over-year home price growth ended its 21-month streak of double-digit momentum in November, posting an 8.6% gain, the lowest rate of appreciation in exactly two years. Although 16 states bucked the national trend and saw annual double-digit increases, appreciation is decelerating in many popular housing markets across the country.
Southeastern states still led the country for price growth in November but also saw some of the most pronounced cooling. Similarly, relatively more expensive Western areas also posted substantial combined declines in recent months since spring’s peak. Nationwide, the recent price deceleration pushed November home values 2.5% below the spring 2022 peak. In 2023, home values will likely move even further from that high point, as CoreLogic expects price growth to begin recording negative year-over-year readings in the second quarter.
Nationally, home prices increased 8.6 % year over year in November. No states posted an annual decline in home prices. The states with the highest increases year over year were Florida (18%), South Carolina (13.9%), and Georgia (13.6%). Nationwide, the recent price deceleration pushed November home values 2.5% below the spring 2022 peak. In 2023, home values will likely move even further from that high point, as CoreLogic expects price growth to begin recording negative year-over-year readings in the second quarter.
The CoreLogic Market Risk Indicator (MRI), a monthly update of the overall health of housing markets across the country, predicts that Bellingham, WA is at very high risk (70%-plus probability) of a decline in home prices over the next 12 months. Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL; Salem, OR; Merced, CA and Urban Honolulu, HI are also at very high risk for price declines.
A worldwide research firm, Capital Economics, predicts that the U.S. house price rise will likely slow in 2023, not this year. In October, the firm revised its forecast from a 5% price decline to an 8% price decline. Moody’s Analytics also adjusted its insights in August, September, and October, estimating a steeper drop each month. The economic research firm now expects home prices to fall 10%, and that’s in a best-case-scenario. If a recession takes hold, prices could fall between 15% and 20%.
However, the firm does not forecast a spectacular “price decline” or a housing bubble bust similar to that of 2006, which precipitated the global financial crisis and the Great Recession. A 5 percent fall would definitely constitute a price decrease, but it would not cause home prices to spiral out of control. Remember that house prices have risen steadily for several years and surged significantly during the COVID-19 epidemic.
A price drop is noteworthy, but in the grand scheme of things, it is relatively little. Before the housing bubble of 2006, the U.S. housing market was primarily supported by exceedingly risky bank lending methods that produced a synthetic demand for housing, allowing those who could not afford to retain their homes to acquire them. According to analysts, today's market does not have the same circumstances.
According to analysts, today's market does not have the same circumstances. Capital Economic forecasts that mortgage rates would increase to 6.5 percent by 2023. According to Matthew Pointon, a senior property economist at Capital Economics, if home price growth follows our earlier predictions and declines to zero by mid-2023, mortgage payments would remain above their mid-2000s peak until mid-2023.
Where Will Home Prices Rise the Most in 2024?
Fortune magazine reached out to Moody’s Analytics to get access to its latest proprietary housing analysis, and according to it, home prices will increase by zero percent in 2023—a dramatic decrease from the 19.7 percent price growth the housing market experienced in the last 12 months. However, analysts anticipate that price changes will vary significantly between regions of the United States.
In its analysis, the financial intelligence firm calculated how home prices are likely to shift in 414 regional housing markets between the fourth quarter of 2022 and the fourth quarter of 2024. Among the nation’s 414 largest housing markets, Moody’s Analytics forecast model predicts that 210 markets are on the verge of seeing home prices decline over the coming two years and 204 markets are poised to see home prices rise over the coming two years.
These cities are expected to report the biggest rise in home prices in 2024:
- Albany, Georgia (5.5 percent)
- Casper, Wyoming (4.52 percent)
- Columbus, Georgia (4.09 percent)
- Rocky Mount, North Carolina (3.97 percent)
- San Jose, California (3.83 percent)
References
- https://www.zillow.com/research/daily-market-pulse-26666/
- https://www.zillow.com/research/zillow-2022-hottest-markets-tampa-30413/
- https://www.zillow.com/research/zhpe-q3-2022-buyers-market-31481/
- https://www.zillow.com/research/zillow-home-value-and-sales-forecast-september-2022-31431/#
- https://fortune.com/2022/08/15/falling-home-prices-to-hit-these-housing-markets-in-2023-and-2024/
- https://www.capitaleconomics.com/publications/us-housing/us-housing-market-update/surge-in-mortgage-rates-makes-house-price-falls-likely/
