
Home prices and mortgage rates are rising and affordability is decreasing in the U.S., but there is no “affordability crisis,” reports HousingWire, citing exclusive data from First American Financial Corp.
And while some prospective buyers in every market are being priced out, HousingWire staffer Kelsey Ramirez writes that the situation hasn’t risen to crisis level just yet.
The reason? Because while home prices have been increasing, so have incomes. While most states have once again reached their peak 2007 levels, incomes have far surpassed those of last decade.
First American releases its Real Home Price Index once a month. The index measures the price changes of single-family properties throughout the U.S., adjusted for the impact of income and interest rate changes on consumer house-buying power over time. Because the RHPI adjusts for house-buying power, it also serves as a measure of housing affordability, Ramirez explains.
Now, new data released to HousingWire shows “real home prices,” at best, still saw decreases in the double digits from their 2007 peak years.
The states with even the least amount of decreases include Colorado, which decreased 15.67%, North Dakota with a decrease of 26.6%, Oregon with 29.56%, Georgia with 30.22% and Tennessee with 30.88%.
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