Is the Housing Market Turning?
TRENDS, NEWS, FINANCE, HOMEBUYERS, HOME SELLERS Is the Housing Market Turning? The U.S. avoided a recession in 2023 , and some say it will have a soft landing in 2024. Inflation has hovered in the 3% range for many months—higher than the central bank would prefer, but at 2.6% for personal consumption expenditures (PCE), it’s closer to the target range of 2% and far from the double-digit highs since the pandemic began. Most sources cite the “core” PCE, which excludes volatile energy and food prices which sat at 3.2% by year’s end—the lowest level since March 2021. Meanwhile, existing home sales volume began to edge higher by the end of 2023, and prices rose 4.0% year over year to a median of $387,600. Mortgage interest rates ended the year at 6.61% for a benchmark 30-year fixed-rate conventional home loan. Existing housing inventory remains tight with approximately 3.5-months’ supply on hand at the current sales pace. Due to the improvement in market conditions and higher consume
