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Add Redfin’s top economist to the ranks of high-profile residential real estate observers who think 2022 is going to be a lot closer to a “normal” housing market.

Daryl Fairweather issued 10 predictions for the nation’s housing markets for the coming year that foretell a spring homebuying rush in anticipation of rising mortgage rates, but which will cool once those rates bob up to 3.6 percent from the 3 percent territory where they’re hovering now. The rise, Fairweather’s predictions say, could add about $100 more per month to the mortgage payment on the median home. The overall effect could be to lower annual year-over-year price growth nationwide to about 3 percent, from the 24 percent increase the American market clocked in May of this year, she predicted.

Fairweather also said she expects new listings will hit a 10-year high, with as many as 7.6 million coming online. If that comes to pass, it would be the highest single-year tally since 2012.

Fairweather joins National Association of Realtors Chief Economist Lawrence Yun in predicting a more normalized market, driven by rising interest rates and increases in inventory.

Perhaps the biggest change Fairweather sees in the months ahead centers on buyer preferences. Condominium demand will recover in strength, she said, driven by their generally lower prices compared to a single-family home. More affordable cities with highly educated residents, like Columbus, Ohio, will compete effectively for price-conscious buyers with Sun Belt metros that saw their prices skyrocket thanks to the wave of pandemic relocations. The sorting trend that has seen Americans move into more ideologically homogenous communities over the last 20 years will pick up speed, Fairweather said, thanks to remote work. And lastly, buyers will begin to factor climate risks into their purchasing decisions.

Redfin Top Economist Predicts Calmer 2022 Housing Market

by James Sanna time to read: 1 min
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