Payments for new mortgages are soaring. That’s why home sales are slowing.

Mitchell Hartman May 27, 2022
Heard on:
HTML EMBED:
COPY
Tim Boyle/Getty Images

Payments for new mortgages are soaring. That’s why home sales are slowing.

Mitchell Hartman May 27, 2022
Heard on:
Tim Boyle/Getty Images
HTML EMBED:
COPY

The National Association of Realtors reports pending home sales fell 3.9% in April, the sixth-straight monthly decline

One reason: The median monthly mortgage payment for a homebuyer in April soared to nearly $1,900, a 43% increase from one year ago, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Fewer buyers can afford what’s on the market now, said Lawrence Yun at the National Association of Realtors.

“With the mortgage rate much higher compared to one year ago, even the homebuyers who really want to get into the market, they’re simply priced out,” he said.

Yun predicts that with less competition among buyers, home prices will start to moderate, and there will be fewer bidding wars.

One buyer who’s managed to navigate this fast-changing market is Jordan McCollough. He and his partner just closed on a four-bedroom house in Greensboro, North Carolina, for $415,000. 

They bid $6,000 over asking price. McCollough said they thought they’d have to offer a lot more.

“We feel really lucky. We love the area, and things are still manageable such that you can still get your foot in the door on a property,” said McCollough.

They also got lucky on the mortgage — locking in a rate of just over 4% back in April. A month later, it would’ve been over 5%. 

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.