They have strong demand for the American dream of homeownership, but they're really just feeling left behind right now, Jessica Lautz, the deputy chief economist at NAR, said of first-time buyers. Homeownership is a way that many Americans build wealth and unfortunately they're just being pushed to the sidelines for a longer period of time and losing out on those wealth gains. They're also thinking about unique ways to enter into homeownership.
As the country reemerged from the coronavirus pandemic lockdown in 2021- when the COVID vaccine finally arrived, TikTok reached 1 billion downloads and Adele finally released new music - the housing market also saw its own interesting development. That year, banks offered some of the lowest interest rates seen in over a decade for a type of housing loan known as an adjustable-rate mortgage.
Indicative of the weakening job market, and in anticipation of a rate cut from the Federal Reserve, mortgage rates last week dropped to their lowest level since last October, with the 30-year fixed rate declining to 6.39%. Homeowners responded swiftly, with refinance application volume jumping almost 60% compared to the prior week, Mike Fratantoni, MBA's senior vice president and chief economist, said in a statement.