The number of home sales in the United States peaked in 2021 at almost seven million after steadily rising since 2018. Nevertheless, the market contracted in the following year, with transaction volumes falling to 4.8 million. Home sales remained muted in 2024, with a mild increase expected in 2025 and 2026. A major factor driving this trend is the unprecedented increase in mortgage interest rates due to high inflation. How have U.S. home prices developed over time? The average sales price of new homes has also been rising since 2011. Buyer confidence seems to have recovered after the property crash, which has increased demand for homes and also the prices sellers are demanding for homes. At the same time, the affordability of U.S. homes has decreased. Both the number of existing and newly built homes sold has declined since the housing market boom during the coronavirus pandemic. Challenges in housing supply The number of housing units in the U.S. rose steadily between 1975 and 2005 but has remained fairly stable since then. Construction increased notably in the 1990s and early 2000s, with the number of construction starts steadily rising, before plummeting amid the infamous housing market crash. Housing starts slowly started to pick up in 2011, mirroring the economic recovery. In 2022, the supply of newly built homes plummeted again, as supply chain challenges following the COVID-19 pandemic and tariffs on essential construction materials such as steel and lumber led to prices soaring.

The quarterly pulse monitor expects the Dutch house prices to fall by five percent in 2023 due to the decline in purchasing power, higher cost of borrowing and worsening economic conditions. The price of Dutch residential property in 2022 was approximately 489,000 euros. These developments came on top of other issues that were already prevalent in the Dutch housing market, such as the discussion about nitrogen and its effect on housing construction. The effects of nitrogen on the price of a house At the end of 2019, months before the coronavirus, there was already a lot of uncertainty whether their predictions would hold true. This had to do with the so-called “nitrogen decision” (in Dutch: stikstofbesluit) in May 2019. Simply put, a Dutch advisory body found that the domestic policy for nitrogen emission (formally known as Programmatische Aanpak Stikstof or Programmatic Approach Nitrogen) went against European rules. As of August 2019, a sizable share of the Dutch population was not familiar with this nitrogen policy. However, the advisory body’s decision led to an immediate stop to all construction in the country (amongst other things). By the end of 2019, this stop was still in place. For 2020, newly to be constructed houses have to comply to new rules regarding nitrogen emission. This puts new pressure on a housing market that already had to keep with increasing demand. How about the housing market in Amsterdam? In the year 2022, Amsterdam ranked as the most expensive city in the Netherlands to acquire an apartment, with an average price per square meter that was 2,000 euros more expensive than in Utrecht. Amsterdam was also well above the average rents found in other cities. A house in Amsterdam had a rent of approximately 26 euros per square meter in 2023, whereas rents in Rotterdam cost roughly 18 euros per square meter. It should be noted, however, that rent changes in the Dutch capital are significantly lower than those found in Rotterdam and especially Utrecht.

Graph and download economic data for Median Sales Price of Houses Sold for the United States (MSPUS) from Q1 1963 to Q4 2024 about sales, median, housing, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for All-Transactions House Price Index for the United States (USSTHPI) from Q1 1975 to Q4 2024 about appraisers, HPI, housing, price index, indexes, price, and USA.

The number of U.S. home sales in the United States declined in 2023, after soaring in 2021. A total of four million transactions of existing homes, including single-family, condo, and co-ops, were completed in 2023, down from 6.12 million in 2021. According to the forecast, the housing market is forecast to head for recovery in 2025, despite transaction volumes are expected to remain below the long-term average. Why have home sales declined? The housing boom during the coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated that being a homeowner is still an integral part of the American dream. Nevertheless, sentiment declined in the second half of 2022 and Americans across all generations agreed that the time was not right to buy a home. A combination of factors has led to house prices rocketing and making homeownership unaffordable for the average buyer. A survey among owners and renters found that the high home prices and unfavorable economic conditions were the two main barriers to making a home purchase. People who would like to purchase their own home need to save up a deposit, have a good credit score, and a steady and sufficient income to be approved for a mortgage. In 2022, mortgage rates experienced the most aggressive increase in history, making the total cost of homeownership substantially higher. Only 15 percent of U.S. renters could afford to become homeowners and in metros with highly competitive housing markets such as Los Angeles, CA, and Urban Honolulu, HI, this share was below five percent. Are U.S. home prices expected to fall? The median sales price of existing homes stood at 387,000 U.S. dollars in 2023 and was forecast to increase slightly until 2025. The development of the S&P/Case Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index shows that home prices experienced seven consecutive months of decline between June 2022 and January 2023, but this trend reversed in the following months. Despite mild fluctuations throughout the year, home prices in many metros are forecast to continue to grow, albeit at a much slower rate.

The average resale house price in Canada was forecast to reach nearly 836,000 Canadian dollars in 2026, according to a January forecast. In 2024, house prices increased after falling for the first time since 2019. One of the reasons for the price correction was the notable drop in transaction activity. Housing transactions picked up in 2024 and are expected to continue to grow until 2026. British Columbia, which is the most expensive province for housing, is projected to see the average house price reach 1.2 million Canadian dollars in 2026. Affordability in Vancouver Vancouver is the most populous city in British Columbia and is also infamously expensive for housing. In 2023, the city topped the ranking for least affordable housing market in Canada, with the average homeownership cost outweighing the average household income. There are a multitude of reasons for this, but most residents believe that foreigners investing in the market cause the high housing prices. Victoria housing market The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, where housing prices are also very high. The price of a single family home in Victoria's most expensive suburb, Oak Bay was 1.9 million Canadian dollars in 2024.

Graph and download economic data for All-Transactions House Price Index for California (CASTHPI) from Q1 1975 to Q4 2024 about appraisers, CA, HPI, housing, price index, indexes, price, and USA.

Existing Home Sales in the United States increased to 4260 Thousand in February from 4090 Thousand in January of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Existing Home Sales - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Graph and download economic data for All-Transactions House Price Index for Los Angeles County, CA (ATNHPIUS06037A) from 1975 to 2024 about Los Angeles County, CA; Los Angeles; CA; HPI; housing; price index; indexes; price; and USA.

Housing Index in Singapore increased to 204.50 points in the first quarter of 2024 from 201.50 points in the fourth quarter of 2023. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Singapore Property Price Index - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Wuxi: Property Price: Year to Date Avg: House in Advance data was reported at 15,195.230 RMB/sq m in Dec 2019. This records an increase from the previous number of 14,922.580 RMB/sq m for Nov 2019. Wuxi: Property Price: Year to Date Avg: House in Advance data is updated monthly, averaging 8,096.000 RMB/sq m from Feb 2006 (Median) to Dec 2019, with 148 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 15,195.230 RMB/sq m in Dec 2019 and a record low of 4,262.000 RMB/sq m in Jun 2006. Wuxi: Property Price: Year to Date Avg: House in Advance data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Wuxi Municipal Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Real Estate Sector – Table CN.RK: Jiangsu: Wuxi Property.

Property Price: YTD Avg: Beijing data was reported at 31,975.587 RMB/sq m in Dec 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 32,227.942 RMB/sq m for Nov 2024. Property Price: YTD Avg: Beijing data is updated monthly, averaging 19,329.232 RMB/sq m from Jan 2003 (Median) to Dec 2024, with 264 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 42,343.603 RMB/sq m in Jun 2021 and a record low of 4,515.769 RMB/sq m in Feb 2004. Property Price: YTD Avg: Beijing data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Price – Table CN.PD: NBS: Property Price: Monthly.

The construction of multifamily homes in the U.S. is expected to fall sharply in 2024 and 2025. This would come after a period of significant growth between 2019 and 2023. New residential construction in the United States decreased in 2023.

Housing Starts in the United States increased to 1501 Thousand units in February from 1350 Thousand units in January of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Housing Starts - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Housing Index in Canada increased to 124.50 points in February from 124.40 points in January of 2025. This dataset provides - Canada New Housing Price Index - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The Oryol region experienced the most significant fall in secondary housing prices in December 2019 across Russia, compared to the previous month. In Ingushetia, apartment prices on this market fell by -2.2 percent over the same period.

Private companies were responsible for most of the new homes built in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2023. Housing completions in the UK decreased for three years in a row between 2007 and 2010. This was followed by several years of fluctuation and a gradual increase from 2013 to 2019. The number of homes completed in England remained relatively stable in 2021 and 2022, after reaching a low point in the second quarter of 2020 due to the restrictions implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Construction starts and completions Comparing the number of starts and completions in London side-by-side shows that whenever there is a significant growth or fall in the number of projects started, that peak or valley tends to be reflected in the number of buildings completed a couple of years later. Nevertheless, disruptions, delays, and other obstacles may affect that correlation. Still, observing how many home construction projects started in the UK can provide some insight into the level of activity that construction companies may have in the near future. Given that the number of housing starts is forecast to fall in 2023, there might be slightly less work to be carried out the following year. Nevertheless, housing starts are expected to pick up again by 2024 and 2025. Housing associations in the UK Housing associations are not-for-profit organizations created to develop and rent homes for a lower price than in the private market. They have acquired certain relevance in the UK, although this type of organization also exists in other countries. On several occasions during the past decade, over a fifth of housing starts in London were developed by housing associations. Meanwhile, the number of new homes completed in Scotland by housing associations has increased a lot throughout the years, with several thousand units constructed every year during the past decades.

The U.S. housing market continues to evolve, with the median home price forecast to reach 426,000 U.S. dollars by the second quarter of 2026. This projection comes after a period of significant growth and recent fluctuations, reflecting the complex interplay of economic factors affecting the real estate sector. The rising costs have not only impacted home prices, but also down payments, with the median down payment more than doubling since 2012. Regional variations in housing costs Home prices and down payments vary dramatically across the United States. While the national median down payment stood at approximately 26,700 U.S. dollars in early 2024, homebuyers in states like California, Massachusetts, and Hawaii faced down payments exceeding 74,000 U.S. dollars. This disparity highlights the challenges of homeownership in high-cost markets and underscores the importance of location in determining housing affordability. Market dynamics and future outlook The housing market has shown signs of cooling after years of rapid growth, with more modest price increases of 4.8 percent in 2022 and 6.5 percent in 2023. This slowdown can be attributed in part to rising mortgage rates, which have tempered demand. Despite these challenges, most states continued to see year-over-year price growth in the fourth quarter of 2023, with Rhode Island and Vermont leading the pack at over 13 percent appreciation. As the market adjusts to new economic realities, potential homebuyers and investors alike will be watching closely for signs of stabilization or renewed growth in the coming years.

This statistic presents a breakdown of single family home construction costs as of fall 2019, by type. As of that time, framing costs of single family houses reached approximately 51,589 U.S. dollars.