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.

House prices in Germany rose by about 12 percent in 2021 but price growth is forecast to slow down until 2024. According to a report by the Deutsche Bundesbank, the German housing market is set to experience a 1.2 percent increase in the average house price in 2023 and 3.2 percent increase in 2024. According to the source, despite higher construction costs, financing costs, and overall economic uncertainty, the high housing demand alongside insufficient supply are likely to continue to drive prices up. Residential real estate prices in the largest cities have grown substantially since 2012. In Munich - Germany's most expensive residential market - the square meter price reached almost 11,000 euros per square meter in 2022.

The average sales price of new homes in the United States experienced a slight decrease in 2024, dropping to 512,2000 U.S. dollars from the peak of 521,500 U.S. dollars in 2022. This decline came after years of substantial price increases, with the average price surpassing 400,000 U.S. dollars for the first time in 2021. The recent cooling in the housing market reflects broader economic trends and changing consumer sentiment towards homeownership. Factors influencing home prices and affordability The rapid rise in home prices over the past few years has been driven by several factors, including historically low mortgage rates and increased demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the market has since slowed down, with the number of home sales declining by over two million between 2021 and 2023. This decline can be attributed to rising mortgage rates and decreased affordability. The Housing Affordability Index hit a record low of 98.1 in 2023, indicating that the median-income family could no longer afford a median-priced home. Future outlook for the housing market Despite the recent cooling, experts forecast a potential recovery in the coming years. The Freddie Mac House Price Index showed a growth of 6.5 percent in 2023, which is still above the long-term average of 4.4 percent since 1990. However, homebuyer sentiment remains low across all age groups, with people aged 45 to 64 expressing the most pessimistic outlook. The median sales price of existing homes is expected to increase slightly until 2025, suggesting that affordability challenges may persist in the near future.

House prices growth in France is expected to slow down until 2023, according to a July 2022 forecast by the banking group Groupe BCPE. In 2021, the average house price increased by over seven percent. In 2022, this figure is set to decrease to four percent and in 2023, house prices are expected to fall by three percent. Some of the factors cited by the source are the worsening economic conditions, rising interest rates, and the energy transition. About 4.8 million homes in France have an energy performance F or G which are likely to face additional renovation costs to be rented. From 2023 onwards, properties with these scores can no longer be rented and to be sold, the owner needs to perform an energy audit. This, along with more regulations to come in force in the coming years, is likely to impact the price development for vintage properties.

About 20 percent of home buyers in the United States in 2021 purchased homes that cost 500,000 U.S. dollars or more. The share of home buyers generally reduced as the house prices decreased. The largest share of purchases fell in the 200,000 to 249,999 and 250,000 to 299,999 price classes, which was below the national average sales price for existing homes.

Zillow reigns supreme in the U.S. real estate website landscape, attracting a staggering 365.8 million monthly visits in 2024. This figure dwarfs its closest competitor, Realtor.com, which garnered less than half of Zillow's traffic. Online platforms are extremely popular, with the majority of homebuyers using a mobile device during the buying process. The rise of Zillow Founded in 2006, the Seattle-headquartered proptech Zillow has steadily grown over the years, establishing itself as the most popular U.S. real estate website. In 2023, the listing platform recorded about 214 million unique monthly users across its mobile applications and website. Despite holding an undisputed position as a market leader, Zillow's revenue has decreased since 2021. A probable cause for the decline is the plummeting of housing transactions and the negative housing sentiment. Performance and trends in the proptech market The proptech market has shown remarkable performance, with companies like Opendoor and Redfin experiencing significant stock price increase in 2023. This growth is particularly notable in the residential brokerage segment. Meanwhile, major players in proptech fundraising, such as Fifth Wall and Hidden Hill Capital, have raised billions in direct investment, further fueling the sector's development. As technology continues to reshape the real estate industry, online platforms like Zillow are likely to play an increasingly crucial role in how people search for and purchase homes. (1477916, 1251604)

In 2023, there were 19 active research buyers for a property for sale in Paris, which corresponded to a shortage of buyers and a downward trend in prices. The evolution of the property tension indicator is strongly related to the change in real estate prices and growth prospects.

In the second quarter of 2024, the real estate index in Poland amounted 52.73 points which was an improvement of 2.86 points compared to the first quarter of 2024.

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.

Finland's house prices grew by about four percent in 2021, but according to the forecast the growth is expected to slow down in the following years. In 2023, the average house price is forecast to decrease by four percent and in 2024, the trend is to reverse, with an annual growth of three percent. The average square meter price of apartments in Finland's largest cities ranged between 2,000 euros and 5,500 euros in 2022.

The coronavirus pandemic was believed to reverse the past trend of rising house prices in Poland in dramatic fashion. A domestic forecast predicted a fall in housing prices of five to seven percent each year, potentially leading to a price level that could be up to 20 percent less than in 2019.

The majority of the housing stock in the United States is single-family detached houses. Of the total 128.5 million housing units in 2021, about 81.7 million were detached homes and 8.2 million were attached single-family homes. In comparison, roughly 31.8 million units were in multifamily buildings.

According to a survey among real estate agents in the United States, as of January 2021, over half of respondents thought that there was at least a one percent increase in the dollar value of staged homes for sale. According to 19 percent of respondents, on the other hand, staging had no impact on the sales price.In recent years, the average price of a new home in the United States has been rising, peaking in January 2021.

The U.S. housing market has slowed, after 13 consecutive years of rising home prices. In 2021, house prices surged by an unprecedented 18 percent, marking the highest increase on record. However, the market has since cooled, with the Freddie Mac House Price Index showing more modest growth between 2022 and 2024. In 2024, home prices increased by 4.2 percent. That was lower than the long-term average of 4.4 percent since 1990. Impact of mortgage rates on homebuying The recent cooling in the housing market can be partly attributed to rising mortgage rates. After reaching a record low of 2.96 percent in 2021, the average annual rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage more than doubled in 2023. This significant increase has made homeownership less affordable for many potential buyers, contributing to a substantial decline in home sales. Despite these challenges, forecasts suggest a potential recovery in the coming years. How much does it cost to buy a house in the U.S.? In 2023, the median sales price of an existing single-family home reached a record high of over 389,000 U.S. dollars. Newly built homes were even pricier, despite a slight decline in the median sales price in 2023. Naturally, home prices continue to vary significantly across the country, with West Virginia being the most affordable state for homebuyers.

In 2021, the typical home sale generated over 306,000 U.S. dollars for the local economy in Hawaii. That includes income generated from real estate industries, expenditures related to the home purchase, new home production and the economic effect of the income earned in other sectors re-circulating the local economy. During the same year, a home sale in Arkansas only generated about 63,000 U.S. dollars in income for the economy.

According to a survey among real estate investors in the United States, the overall business plan is the most important factor to be considered when making an investment in 2021. Approximately 93 percent of of respondents found found this factor as either important or very important, while less than one third of respondents evaluated ESG as important. In 2020, the largest share of commercial real estate investments were focused on multifamily real estate.The interest in real estate investments was high throughout 2020 and is expected to remain as such in 2021. According to the source, real estate investors are particularly excited about making online investments.

In 2020, the global economy was brought to a standstill because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Foreign investment into commercial real estate in the United States was also affected, with 44 percent of National Association of Realtors (NAR) members reporting that travel bans having impacted their international business. Additionally, approximately 22 percent of respondents claimed that the pandemic impacted the availability of credit and lenders. The impacts of the pandemic continued to obstruct cross-border investments throughout 2021: Approximately 25 percent of respondents complained about travel bans and 14 percent - about social distancing affecting their work.

As of January 2021,31 percent of seller's agents in the United States said that they staged all homes that they listed for sale. On the other hand, 42 percent of seller's agents did not stage homes, but suggested that the sellers declutter or fix property faults.As of 2020, the average price of a new home in the United States amounted to 389,400 U.S. dollars.

The first quarter of 2021 witnessed an impressive growth of the volume of real estate exchanges in Tunisia of 16.8 percent. This was an increment of more than 30 percent from 2020, which had the lowest volume of real estate exchanges since 2013 (minus 13.4 percent). The most stable exchange volume since 2013 was in 2017 at 1.2 percent. Before the significant increase in the volume of real estate exchanges in the first quarter of 2021, the previous years registered sharp declines.

Nearly four out of ten respondents were of the opinion that real estate prices in the main cities in Romania would stay the same in 2021. However, 27 percent of respondents expected real estate prices to decrease in the next 12 months.