The homebuyer sentiment in the United States worsened substantially in 2021 and remained negative until August 2025. As of August 2025, the net homebuyer sentiment measured negative **. This means that the share of respondents who thought it was a bad time to buy a home outweighed the share of respondents who said the contrary by 44 percent. The decline in sentiment is correlated with the falling homeowner affordability. In 2023, the U.S. homeowner affordability index fell to the lowest level on record.

Graph and download economic data for Housing Inventory: Median Days on Market in the United States (MEDDAYONMARUS) from Jul 2016 to Oct 2025 about median and USA.

According to projections, Florida's real state market will be the worst affected by sea level rise by 2100 among coastal states in the U.S. By the end of the century, ** of the ** cities with the highest share of total housing units projected to be in high risk flooding zones are in Florida. The city most exposed is Miramar, with **** percent of its housing units expected to be at risk.

Portugal, Canada, and the United States were the countries with the highest house price to income ratio in 2024. In all three countries, the index exceeded 130 index points, while the average for all OECD countries stood at 116.2 index points. The index measures the development of housing affordability and is calculated by dividing nominal house price by nominal disposable income per head, with 2015 set as a base year when the index amounted to 100. An index value of 120, for example, would mean that house price growth has outpaced income growth by 20 percent since 2015. How have house prices worldwide changed since the COVID-19 pandemic? House prices started to rise gradually after the global financial crisis (2007–2008), but this trend accelerated with the pandemic. The countries with advanced economies, which usually have mature housing markets, experienced stronger growth than countries with emerging economies. Real house price growth (accounting for inflation) peaked in 2022 and has since lost some of the gain. Although, many countries experienced a decline in house prices, the global house price index shows that property prices in 2023 were still substantially higher than before COVID-19. Renting vs. buying In the past, house prices have grown faster than rents. However, the home affordability has been declining notably, with a direct impact on rental prices. As people struggle to buy a property of their own, they often turn to rental accommodation. This has resulted in a growing demand for rental apartments and soaring rental prices.

The Housing Affordability Index value in the United States plummeted in 2022, surpassing the historical record of ***** index points in 2006. In 2024, the housing affordability index measured **** index points, making it the second-worst year for homebuyers since the start of the observation period. What does the Housing Affordability Index mean? The Housing Affordability Index uses data provided by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). It measures whether a family earning the national median income can afford the monthly mortgage payments on a median-priced existing single-family home. An index value of 100 means that a family has exactly enough income to qualify for a mortgage on a home. The higher the index value, the more affordable a house is to a family. Key factors that drive the real estate market Income, house prices, and mortgage rates are some of the most important factors influencing homebuyer sentiment. When incomes increase, consumer power also increases. The median household income in the United States declined in 2022, affecting affordability. Additionally, mortgage interest rates have soared, adding to the financial burden of homebuyers. The sales price of existing single-family homes in the U.S. has increased year-on-year since 2011 and reached ******* U.S. dollars in 2023.

The house price-to-income ratio in the United States has reached concerning levels, with the index hitting ***** in the second quarter of 2025. This indicates that house prices have outpaced income growth by *****percent since 2015, highlighting a growing affordability crisis in the housing market. The widening gap between home prices and wages is putting homeownership out of reach for many Americans, particularly as real wages have remained stagnant. Rising home prices and stagnant wages While average annual real wages in the United States have increased slightly since 2014, home prices have soared. The median sales price of existing single-family homes reached a record-high in 2024, representing a substantial increase over the past five years. This disparity between wage growth and home price appreciation has led to a significant decrease in housing affordability across the country. Affordability challenges in the U.S. housing market The U.S. Housing Affordability Index, which measures whether a family earning the median income can afford a median-priced home, plummeted in 2024, marking the second-worst year for homebuyers since records began. This decline in affordability is reflected in homebuyer sentiment, with homebuyer sentiment plummeting.

In 2024, approximately 28 billion square feet of wallboard products were sold in the United States. Building materials in the United States: wallboard After its tremendous downturn following the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis, the housing industry in the United States is making a comeback, especially in markets like New York, Dallas, and Houston. S&P/Case Shiller's national home price index for the United States was expected to grow to some 310.76 points in 2023, up from around 135 points in 2011, the worst year for U.S. housing in half a decade. As a result, building material manufacturers are trying to tap into the market and have begun to raise prices dramatically. Thus, homebuilders are faced with increasing costs of building materials. Major companies involved in building materials include the United States Gypsum Corporation, Lafarge, and Wacker. Wallboard, which is also known as drywall, plasterboard or gypsum board, is a panel made of gypsum plaster. The panel is usually sandwiched between two thick sheets of paper to make interior wall and ceilings. Wallboard construction is prevalent in North America in comparison to the traditional usage of lath and plaster due to quicker application. Some 45 million metric tons of gypsum was consumed in the U.S. in 2023. Increasing prices The rise in prices is believed to be driven by increased building activity and demand from home improvement retailers. In the long run, expensive construction materials are set to have an impact on property prices, too. At 450,600 US dollars as of April 2022, the U.S. median house price of new homes sold in the U.S. has increased steadily over the last decades.