14 housing traits that outlined the yr, together with report home costs, a mortgage price rollercoaster, and a gross sales sea-saw
The 2024 housing market in some ways mirrored 2023: too few houses available on the market, and never sufficient consumers prepared to face excessive costs and mortgage charges. This pushed home costs increased and stored affordability traditionally low – exceptional, provided that 2023 ended because the least reasonably priced yr for homebuying on report. Practically 40% of renters thought they’d by no means personal a house.
The market was so troublesome that the median homebuying age jumped to a report 56 years outdated – seven years older than 2023. A higher proportion of homebuyers continued to get priced out.
Many homebuyers sat out the yr on the sidelines, ready for affordability to enhance. Others received drained of ready and determined to take the leap, even with the market headwinds. The presidential election additionally injected extra volatility and unpredictability.
Nonetheless, there have been some key enhancements, together with extra housing stock, declining inflation, and improved renter affordability.
Beneath are traits, information factors, and visuals that outlined the 2024 housing market.
All information was aggregated from January by November 2024 except in any other case said. Information got here from Redfin, Hire., the U.S. Census Bureau, FRED, NAR, and/or public data. For questions on metrics, learn our metrics definitions web page.
1. House costs reached consecutive all-time highs
The U.S. median sale worth reached an all-time excessive in July when it hit $442,000, one month after June recorded a excessive of $438,000. Each eclipsed 2022’s report of $432,000. Home costs hit report highs for 9 straight weeks.
When averaging for your complete yr, 2024’s median sale worth of $428,200 far surpassed any earlier yr in historical past, beating final yr’s by $20,000.
“Provide and demand performed starring roles once more this yr,” stated Daryl Fairweather, Redfin Chief Economist. “The mix of low provide and lackluster demand gave consumers the truth of a scorching market, regardless that few houses modified fingers. This uncommon development helped push costs steadily increased all year long, which was dangerous information for everybody besides homesellers trying to downsize or hire.”
Low-income residents have been hit particularly arduous. Practically 1 / 4 who made lower than $50,000 needed to skip meals to afford funds.
2. San Jose was the costliest metro space for homebuyers in 2024
Beating out San Francisco, San Jose grew to become the costliest metropolitan space for homebuyers within the nation in 2024. The common month-to-month median sale worth in San Jose was $1,566,100, up 8.5% ($133,120) from final yr. In any other case, the highest ten most costly markets have been unchanged from 2023.
Home costs typically rose throughout the board, with solely Austin and San Antonio posting year-over-year decreases. Housing affordability grew to become an even bigger disaster this yr, particularly amongst lower-income teams, and was a main concern for voters within the presidential election.
The highest six most costly metros have been all in California.
Anaheim noticed the biggest year-over-year worth improve within the nation, rising 12.5%.
3. Detroit was the least costly metro space for homebuyers in 2024
The common month-to-month median sale worth for a house in Detroit was $190,865, up 8.5% ($16,220) from 2023. Costs have risen dramatically for the reason that pandemic, as consumers looking for affordability fought for a restricted provide. Most of the most reasonably priced metros have been high selections for relocating homebuyers early within the yr and have seen massive worth progress for the reason that pandemic.
All however probably the most reasonably priced metros noticed substantial (>5%) year-over-year positive aspects.
9 of the ten least costly metros have been all situated within the Rust Belt, persevering with final yr’s development.
Austin (-2.2%) and San Antonio (-1.8%) posted the one year-over-year drops within the nation. Each additionally noticed the best enhancements in affordability when factoring in wage progress.
4. House gross sales turned constructive for the primary time in years
4.62 million U.S. houses bought by November 2024, a slight improve from final yr however far under the 5.62 million bought in 2022. On common, 423,100 houses bought each month this yr, beating final yr’s 417,020.
Yr-over-year house gross sales have been unfavorable each month in 2024 earlier than turning constructive in September – the primary time in over three years. Gross sales posted stronger will increase of 4.8% in October and seven.2% in November, which was a promising upward development main into 2025.
Gross sales seemingly turned constructive as a result of mortgage charges dipped considerably in August and September. And pending gross sales, a 1-2 month main indicator of closed house gross sales, confirmed energy later within the yr, too.
House gross sales seemingly elevated as a result of extra consumers accepted that mortgage charges will hover between 6-7% for now.
Could noticed the fewest house gross sales, at simply 412,150. There have solely been two months since 2012 with fewer gross sales.
To shut out the yr, house gross sales posted main will increase in costly West Coast markets, seemingly as a result of a scarcity of houses intensified competitors.
Whereas gross sales rose total, they typically fell when mortgage charges spiked. In October, when charges rose from 6.2% to 7%, roughly 53,000 house purchases have been cancelled – the best share in a yr.
Two hurricanes and an insurance coverage disaster helped trigger Florida metros to see the most important drops in house gross sales: West Palm Seashore (-9.2%), Fort Lauderdale (-7.9%), Miami (-4.6%), Tampa (-3.9%), and Jacksonville (-3.9%). However, the drop in gross sales helped enhance provide.
5. Mortgage charges went on a rollercoaster trip
“As soon as once more, mortgage charges dominated the market this yr,” continued Fairweather. “Charges hovered between 6.5% and seven.5%, which scared off many consumers and pushed sellers to carry onto pandemic-era charges.”
Charges have been cussed, too. “Though inflation dropped near the Fed’s 2% goal and we noticed three rate of interest cuts, uncertainty over the election and energy of the economic system stored charges elevated,” she added.
Demonstrating how unstable charges have been, a weak jobs report in August led traders to push mortgage charges down to six.3%, which prompted a surge in purchaser exercise. Charges fell additional in September, however then rapidly rose with the prospect of a stronger-than-expected economic system. We don’t count on mortgage charges to vary considerably in 2025.
Patrons who’re cautious of an costly market ought to perceive that traditionally, charges are comparatively common. “When you’re prepared to purchase a house, now’s the time to speak with an agent, get prequalified for a mortgage, and begin your house search,” suggested April Janas, Senior Mortgage Officer with Bay Fairness, a Redfin firm. “Many markets cater to consumers proper now, with extra choices, much less competitors, and favorable phrases. And if charges do fall in 2025, there are methods to take benefit, together with refinancing your mortgage.”
The Fed is predicted to chop rates of interest solely twice subsequent yr, lower than beforehand forecast.
Nonetheless, there may be plenty of financial uncertainty as a consequence of President-Elect Trump’s probably inflationary coverage proposals, together with tariffs, tax cuts, and deportations.
6. Inflation lastly cooled down, however the future is unsure
The Fed’s aggressive price hikes from 2022 to 2023 lastly helped deliver down inflation from report highs. In November this yr, the inflation price sat at 2.7%, simply above the Fed’s goal however comparatively wholesome traditionally. The Fed responded by issuing three consecutive price cuts.
Nonetheless, consultants are cautious that inflation might improve once more subsequent yr, particularly if Trump’s insurance policies pan out. The Fed’s up to date projections for 2025 recommend that they plan to behave with extra warning and reduce charges extra slowly.
As rates of interest hovered round 0.5% for the whole lot of the pandemic, inflation took off as a consequence of provide crunches and elevated client demand. The Fed responded by elevating the benchmark rate of interest 11 occasions over the course of a yr to fight inflation and funky the economic system.
7. Rents held regular
The median U.S. asking hire reached a excessive of $1,649 this yr, much like final yr and a continued reprieve from the pandemic-era rollercoaster. Rents stayed principally flat all yr and dipped main into 2025. The median asking hire throughout all months by November averaged $1,629 – simply $8 greater than final yr.
However when paired with slowly rising wages, leases truly grew to become barely extra reasonably priced. Rents for school graduates and lecturers noticed notable enhancements.
The calmer market was pushed by a surge of latest residences accomplished this yr after the development increase in 2021-2022. Now, provide is outpacing demand, and new items are renting extra slowly. Condo building has since slowed.
Rents fell quickest within the Solar Belt and a few coastal metros, which constructed probably the most residences throughout the pandemic. Florida and Texas noticed massive drops this yr. The other was true in Rust Belt and East Coast metros, which didn’t construct as a lot and have been then confronted with a provide scarcity.
Importantly, although, rents have remained traditionally unaffordable for the reason that pandemic, skyrocketing by 19% from 2019. A report half of all renters spent greater than a 3rd of their revenue on hire this yr, and 22% spent their total paycheck. Incomes have lagged behind rents for years, impacting low-income renters the hardest. This lack of affordability, and the probability of dealing with increased rents in a brand new residence, has led many renters to remain put.
8. New building slowed down
The U.S. noticed a mean of 1.35 million new houses began month-to-month in 2024, down from 1.42 million in 2023 and nicely under 2022’s 1.55 million. New single-family house building (excluding leases) fared equally to final yr, peaking at 1.13 million in February.
We count on new building to rise subsequent yr, although. “This could have a constructive impact on provide within the subsequent few years,” famous Chen Zhao, Redfin Senior Economics Supervisor. “New building has lagged for the reason that Nice Recession however has been slowly recovering, peaking simply after the pandemic. Development dipped this yr, however builder confidence has improved heading into 2025.”
Nonetheless, even with post-pandemic enhancements, the nation remains to be experiencing a historic scarcity of reasonably priced housing. New building trails nicely behind demand, and the U.S. has a housing scarcity of between 2-6 million items.
Homebuilders have backed off for the reason that pandemic-driven constructing increase, with excessive mortgage and rates of interest hampering purchaser demand and pushing up improvement prices. Many builders are actually centered on promoting the houses they’ve. This helps to clarify why simply 28% of homes on the market in September have been newly constructed this yr – the bottom share in 3 years.
California, Oregon, and Utah are amongst states that fall the farthest quick of projected housing wants.
Housing completions fared barely higher than begins, with an annualized price of 1,601,000 in November – a 0.2% year-over-year lower.
Permits to construct single-family houses elevated this yr, however are nonetheless nicely under post-pandemic highs.
Information was seasonally adjusted by October 2024.
9. Housing stock posted main positive aspects
On common, 1.19 million houses have been listed on the market or pending each month by November in 2024, up a large 15.8% from final yr. Month-to-month stock peaked at 1.21 million houses in October.
Stock rose for a couple of causes: extra sellers determined to check the market; houses sat available on the market for longer; and new housing completions continued to steadily rise.
Lively listings, a measure of all houses available on the market, have steadily elevated since mid-2023, hitting a excessive of 1.73 million in November. Lively listings and pending gross sales make up the entire housing stock.
Though stock has begun recovering from chronically low provide and the pandemic homebuying craze, it nonetheless sits under the historic regular. There aren’t sufficient reasonably priced houses available on the market.
Stock is seasonally adjusted and calculated in rolling 90-day durations, e.g., January 2024 information is the three-month interval from November 1, 2023, by January 31, 2024. Redfin stock data date again to 2012.
10. New listings continued climbing
In keeping with stock, new listings posted main positive aspects this yr. A median of 544,000 houses have been newly listed on the market each month in 2024, up 9% from 2023’s report low. New listings have slowly improved over the previous two years.
The rise in listings took some time to translate to gross sales, although, as excessive housing prices priced many consumers out of the market. It wasn’t till later within the yr that market exercise actually picked up following Fed price cuts and rises in affordability.
New listings are seasonally adjusted and calculated in rolling 90-day durations, e.g., January 2024 information is the three-month interval from November 1, 2023, by January 31, 2024. Redfin listings data date again to 2012.
11. Months of provide continued its regular restoration
Whereas stock measures the variety of houses presently obtainable on the market, months of provide measures the period of time it might take these houses to promote. 4 to 5 months of housing provide is taken into account a balanced market, with extra indicating a purchaser’s market and fewer indicating a vendor’s market.
The common inventory of housing provide throughout each month in 2023 was 2.8 months, up from 2.5 months in 2023. The market continued to lean in direction of sellers, however swung nearer to consumers in sure markets, particularly costly metros with restricted demand. Extra reasonably priced metros typically noticed the other development.
Though provide rose additional in 2024, many consumers needed to battle for each house; by the primary eight months of the yr, simply 2.5% of the nation’s houses modified fingers – the bottom share since a minimum of the Nineteen Nineties. The pandemic homebuying increase depleted provide, additional hampered by a spike in investor purchases, which has solely began to get better.
“Provide has slowly pulled itself out of its pandemic-infused slide and continued to realize floor this yr,” added Fairweather. “Nonetheless, it’s nonetheless removed from a balanced market. Patrons and sellers ought to speak with an agent to find out how finest to navigate their native market.”
Provide peaked at 3.3 months in January and fared higher than final yr throughout the homebuying season.
Provide is seasonally adjusted calculated in rolling 90-day durations, e.g., January 2024 information is the three-month interval from November 1, 2023, by January 31, 2024. Redfin provide data date again to 2012.
12. The everyday house took greater than a month to promote
Properties spent a mean of 39 days available on the market in 2024 – a day longer than 2023. House gross sales continued their main slowdown from the record-breaking tempo seen in 2021-2022, largely as a result of affordability was so strained.
This slowdown was particularly seen in September, when half of all houses listings had sat available on the market for greater than 60 days. The development continued into December. That was up from 43.2% in 2023. Beforehand in Could, greater than three-fifths had been available on the market for 30 days, up from 60% in 2023.
Nonetheless, time-on-market diversified broadly by metro; houses in reasonably priced metros typically bought way more rapidly than houses in costly metros. For instance, in Could, the standard house in Buffalo bought in simply 8 days, in comparison with 45 days in Austin. Some pricier West Coast markets, like San Jose, noticed jumps in gross sales to shut out the yr, too.
As homebuying affordability worsened, folks simply needed a house they may afford.
Many traditionally common and reasonably priced Solar Belt cities, like Jacksonville, noticed demand skyrocket throughout the pandemic. Now, they’re cooling off and houses are taking longer to promote.
Could and June have been the busiest months of the yr, with houses spending 32 days available on the market.
Though they’re slowing down, houses nonetheless promote traditionally rapidly on common.
13. Practically 31% of houses have been bought with money in 2024
30.8% of houses have been bought totally with money in 2024 – down from 32% final yr however nonetheless traditionally elevated.
All-cash gross sales typically comply with the identical development because the rise and fall of mortgage charges. When charges transfer down, the proportion of all-cash gross sales strikes down; when charges go up, all cash-sales go up. So, as mortgage charges skyrocketed in 2022, all-cash purchases adopted go well with. They’ve remained elevated since, however are falling.
Luxurious consumers and traders have been more likely to pay in money.
“By paying all money, prosperous consumers can bypass rates of interest altogether and safe a greater deal,” continued Zhao. “Whereas these are nice advantages, they will contribute to inequality between individuals who personal houses and individuals who don’t, particularly since traders are inclined to gravitate towards lower-priced houses.”
All-cash gross sales slowly fell all year long from a February peak, as charges dipped and homebuying exercise returned.
Well-liked, cheap metros noticed the best share of money purchases.
Most of the most costly metros noticed the bottom share of all-cash purchases, together with San Diego (22.1%), Virginia Seashore (21.9%), and Seattle (20.7%).
14. Investor purchases rebounded following two years of decline
Actual property investor purchases rose for the primary time since 2022 this yr, after they climbed 0.5% in March. Exercise elevated because the yr went on and ended at pre-pandemic ranges – spectacular, given the wild swings the trade has seen. Investor purchases surged as a lot as 144% yr over yr in 2021, then dropped as a lot as 47% final yr.
When averaging over your complete yr, investor purchases barely elevated from 2023, hovering simply above 17%.
Buyers typically purchase houses to both promote or lease and capitalize on low building prices and excessive demand. When prices are excessive and demand is low, traders often decelerate purchases.
Since mid-2022, investor market share has posted unfavorable year-over-year progress each quarter, dropping from a report 20% in 2022 to 16% in 2023. Now that home costs are hitting new highs and the shock of excessive mortgage charges is within the rearview mirror, traders are reentering a extra interesting market.
Buyers made more cash in comparison with a yr in the past. In March, the standard house bought by an investor went for 55% greater than they purchased it for.
Buyers backed out of Solar Belt metros the quickest, with Fort Lauderdale (-13.1%) and Miami (-10.6%) seeing among the many largest drops in purchases.
Though investor market share has declined for the reason that pandemic, it’s nonetheless traditionally very excessive.
Multi-family houses continued to be the preferred amongst traders, with condos coming in second.
Trying ahead
The 2024 housing market was robust for a lot of householders and renters, however what does Redfin predict for 2025? Learn our 2025 Housing Market Predictions to study extra.