Stay Put or Pay Up: Home Buyers Lose Hope for Lower Rates

April 12, 2024

www.wsj.com

Housing market affordability isn’t getting any better, with inflation keeping mortgage costs high

Prospective home buyers are giving up hope that interest rates will come down soon. They are changing their life plans accordingly.

An engaged couple that had sold stocks to fund a down payment now expects to rent for another five years. A family that was looking to trade up is considering building an extra room instead. An investor plowing ahead on a purchase is scaling back his profit projections.