U.S. Home Prices Accelerate

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U.S. Home Prices Accelerate As Housing Supply Tightens

The average American home listing prices reaches $312,000 in October.

In October, the average American home prices listing climbed 4.3% year over year, reaching a high of $312,000; according to Realtor.com’s Housing Trend Report. The company also indicates this growth is partially attributed to a decline in housing inventory. Which also resulted in heightened competition during the month.

This competition continues to threaten homeownership for many Americans, especially the nation’s first-time buyers, who have been priced out of many entry-level homes, said George Ratiu, Realtor.com’s senior economist. “Owning a home continues to be a priority for buyers, as we head into the cooler months of the year,” said Ratiu. “Driven by the tailwind of sub-4 percent mortgage rates, the steady demand for housing is drying market inventory at an accelerating pace.”

With dwindling supply, prices maintain their upward pressure, therefore deepening the affordability challenges for first-time buyers, Ratiu said. In fact, according to the company, the nation’s inventory declined 6.9% year over year in October, equating a loss of nearly 98,000 listings.

“Spurred by low mortgage rates, the uptick in demand this past spring gobbled up available inventory therefore leaving the U.S. market depleted,” Realtor.com writes. “Nationally, inventory decreased 6.9% in October, also an acceleration from September’s 4.1% drop.”