According to a new survey from Realtor.com, about a third of Americans hoping to buy a home in the next year would consider their goal within reach if rates fell below 5%.
Thirty-two percent of respondents to the survey, which more than 5,000 consumers participated in between Oct. 31 and Nov. 6, said that they could make buying a home work if interest rates slid under that threshold. Twenty-two percent — just over one-fifth — said they deem buying a home possible if rates dropped below 6%.
Mortgage rates, according to the latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) from Freddie Mac, are currently averaging about 6.77%. They’ve recently risen after Consumer Price Index data revealed that inflation rose more than expected in January, though their general trajectory has shown a downward bent since the Federal Reserve has eased off its rate-hiking policy late last year.
“Small changes in mortgage rates indeed have an outsized impact on monthly mortgage payments. For first-time homebuyers, if mortgage rates drop in the [5% range], that will boost their purchasing power. For a lot of repeat buyers who already own a home, the lower rates go, the less of a jump they will take in their mortgage payments,” said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com.
Get these articles in your inbox
Sign up for our daily newsletter
Get these articles in your inbox
Sign up for our daily newsletter
“Mortgage rates are down more than a whole percentage point from their peak,” Hale added. “For the same monthly payment, you can afford to purchase a more expensive home or you have a lower monthly payment at the same home price. Either way, it’s a win for the homebuyer.”
That’s not to say that the current rate environment — or even the recent zenith of interest rates — is a deal breaker for homebuyers. Obviously, the high rate environment has made a significant impact. But 47% of millennials would still buy a home even if mortgage rates exceed 8% again, according to Realtor.com’s survey. So would 37% of Gen Z.
Young buyers are also the most optimistic, according to Realtor.com’s survey, with almost half of Gen Z buyers indicating that they expect to be able to afford a home in the next five years, compared with 32% of millennials, 36% of Gen Xers and 26% of baby boomers.
“It makes sense that younger buyers are more optimistic,” Hale said. “There are certainly more challenges; they tend to have lower incomes and lower savings. But they’ve also got a lot of life in front of them. With incomes now outpacing inflation, we’re looking at real increases in their purchasing power.”




