While there was optimism early in the spring season about the housing landscape, recent economic uncertainty has certainly challenged that. In episode eleven of RiskWire: On the House, Veros’ Economists discuss the outlook of the housing market for this spring. Most importantly, they explore concepts such as affordability, mortgage rates, the labor market, and how they contribute to the major question this spring – Is now the right time to buy a home?
Key takeaways from the episode:
- The lock-in effect is continuing to limit mobility in the market. Roughly 30% of homeowners hold mortgages below 4%, giving little to no incentive to move away from their ultra-low rates.
- Affordability is showing modest improvement. From March 2025 to 2026, household incomes are up 3.5%, while during the same time, home prices only increased 1%.
- The labor market appears to be stable on the surface, but when you take a closer look, it is showing signs of weakness. Unemployment remains low (4.3%), and job growth is volatile on a month-to-month basis.
- Migration patterns are shifting. In the early years of the pandemic, there was a lot of migration from large metros to smaller ones, which today, has slowed down tremendously.
Curious about the upcoming spring housing landscape? Watch the eleventh episode of RiskWire: On the House today: Webcast & Interviews – RiskWire, powered by Veros
For ongoing economic updates and housing market insights, visit RiskWire.com! You can also find RiskWire: On the House on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts.
