Key Highlights
- Single-family existing-home sales prices rose in 93% of measured metro areas – 205 of 221 – in the first quarter, up from 86% in the prior quarter. The national median single-family existing-home price grew 5% from a year ago to $389,400.
- Sixty-three markets (30%) experienced double-digit annual price appreciation (up from 15% in the previous quarter).
- The monthly mortgage payment on a typical, existing single-family home with a 20% down payment was $2,037 – up 9.3% from one year ago.
More than 90% of metro markets (205 out of 221, or 93%) posted home price gains in the first quarter of 2024, as the 30-year fixed mortgage rate ranged from 6.60% to 6.94%, according to the National Association of Realtors®’ latest quarterly report. Thirty percent of the 221 tracked metro areas experienced double-digit price gains over the same period, up from 15% in the fourth quarter of 2023.
“Astonishingly, greater than 90% of the country’s metro areas experienced home price growth despite facing the highest mortgage rates in two decades,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “In the current market, rising prices are the direct result of insufficient housing supply not meeting the full demand.”
Compared to one year ago, the national median single-family existing-home price climbed 5% to $389,400. In the prior quarter, the year-over-year national median price increased 3.4%.
Among the major U.S. regions, the South registered the largest share of single-family existing-home sales (46%) in the first quarter, with year-over-year price appreciation of 3.3%. Prices also swelled 11% in the Northeast, 7.4% in the Midwest and 7.3% in the West.[1]
The top 10 metro areas with the largest year-over-year median price increases, which can be influenced by the types of homes sold during the quarter, all registered gains of at least 18.2%. Six of the markets were in Illinois and Wisconsin. Overall, those markets were Fond du Lac, Wis. (23.7%); Kankakee, Ill. (22.0%); Rockford, Ill. (20.1%); Champaign-Urbana, Ill. (20.0%); Johnson City, Tenn. (19.3%); Racine, Wis. (19.0%); Newark, N.J.-Pa. (18.8%); Bloomington, Ill. (18.5%); New York-Jersey City-White Plains, N.Y.-N.J. (18.4%); and Cumberland, Md.-W.Va. (18.2%).
Eight of the top 10 most expensive markets in the U.S. were in California. Overall, those markets were San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. ($1,840,000; 13.7%); Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, Calif. ($1,365,000; 14.2%); San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, Calif. ($1,300,000; 14%); Urban Honolulu, Hawaii ($1,085,800; 5.5%); San Diego-Carlsbad, Calif. ($981,000; 11.5%); San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, Calif. ($909,300; 7%); Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, Calif. ($908,700; 7.6%); Salinas, Calif. ($899,200; 4.1%); Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, Fla. ($850,000; 9.4%); and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif. ($823,000; 10.2%).
“The expensive markets in the West, where home prices declined last year, are roaring back,” Yun said. “Price dips in that region were viewed as second-chance opportunities by many buyers.”
Seven percent of markets (15 of 221) experienced home price declines in the first quarter, down from 14% in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Housing affordability improved in the first quarter as mortgage rates declined. The monthly mortgage payment on a typical existing single-family home with a 20% down payment was $2,037, down 5.7% from the fourth quarter of 2023 ($2,161) but up 9.3% – or $173 – from one year ago. Families typically spent 24.2% of their income on mortgage payments, down from 26.1% in the prior quarter but up from 23.3% one year ago.
Once again, first-time buyers faced limited inventory and elevated home prices in the first quarter, though affordability conditions bettered from the previous quarter. For a typical starter home valued at $331,000 with a 10% down payment loan, the monthly mortgage payment fell slightly to $1,998, down 5.7% from the previous quarter ($2,118). However, that was an increase of $168, or 9.2%, from one year ago ($1,830). First-time buyers typically spent 36.5% of their family income on mortgage payments, down from 39.3% in the prior quarter.
A family needed a qualifying income of at least $100,000 to afford a 10% down payment mortgage in 40.7% of markets, down from 47.1% in the previous quarter. Yet, a family needed a qualifying income of less than $50,000 to afford a home in 4.5% of markets, up from 2.3% in the prior quarter.
About the National Association of Realtors®
The National Association of Realtors® is America’s largest trade association, representing 1.5 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries. The term Realtor® is a registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of Realtors® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.
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Information about NAR is available at nar.realtor. This and other news releases are posted in the newsroom at nar.realtor/newsroom. Statistical data in this release, as well as other tables and surveys, are posted in the “Research and Statistics” tab.
Data tables for MSA home prices (single-family and condo) are posted at https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics/housing-statistics/metropolitan-median-area-prices-and-affordability. If insufficient data is reported for an MSA in a particular quarter, it is listed as N/A. For areas not covered in the tables, please contact the local association of Realtors®.
NOTE: NAR releases quarterly median single-family price data for approximately 220 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs). In some cases, the MSA prices may not coincide with data released by state and local Realtor® associations. Any discrepancy may be due to differences in geographic coverage, product mix, and timing. In the event of discrepancies, Realtors® are advised that for business purposes, local data from their association may be more relevant.
[1] Areas are generally metropolitan statistical areas as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. NAR adheres to the OMB definitions, although in some areas an exact match is not possible from the available data. A list of counties included in MSA definitions is available at: https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/demo/metro-micro/delineation-files.html.
Regional median home prices are from a separate sampling that includes rural areas and portions of some smaller metros that are not included in this report; the regional percentage changes do not necessarily parallel changes in the larger metro areas. The only valid comparisons for median prices are with the same period a year earlier due to seasonality in buying patterns. Quarter-to-quarter comparisons do not compensate for seasonal changes, especially for the timing of family buying patterns.
Median price measurement reflects the types of homes that are selling during the quarter and can be skewed at times by changes in the sales mix. For example, changes in the level of distressed sales, which are heavily discounted, can vary notably in given markets and may affect percentage comparisons. Annual price measures generally smooth out any quarterly swings.
NAR began tracking of metropolitan area median single-family home prices in 1979; the metro area condo price series dates back to 1989.
The seasonally adjusted annual rate for a particular quarter represents what the total number of actual sales for a year would be if the relative sales pace for that quarter was maintained for four consecutive quarters. Total home sales include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-operative housing.
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Troy Green National Association of Realtors® tgreen@nar.realtor
