What If the Housing Bust Didn’t Happen?
If the recession and housing bust had never happened, the median U.S. home would have been worth about $214,500 as of the end of 2017 -- $8,200 more than the actual value of $206,300.
Market Trends
Owners of the Most Affordable Homes Gaining Wealth Fastest
Owners of the country’s most affordable homes are gaining equity the fastest, because demand for entry-level homes continues to grow faster than supply.
Singles Can Afford Fewer Than Half of U.S. Homes — and It’s Worse for Women
It takes a single person almost 11 years to save a down payment for a typical U.S. home – more than twice the time it takes a couple. The wage gap means single men can save down payments faster -- and afford a greater share of U.S. homes than single women.
Suburban Homes Still Feel Recession’s Pinch
Per-square-foot values for both urban and rural homes ($231 and $102 per square foot, respectively) have exceeded their pre-recession highs and are currently at new peaks, but the current value for suburban homes stands below its prior peak of $140, last reached in October 2006.
Homeowners Drive Household Formation, Push Up Ownership Rate
Young adults under age 35 drove the increase in homeownership, which is up 1.3 percentage points from its trough in Q2 2016 and in line with rates observed during the late 1980s and early 1990s prior to the housing bubble.
What We Learned About Housing Over the Past Year
It's been a dynamic year for housing, with affordability continuing to squeeze renters in particular -- and policy changes in Washington, D.C., raising questions about implications for homeowners. Zillow Research explored those and other issues -- from climate change to foreign buyers to home-buying tips. Here's a roundup.
Quiz: 8 Markets and the Home Styles They Love
You don't have to live on the coast to favor Cape Cods -- and people all over the country dig their Queen Annes. Test your knowledge of home style tastes in eight major metros.
Rapid Reaction: December New Home Sales
Today's numbers are not the way we would have liked to see 2017 end for the new home sales market, but nevertheless the year overall showed meaningful progress.
Mortgage Rates Moving Up as Fed Confirms New Chair, Markets Watch GDP and NAFTA
Rates have increased decisively in two of the past three weeks and the momentum is clearly upward.
December Existing Home Sales: A Retreat Following a Strong November
Three years of contracting inventory was bound to catch up: Existing home sales fell in December after a strong November, declining 3.6 percent from November. They ended 2017 up 1.1 percent from 2016, a substantial slowdown from 3.8 percent in 2016 and 6.5 percent in 2015.
