New York Post

HOMES PRICES UP 47%

Soaring since 2020

- By MARY K. JACOB

A recent analysis of the Case-Shiller National Home Price Index has revealed a jaw-dropping surge in US home prices, which have soared 47.1% since the dawn of this decade.

The boom witnessed in the early years of the 2020s has outpaced not only the growth of the 1990s and 2010s — but is now threatenin­g to surpass the entirety of the 2000s, according to the analysis by ResiClub.

Even the dizzying heights reached before the 2007 housing market meltdown are within striking distance.

This decade’s housingmar­ket frenzy was ignited by a perfect storm — the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic triggering an unpreceden­ted rush among buyers.

The result? A staggering 20% surge in prices within a mere 12 months.

Despite mortgage rates spiking to around 7%, double what they were at the peak of the pandemic, home prices refuse to plateau.

That’s due the insatiable appetite for housing coupled with a crippling shortage in supply.

“Because the Fed kept rates too low for too long during the pandemic, listing inventory was essentiall­y wiped off the map, keeping prices rising sharply despite the surge in mortgage rates,” appraiser Jonathan Miller told The Post.

“Would-be home sellers that bought or refinanced at a 2.5% to 4% rate during the pandemic became trapped due to the lock-in effect. They became reluctant to list their homes because, as new buyers, they would get a lot less for their money because of the much higher mortgage rates.

“The way out of this appears to be to hope for a drop in mortgage rates, but that could take years.”

Own-erous cost

The median US home sale price hit $420,800 in the first quarter of this year. Compare that to a modest $327,100 at the beginning of the decade. It was $124,800 in the early ’90s.

Lance Lambert, cofounder of ResiClub, says housing price growth in the first 50 months of this decade has outpaced the past three decades combined.

Recent research reveals that millennial­s, more than any previous generation, perceive true success as synonymous with homeowners­hip. A February Bank of America Homebuyer Insights Report highlights that millennial­s prioritize homeowners­hip more than their parents did at a comparable age.

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