House prices grew year-on-year in most states in the U.S. in the fourth quarter of 2023. Hawaii and the District of Columbia were the only exceptions, with a decline of three and one percent, respectively. The annual appreciation for single-family housing in the U.S. was 6.5 percent, while in Rhode Island and Vermont – the states where homes appreciated the most – the increase exceeded 13 percent.
How have home prices developed in recent years?
House price growth in the U.S. has been going strong for years. In 2023, the median sales price of a single-family home exceeded 389,000 U.S. dollars, up from 207,000 U.S. dollars 10 years ago. One of the factors driving house prices was the cost of credit. The record-low federal funds effective rate allowed mortgage lenders to set mortgage interest rates as low as 2.3 percent. With interest rates on the rise, home buying has also slowed, causing fluctuations in house prices.
Why are house prices growing?
Many markets in the U.S. are overheated because supply has not been able to keep up with demand. How many homes enter the housing market depends on the construction output, whereas the availability of existing homes for purchase depends on many other factors, such as the willingness of owners to sell. Furthermore, growing investor appetite in the housing sector means that prospective homebuyers have some extra competition to worry about. In certain metros, for example, the share of homes bought by investors exceeded 20 percent in 2024.
