A 2022 Forecast
Another hot year for housing
The shock of going into a pandemic may have disrupted the housing market in 2020 for a few months, but there was no disruption in 2021. Demand surged despite COVID’s winter wave, summer delta wave, and the current omicron wave. If anything, it has kept a lid on mortgage rates. The only thing that will slow the speeding housing freight train at this point is rising rates; yet, as long as COVID continues to be a threat, rates will have a hard time rising much from their current record lows. Housing is one of the strongest sectors of the economy, yet the overall U.S. economy has been on the mend as well. Retail sales have soared. Unemployment has dropped substantially. Job openings are surging. The number of homeowners in forbearance dropped below 600,000 by the end of December, and the vast majority of the nearly 7 million exits are either performing or paid off their mortgages in full. The economy has dramatically improved. Inflation may have risen to highs not seen in decades, but mortgage rates have not budged, indicating that investors are confident that the inflation pressures will subside and eventually retract sometime in 2022. The low interest rate environment will continue and will be a tailwind that will continue to fuel the incredible run on housing. As a result, the local housing market is going to be HOT in 2022.
