03/06/2026
According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), about 5.5 million more households can qualify for a mortgage compared to a year ago due to lower interest rates. However, buying activity has yet to increase significantly, even though housing affordability is slowly improving, as many of these newly qualified buyers do not act immediately when rates drop.
Based on trends from previous years, about 10% of these buyers could potentially enter the market—adding roughly 550,000 new buyers compared to last year. With more qualified buyers and homeowners not in a rush to sell, competition could continue to push prices up and further impact affordability.
Nationwide, home prices are still rising, but at a slower pace, and some markets have even seen prices soften. NAR reported that the national median home sales price in January was $396,800—an all-time high.
What do you think the spring market will look like?
Click the link to the article for more info and to see the interactive map to see how many potential buyers could now qualify in your metro area.
NAR research shows about 5.5 million more households can now qualify for a mortgage compared to a year ago due to lower rates. So, what’s holding buyers back?
