The Expert Podcast

• Many homebuyers are waiting for prices and interest rates to drop, expecting the market to return to 2018 or 2019 levels.
• Buyers have been conditioned to think that home prices and interest rates should return to what they once were.
• Sellers, on the other hand, are also imprinted with past values—specifically, the high prices during 2020–2022.
• Most current homeowners are not under financial distress and have no urgent need to sell.
• Stringent mortgage underwriting over the past 10 years means most homeowners are stable, with equity and low interest rates.
• Homeowners remember neighbors selling for high prices and are unwilling to “give away” their homes for less.
• Buyers are more desperate than sellers due to rising rents, lack of equity, and fear of being priced out.
• Selling a home doesn’t always make financial sense—especially if it means renting at a similar or higher monthly cost.
• Even during major events like the pandemic and rate hikes, a real estate crash never occurred.
• Home prices may not be rising as quickly, but they also aren’t dropping significantly.
• Many sellers are pulling listings off the market because they don’t need to sell and don’t want to buy again at inflated prices.
• The mismatch between desperate buyers and reluctant sellers is a major reason home prices remain elevated.
• Expect fewer desperate sellers and a consistently strong demand from frustrated renters and first-time homebuyers.