Prospective Buyers’ Expectations for Housing Availability Improve for First Time Since 2020
After falling steadily for five quarters, the share of prospective buyers expecting the home search to get easier in the months ahead grew from 17% to 22% between the first and second quarters of 2022. The increase is largely the result of easing competition among buyers getting priced out of the market by recent increases in mortgage rates. In contrast, 67% expect the search to get harder/stay the same, down from 74% in the previous quarter.
Another measure confirms that buyers’ perceptions of housing inventory pivoted in the second quarter of 2022. After declining for five straight quarters, the share of buyers seeing more homes available for sale in their markets turned around in the second quarter of 2022, rising to 28% from 23% a quarter earlier.
Rose Quint, NAHB assistant vice president for survey research, provides a regional breakdown on both metrics in this Eye on Housing post.
Latest from NAHBNow
Advocacy
Mar 27, 2026
How NAHB Members Can Bring Real-World Perspective to Housing PolicyNAHB spoke with House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) for her insights on key issues impacting the housing industry and how NAHB members can best engage in the legislative process.
Membership | Professional Women in Building Council
Mar 26, 2026
Professional Women in Building: Past, Present and FutureAs we celebrate Women’s History Month, we honor the incredible women shaping the home-building industry’s past, present and future. For 70 years, the NAHB Professional Women in Building (PWB) Council has championed women’s leadership, education and innovation in construction.
Latest Economic News
Economics
Mar 26, 2026
State/Local Property Tax Revenue Rises Past $210 Billion in the Fourth QuarterProperty tax revenue collected by state and local governments rose for the ninth consecutive quarter according to the Census Bureau’s quarterly summary of state and local tax revenue.
Economics
Mar 25, 2026
Age of Housing Stock by StateAccording to the latest data from the 2024 American Community Survey (ACS), the median age of owner-occupied homes has reached 42 years old. The age of the housing stock is an important remodeling market indicator.
Economics
Mar 24, 2026
Almost Half of the Owner-Occupied Homes Built Before 1980Around 47% of the U.S. housing stock was built in the 1980s and earlier. The median age of owner-occupied homes climbed to 42 years old in 2024, up from 31 in 2005 according to the latest data from the American Community Survey.