"Affordability Remains Challenging": US Home Prices Rise Even As Mortgage Rates Rip
Home prices in America's top 20 cities rose for the 5th straight month in August (the latest data just released by S&P Cotality Case-Shiller), up 0.27% MoM (vs +0.30% exp) lifting pries 2.65% YoY (the strongest since May)..
However, prices declined in real terms for the 15th consecutive month in August 2026, though Rebecca Kaufman, Associate Director of Commodities at S&P Dow Jones Indices note that "the gap narrowed as nominal home price growth strengthened."
Chicago led all metros for the sixth consecutive month, posting a 6.7% annual gain, followed by New York (6.2%) and Cleveland (4.3%). On the West coast, Seattle recorded the largest annual decline for the third consecutive month at 2.0%, followed by Las Vegas (-1.3%) and Denver (-0.8%).
Seasonality continued to weigh on headline monthly results. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. National and 10-City Composite Indices fell 0.2% and 0.4%, respectively, while their seasonally adjusted counterparts rose 0.3% and 0.4%. The divergence suggests that the typical post-summer slowdown is obscuring some underlying strength in home prices.
Affordability, however, remains challenging. With inflation at 3.4%, Brent crude near $100 per barrel and mortgage rates in the mid-to-high 6% range, households continue to face elevated costs alongside persistently high home prices.”
And we fear things are about to get a lot worse...
The bottom line is that nominal price growth has accelerated modestly from early-2026 lows but remains well below recent years and continues to lag inflation. Inventory tightness supports modest monthly gains in many areas, while high rates and affordability pressures keep the market subdued, especially in the West.
Tyler Durden Tue, 10/27/2026 - 09:15
Continue reading...
[ H/T ZeroHedge ]
Home prices in America's top 20 cities rose for the 5th straight month in August (the latest data just released by S&P Cotality Case-Shiller), up 0.27% MoM (vs +0.30% exp) lifting pries 2.65% YoY (the strongest since May)..
However, prices declined in real terms for the 15th consecutive month in August 2026, though Rebecca Kaufman, Associate Director of Commodities at S&P Dow Jones Indices note that "the gap narrowed as nominal home price growth strengthened."
Chicago led all metros for the sixth consecutive month, posting a 6.7% annual gain, followed by New York (6.2%) and Cleveland (4.3%). On the West coast, Seattle recorded the largest annual decline for the third consecutive month at 2.0%, followed by Las Vegas (-1.3%) and Denver (-0.8%).
Seasonality continued to weigh on headline monthly results. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. National and 10-City Composite Indices fell 0.2% and 0.4%, respectively, while their seasonally adjusted counterparts rose 0.3% and 0.4%. The divergence suggests that the typical post-summer slowdown is obscuring some underlying strength in home prices.
Affordability, however, remains challenging. With inflation at 3.4%, Brent crude near $100 per barrel and mortgage rates in the mid-to-high 6% range, households continue to face elevated costs alongside persistently high home prices.”
And we fear things are about to get a lot worse...
The bottom line is that nominal price growth has accelerated modestly from early-2026 lows but remains well below recent years and continues to lag inflation. Inventory tightness supports modest monthly gains in many areas, while high rates and affordability pressures keep the market subdued, especially in the West.
Tyler Durden Tue, 10/27/2026 - 09:15
Continue reading...
[ H/T ZeroHedge ]
