Rising supply and slowing demand in the housing market are finally causing prices to cool off, and the weakness is accelerating.
Home prices nationally rose just 2.7% in April compared with the previous year, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index released Tuesday. That is down from a 3.4% annual increase in March and is the smallest gain in nearly two years.
The report is slightly back-dated, as it is a three-month running average of prices ending in April. Other more current readings of the market, such as one from Parcl Labs, shows prices nationally are now flat compared with a year ago.
S&P Case-Shiller found the deceleration in prices was taking hold across the 10- and 20-city composites its index measures. Both are now substantially below their recent peaks. In addition, much of the annual increase in the April reading occurred in just the past six months, meaning prices got a boost from the spring market rather than showing up throughout the year.
“What’s particularly striking is how this cycle has reshuffled regional leadership—markets that were pandemic darlings are now lagging, while historically steady performers in the Midwest and Northeast are setting the pace. This rotation signals a maturing market that’s increasingly driven by fundamentals rather than speculative fervor,” said Nicholas Godec, head of fixed income at S&P Dow Jones Indices, in a release.
