If you are a homebuyer actively house shopping around or just trying to get pre-approved, this information is for you. America is facing the perfect storm of rising mortgage rates combined with yet another month of record groundbreaking house prices.
In April, median home prices soared to an all-time high of $425,000, according to a recent Realtor.com® report. That’s a whopping 14.2% rise compared with last year.
Meanwhile, skyrocketing mortgage rates averaged 5.1% by the end of April for 30-year fixed-rate loans. And there is still a severe shortage of homes on the market.
So how does this double whammy break down for the average homebuyer? Based on the new national median list price and mortgage rates, a monthly mortgage payment for the same home costs almost 50% more this April than it did just a year ago.
That means buyers who closed last April are shelling out $1,260 for their monthly mortgage payments, while today’s homebuyers would pay $1,820 ($560 more) per month for the same mortgage, on the same house.
“That’s a huge swing for home shoppers to navigate when they’re also likely navigating rising costs for things like gas, groceries, and utilities,” says Danielle Hale, chief economist of Realtor.com. “Today’s home shoppers will need to be extra focused on their budgets to avoid getting carried away in today’s market.”