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 03, 2026
Delaware Home Builders Score Permitting VictoryMembers sustained advocacy efforts helped shape an executive order designed to fast-track development and improve housing affordability in the state.
Sustainability and Green Building
Mar 02, 2026
Top 10 States for NGBS Green Certification Activity in 2025Texas once again tops multifamily certification, and Florida took the top spot for most single-family certifications for the second consecutive year.
Latest Economic News
Economics
Mar 03, 2026
Multifamily Absorption Rate Remains Below 50%The percentage of new apartment units that were absorbed within three months after completion was unchanged for new units completed in the second quarter, according to the Census Bureau’s latest release of the Survey of Market Absorption of New Multifamily Units (SOMA).
Economics
Mar 02, 2026
Private Residential Construction Spending Edges Higher in DecemberPrivate residential construction spending was up 1.5% for the last month of 2025. This modest gain was driven primarily by increased spending on home improvements and single-family construction. Despite this increase, total spending remained 1.3% lower than a year ago, reflecting the continued impact of housing affordability challenges facing the sector.
Economics
Mar 02, 2026
2024 Home Improvement Loan Applications: A State- and County-Level AnalysisResidential improvement activity remained solid in 2024, though growth has moderated from the surge seen in 2022.