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
Aug 22, 2025
NAHB Members See Big Savings in 2025 with New Discounts on Business Tools, AutomobilesWhether you're looking to cut business costs or make smart personal purchases, the NAHB Member Savings Program offers significant savings for members. And in 2025, NAHB has unveiled several new savings opportunities from leading companies including Best Buy, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, QuickBooks and RAM Trucks.
Aug 21, 2025
Santa Fe Students Build ‘Tiny’ Homes to Test Energy Efficiency CodesTo benefit the community and provide students hands-on construction experience, the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association recently completed the Northern New Mexico Ice Box Challenge.
Latest Economic News
Aug 22, 2025
Slight Gains for Townhouse ConstructionTownhouse construction expanded more than 9 percent on a year-over-year basis per data from the second quarter of 2025.
Aug 21, 2025
Existing Home Sales Rise in JulyExisting home sales rebounded in July as mortgage rates retreated from the recent peak and home price growth slowed, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR).
Aug 21, 2025
New and Existing Homes Remain Largely Unaffordable in Second QuarterWhile new homes remain largely unaffordable, builder efforts to improve housing affordability paid dividends in the second quarter of 2025, according to the latest data from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Cost of Housing Index (CHI).