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 | Economics | Codes and Standards
Apr 10, 2026
Podcast: Housing Market Braces for Tense Spring Home Buying SeasonIn the latest episode of NAHB’s podcast, Housing Developments, CEO Jim Tobin and COO Paul Lopez delve into market uncertainties ahead of the spring home buying season, efforts to bolster housing supply, what the 2027 budget cuts could mean for housing and how members can engage in the codes process.
Remodeling | Business Management
Apr 10, 2026
Home Remodeling Profit Margin Jumps on Demand and Business PracticesProfitability for residential remodelers reached its highest level in nearly 30 years in 2024, according to NAHB’s most recent Remodelers’ Cost of Doing Business Study.
Latest Economic News
Economics
Apr 09, 2026
Remodeling Market Sentiment Edges Down but Remains Positive in First QuarterIn the first quarter of 2026, the NAHB/Westlake Royal Remodeling Market Index (RMI) posted a reading of 62, down two points compared to the previous quarter. Despite this decline, the overall reading has been solidly in positive territory since Q1 2020.
Economics
Apr 08, 2026
Remodelers Saw Profit Margin Gains in 2024Profitability for residential remodelers reached its highest level in more than two decades in 2024. Industry-wide profit benchmarks are important because they allow companies to evaluate their financial performance in context with the industry.
Economics
Apr 07, 2026
Rising Rates Weigh on Mortgage ActivityMortgage application activity decreased month-over-month as the 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Market Composite Index, a measure of total mortgage application volume, declined 4.3% from February on a seasonally adjusted basis but remained 30.8% higher than a year earlier.