{"id":6613,"date":"2026-08-26T10:48:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T10:48:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/2026\/08\/26\/worried-about-a-housing-crash-the-numbers-tell-a-calmer-story\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T10:48:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T10:48:57","slug":"worried-about-a-housing-crash-the-numbers-tell-a-calmer-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/2026\/08\/26\/worried-about-a-housing-crash-the-numbers-tell-a-calmer-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Worried About a Housing Crash? The Numbers Tell a Calmer Story."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Worried\n

A recent survey<\/u><\/a> from Talker Research<\/em> asked Americans to pick one word to describe how 2026 has felt so far. The winner? Stressful.<\/em> And honestly, there\u2019s been a lot going on.<\/p>\n

So, it\u2019s understandable if you\u2019ve been putting off buying or selling a home until things settle down. But you may be waiting on something that\u2019s already happened. While everything else has felt shaky, the housing market<\/u><\/a> has become one of the steadiest things out there. Look at the data.<\/p>\n

Home Prices Have Leveled Out<\/strong><\/h4>\n

After years of fast increases, data<\/u><\/a> from the National Association of Realtors<\/em> (NAR) shows home prices<\/u><\/a> have been remarkably steady for the past 4 years (see graph below<\/em>):<\/p>\n

\"aAnd experts say that\u2019s what to expect going forward, too. As Selma Hepp, Chief Economist at Cotality<\/em>, explains<\/u><\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIn 2026, we expect <\/em>home prices to remain broadly stable,<\/em><\/strong> with modest appreciation at a national level.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

No wild swings. Just slow, steady growth. That\u2019s a healthy market. Of course, that pace can vary a bit depending on where you live. But nationally, steady growth like this makes it easier to plan your budget, whether you\u2019re buying or selling.<\/p>\n

The Supply of Homes for Sale Has Steadied<\/strong><\/h4>\n

For years, the supply of homes for sale was a moving target. It dropped fast during the pandemic and has been climbing pretty reliably ever since. Now, that pace of growth has slowed down. According<\/u><\/a> to Realtor.com<\/em>, inventory today is very close to where it was this time last year (see graph below<\/em>):\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"aThat\u2019s helpful no matter which side you\u2019re on. When the number of homes for sale isn\u2019t changing much, you know what you\u2019re walking into \u2013 how many options you\u2019ll have as a buyer, and how much competition you\u2019ll face as a seller.<\/p>\n

Mortgage Rates Found Their Range<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Yes, rates jumped dramatically back in 2022. But since then, Freddie Mac<\/em> data<\/u><\/a> shows they\u2019ve stayed between 6% and 7% for the better part of the last 3 or so years (see graph below<\/em>):<\/p>\n

\"aYes, there was one brief spike above that threshold, but overall, rates<\/u><\/a> have stayed in that range for a while now. That predictability helps when you\u2019re planning a move.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And now that this seems to be a longer-term trend, people have accepted it as the new normal. Buyers have gotten comfortable purchasing in that range, and sellers have gotten just as comfortable listing in it.<\/p>\n

That comfort\u2019s important because when both sides know what to expect, they keep making moves. In other words, the market isn\u2019t frozen waiting for something to change. It\u2019s moving calmly.<\/p>\n

Bottom Line<\/h3>\n

The rest of the world may feel unpredictable right now, but the housing market doesn\u2019t have to. Prices, inventory, and rates have all found solid ground.<\/p>\n

If stability is what you\u2019ve been waiting for, it\u2019s already here. Connect with a local real estate agent if you want to talk through what that means for your move.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A recent survey from Talker Research asked Americans to pick one word to describe how 2026 has felt so far. The winner? Stressful. And honestly, there\u2019s been a lot going on. So, it\u2019s understandable if you\u2019ve been putting off buying or selling a home until things settle down. But you may be waiting on something […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6614,"comment_status":"registered_only","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[12],"tags":[29,27,20,18,28],"class_list":["post-6613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-estate-insight","tag-idaho-real-estate","tag-north-idaho-homes","tag-rain-silverhawk","tag-real-estate","tag-sandpoint-idaho"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t