US housing market in 2019: Trends and predictions
2019 is fast becoming an interesting year for the United States housing market, where the words “slow” and “steady” are predicted to best characterize it this year. This follows a 2018 that began with fast rising demand that slowed down later in the year due to factors like high prices and fewer choices. Here’s a closer look at what to expect in this real estate segment this year, according to industry veteran Ron Cadman. Image source: Pixabay.com Realtor.com has the numbers, foremost of which is forecasting home prices to rise by 2.2 percent nationally. There are a couple of exceptions, though, such as the largest predicted price increases in areas from the 50 biggest markets, such as Grand Rapids, Michigan, at 8.2 percent and Boise City, Idaho, at 6.9 percent. It also anticipates that mortgage rates will reach 5.5 percent by the end of 2019, meaning the average home will cost 8 percent higher per month than it did in 2018. According to a Reuters poll of property ex