What Happens to Homeowners if the Housing Market Crashes?

Abstract

The housing market has encountered significant obstacles over the previous century, but none, with the exception of the Great Depression of 1929, contributed to the decline in home prices that occurred during the Great Recession of 2007. More people bought and sold homes as home prices soared. Home prices rose 18.8% in 2021, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller US National Home Price Index, the biggest increase in 34 years of data and substantially ahead of the 2020s 10.4% gain. As speculators entered the market, home prices skyrocketed, exacerbating the housing market bubble. Given the relative scarcity of available homes, the majority of analysts concur that a decline in housing prices is improbable. In addition to rising mortgage rates and subsequently less demand, a downturn might exert downward pressure on home prices. Many analysts believe that sky-high mortgage rates and the associated drop in housing demand will moderate the increase of home prices rather than result in any significant reversal in prices or a crash, which is generally defined as a widespread drop in home prices.