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The latest news about real estate, home equity, home ownership and home insurance from our Bankrate experts.

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Can the Federal Reserve save the housing market?

4 min read Read more

Exclusive insights from our expert analysts

“There’s no dismissing the fact that housing affordability continues to be a major pain point for Americans.”

– Mark Hamrick

Housing Affordability in 2025: With home prices rising ever higher, inventory still too low and mortgage rates remaining stubbornly elevated, it’s a very challenging time to be a homebuyer.

The housing market can be significantly impacted by outside economic forces, including Federal Reserve moves and inflation. In fact, the shelter category of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures inflation, shows that housing costs have been an outsized contributor to overall inflation in the U.S.

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The housing market keeps defying expectations. But experts agree that a crash is not imminent.

Banking_How-the-Fed-Rate-Affects-Housing_

The Fed has again hit the pause button on rates. How will it affect the housing market?

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Here’s what housing-market experts predict for the rest of 2025.

Experts in real estate

Our expert reporters and editors bring the news and analysis you need—backed by data and firsthand experience.

About Bankrate experts

Greg McBride, CFA

Chief Financial Analyst

Jeff Ostrowski

Principal Writer, Home Lending

Andrew Dehan

Writer, Home lending

News highlights

Collage of Jerome Powell and Fed building

How Fed Rates Influence Mortgages, Credit Cards and More

Jun 12, 2024

5 tips for cutting costs during the homebuying process

Jun 20, 2024

Homebuyers take on ‘a lot more than a mortgage payment,’ expert says — ‘hidden costs’ average $18,000 a year

Jun 11, 2024

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Latest Real Estate & Home Lending News

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More than half of aspiring homeowners in a new Bankrate survey say cost of living and low incomes prevent them from saving for a down payment and closing costs.

A new study shows how high home prices rose in Q4 2023.

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Uncover truths behind eight common home insurance myths.

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If a hidden debt or other financial betrayal leaves you struggling to pay your mortgage, don’t wait.

Here’s a look at some of the latest housing-related proposals in Congress.

climate change and homeownership - wood house being built on risers

Extreme weather leads to higher homeownership costs.

Storm debris litters a neighborhood in the wake of Hurricane Ida on September 3, 2021 in Grand Isle, Louisiana. Ida made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane five days before in Louisiana and brought flooding, wind damage and power outages along the Gulf Coast.

Louisiana is a perilous state. Can its home insurance market survive the risk?

Shot of a coastal neighborhood against a twilight sky.

When Jack Nelson purchased his dream home along the canals of Long Beach, New York, he imagined the best of both worlds: an ocean in his backyard and the bustling metropolis of New York City a quick train [...]

Whether or not it cuts rates, the Fed may not be able to reset the market.

inflation and the housing market photo illustration

The housing market isn’t immune from outside economic forces, including inflation.

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If you’re thinking about buying a house in 2025, you’re likely hoping for some kind of relief to make the purchase feel a bit easier on your bank account. Eighty-three percent of U.S. adults who don’t [...]