The Major Variables Affecting the Price of Homes

by Maryann Ross Levanti 01/23/2022

Housing prices are constantly changing, which can make both buying and selling a home more complicated. While it’s difficult to predict future changes, it’s important to understand the key factors that affect the housing market and home prices. Here are the five major things that affect housing prices:

Economic Change

The overall health of the economy is a major influence on housing prices. While made up of myriad factors, the “health” of the economy can usually be determined by employment data, manufacturing data and prices of goods. As the economy flourishes, housing prices increase. Likewise, if the economy is suffering, prices often decrease.

Supply & Demand

The fluctuation of supply and demand affects goods and services, and property is no exception. Because physical property is a finite resource, supply and demand can become extremely important in densely populated areas. The differences between a buyer’s and seller’s market is the amount of demand compared to the amount of actual housing inventory.

Mortgage Interest Rates

If the Federal Reserve changes interest rates, mortgage lenders have to adjust accordingly. This results in a different interest rate on your mortgage or loan. Even though the change may be less than a tenth of a percent, it can make a tremendous difference in housing prices. As mortgage rates increase, many would-be homebuyers cannot afford higher priced homes. On the flip side, lower mortgage rates can encourage more buyers to enter the market, which affects pricing through supply and demand.

Location

The location of a home affects its price immensely. There are multiple factors in a location that can affect pricing, such as specific neighborhoods, highways, specific attractions or cultural interest, hospitals and schools. Home prices are higher in areas with rapid growth and lots of commercial activity. Some other location-based variables that can affect the price of a home include crime, healthcare access and proximity to industry.

Understanding the variables at play in the overall economy will help you navigate the housing market with confidence. Keep these factors in mind during your home search or selling process to stay up-to-date on what affects housing prices.

About the Author
Author

Maryann Ross Levanti

I'm Maryann Ross Levanti, looking forward to meeting you and helping you find your new home and/or sell your current one. I've lived in Fairfield County the majority of my life - grew up in Westport, (Coleytown, Coleytown, Staples), undergrad at UPenn, masters from Edinburgh, Scotland. I'm ABR and GRI certified, and hold a broker's license in real estate, as well as a provisional appraiser license. Additionally, I am the exclusive agent for CCO Habitats - a HOBI award winning building company which regularly offers new construction homes as well as renovated homes to the market in Westport. In my 20 plus years of selling homes, I've learned many things - among them - the customer is not always right. Nor am I. However, if we work together we have a much better chance of being correct and either getting your home sold or finding the home that best suits your needs. Yes, I'm outspoken and opinionated. But anyone with a license can open a door - wouldn't you rather have doors opened by someone who actually tells you the truth and is willing to put her years of experience and knowledge into working 24/7 for you to help you understand what you're getting into? You may not always like what you hear, and there are no crystal balls in this business. But I believe an informed decision is always better. Hopefully you do too! As a yearly winner of the Connecticut Five Star Realtor award and frequently repeated recipient of customer service awards indicate; my priority is you, my client, and my clients appreciate it. Put my local knowledge, professional skills, ethics and dedication to work for you - give me a call 203.984.5157.