NEW YORK (Bloomberg) — After a brief rally in late 2025, the U.S. housing market is showing signs of cooling off again as the new year begins. Data released this morning by the National Association of Realtors shows a 4% dip in existing home sales for December.
Economists attribute the slowdown to a slight tick up in mortgage rates, which have hovered around 6.5% this week.
“Buyers are hitting a wall,” said chief economist Lawrence Yun. “Inventory is slowly improving, but affordability remains the primary hurdle for first-time buyers.”
