Although rising housing expenses are expected to reduce slightly in the coming year, as long as inflation remains high, the cost of purchasing a home will continue to rise. Housing costs are expected to grow 16 percent year over year (YOY), according to The Motley Fool. That means a $400,000 house in 2021 will cost $464,000. Potential home buyers who saved $80,000 (20%) for a down payment on a $400,000 house will now need to come up with an additional $92,800 for the same home.
Higher Rates May Slow Rising Home Values
When mortgage rates rise, more homes become unaffordable. As a result, there are fewer active buyers on the market, lowering housing demand. While there is still a significant lack of properties on the market, lower demand and fewer buyers tend to lower property prices. Higher mortgage rates are likely to halt the runaway surge in home values observed during the previous years, even if they don’t push property prices down.
What happens to the housing market when prices rise?
During inflationary periods, practically everything increases in price, including housing costs and rent, as well as mortgage interest rates. With real estate, there are three basic strategies for investors to protect themselves from inflation and rising costs.
- Take advantage of low interest rates: According to Freddie Mac, 30-year fixed rate mortgage interest rates are now averaging 3.07 percent (as of October 2021). Low interest rates allow an investor to take advantage of inexpensive money now in order to avoid paying higher rates later.
- Exporting inflation to tenants: Having a single family rental home may allow an investor to pass on rising costs to a renter in the form of increased monthly rent. Vacant-to-occupied rent growth has climbed by 12.7 percent year-over-year, according to Arbor’s most recent Single-Family Rental Investment Trends Report, compared to the current reported rate of inflation of 5.4 percent. Since May 2020, yearly rent growth for single family houses has averaged 8.1 percent, compared to a historical average of 3.3 percent. In other words, recent rent price growth has exceeded inflation by 2.7 percent to 7.3 percent.
- Benefit from rising asset values: Housing prices have a long history of rising, which is one of the reasons why investors utilize real estate as an inflation hedge. The median sales price of houses sold in the United States has climbed by 345 percent since Q3 1990, and by approximately 20% since Q3 2020, according to the Federal Reserve.
Will property prices plummet due to inflation?
“When you look at the current state of the housing market, you can still observe significant discrepancies between available supply and demand. Housing prices will not fall unless demand is reduced as a result of rising interest rates.
“We’ll see a normalization of the market when supply and demand (finally) align, but I don’t expect house prices to fall – they’ll just stop growing exponentially like they have in the past year. In the short run, as buyers scramble to find a home before higher rates take effect, we may see housing prices rise.”
Is now a good time to invest in real estate because of inflation?
“Inflation is high, and raising interest rates won’t help straight immediately,” he said. “As a result, people are considering what they want to do with their money.” Despite the hot and competitive market, some experts believe that buying real estate now is a wise option because mortgage rates are still low.
Will the housing market collapse in 2022?
While interest rates were extremely low during the COVID-19 epidemic, rising mortgage rates imply that the United States will not experience a housing meltdown or bubble in 2022.
The Case-Shiller home price index showed its greatest price decrease in history on December 30, 2008. The credit crisis, which resulted from the bursting of the housing bubble, was a contributing factor in the United States’ Great Recession.
“Easy, risky mortgages were readily available back then,” Yun said of the housing meltdown in 2008, highlighting the widespread availability of mortgages to those who didn’t qualify.
This time, he claims things are different. Mortgages are typically obtained by people who have excellent credit.
Yun claimed that builders were developing and building too many houses at the peak of the boom in 2006, resulting in an oversupply of homes on the market.
However, with record-low inventory sweeping cities in 2022, oversupply will not be an issue.
“Inventory management is a nightmare. There is simply not enough to match the extremely high demand. We’re seeing 10-20 purchasers for every home, which is driving prices up on a weekly basis “Melendez continued.
It’s no different in the Detroit metropolitan area. According to Jurmo, inventories in the area is at an all-time low.
“We’ve had a shortage of product, which has caused sales prices to skyrocket. In some locations, prices have risen by 15 to 30 percent in the last year “He went on to say more.
Lower Prices
Houses tend to stay on the market longer during a recession because there are fewer purchasers. As a result, sellers are more likely to reduce their listing prices in order to make their home easier to sell. You might even strike it rich by purchasing a home at an auction.
Lower Mortgage Rates
During a recession, the Federal Reserve usually reduces interest rates to stimulate the economy. As a result, institutions, particularly mortgage lenders, are decreasing their rates. You will pay less for your property over time if you have a lower mortgage rate. It might be a considerable savings depending on how low the rate drops.
Where should I place my money to account for inflation?
“While cash isn’t a growth asset, it will typically stay up with inflation in nominal terms if inflation is accompanied by rising short-term interest rates,” she continues.
CFP and founder of Dare to Dream Financial Planning Anna N’Jie-Konte agrees. With the epidemic demonstrating how volatile the economy can be, N’Jie-Konte advises maintaining some money in a high-yield savings account, money market account, or CD at all times.
“Having too much wealth is an underappreciated risk to one’s financial well-being,” she adds. N’Jie-Konte advises single-income households to lay up six to nine months of cash, and two-income households to set aside six months of cash.
Lassus recommends that you keep your short-term CDs until we have a better idea of what longer-term inflation might look like.
What do you do with your money when prices rise?
As a result, we sought advice from experts on how consumers should approach investing and saving during this period of rising inflation.
Invest wisely in your company’s retirement plan as well as a brokerage account.
Before inflation, what should I buy?
At the very least, you should have a month’s worth of food on hand. Depending on your budget, it could be more or less. (I cannot emphasize enough that it must be food that your family will consume.)
If you need some help getting started, this article will show you how to stock up on three months’ worth of food in a hurry.
Having said that, there are some items that everyone will want to keep on hand in the event of a shortage. Things like:
- During the early days of the Covid-19 epidemic, there were shortages of dry commodities such as pasta, grains, beans, and spices. We’re starting to experience some shortages again as a result of supply concerns and sustained high demand. Now is the time to stock your cupboard with basic necessities. Here are some unique ways to use pasta and rice in your dinners. When you see something you like, buy it.
- Canned goods, such as vegetables, fruits, and meats, are convenient to keep and can be prepared in a variety of ways. Individual components take more effort to prepare, but also extend meal alternatives, which is why knowing how to cook from scratch is so important. Processed foods are more expensive and have fewer options. However, if that’s all your family eats, go ahead and stock up! Be aware that processed foods are in low supply at the moment, so basic components may be cheaper and easier to come by.
- Seeds
- Growing your own food is a great way to guarantee you have enough to eat. Gardening takes planning, effort, and hard work, but there’s nothing more delicious or rewarding than eating something you’ve grown yourself. If you’re thinking of starting a garden this year, get your seeds now to avoid the spring rush. To get started, look for videos, books, or local classes to assist you learn about gardening. These suggestions from an expert gardener will also be beneficial.
Buy Extra of the Items You Use Everyday
You may also want to stock up on over-the-counter medicines, vitamin supplements, and immune boosters in case another Covid outbreak occurs. Shortages of pain relievers and flu drugs continue to occur at the onset of each covid wave, which is both predictable and inconvenient.