HomeServices of America: Housing Market Stabilizes Despite Geopolitical Shocks
Event summary
- June 2026 mortgage rates (6.5%) remained below the 6.86% average recorded a year earlier, despite early-year geopolitical disruptions.
- Affordability improved year-over-year in all four U.S. regions as wage growth outpaced home price appreciation.
- Baby Boomers hold ~40% of U.S. residential real estate ($18–20T in housing wealth), beginning a multi-decade transfer of inventory.
- Foreclosure filings rose 18% YoY in April 2026 but remain at just 0.26% of all housing units nationally.
The big picture
HomeServices of America's mid-year report underscores a housing market resilient to macroeconomic shocks, with strong homeowner equity and limited distressed sales distinguishing it from past downturns. The gradual transfer of Baby Boomer-held real estate will shape supply dynamics for decades, while regional affordability trends highlight structural shifts in buyer-seller leverage.
What we're watching
- Rate Volatility
- How sustained geopolitical tensions will affect mortgage rate stability through year-end.
- Inventory Dynamics
- The pace at which Baby Boomer housing wealth transfer impacts supply-side pressures.
- Regional Divergence
- Whether affordability-driven buyer leverage in the Mountain West and West will persist amid new construction trends.
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