This Housing Crisis Is Way Worse Than 2008…Here’s Why

Housing Market Analysis - The housing market is not crashing in a 2008-style implosion, but rather experiencing a slow decline due to unaffordability and gridlock [1] - The US average 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate increased by 130% within a year, rising from 3% in late 2021 to 7% in late 2022 [1] - Nearly 75% of all US households, approximately 100 million households, cannot afford to buy a medium-priced home [2] - A mere $1,000 increase in the price of a home is enough to push an additional 115,000 households out of the market, and a 0.25% increase in mortgage rates excludes another 1.1 million households [2] Supply and Demand Dynamics - In the US, over 80% of current homeowners have a mortgage rate under 6%, creating a "locking effect" that reduces housing supply [2] - US building permits recently dropped to a nearly 5-year low of 1.39 million units, and housing starts fell even more sharply to a 5-year low of 1.25 million units [2] - The US needs at least 2 million new homes every year to meet demand [2] - Gen Z makes up only 3% of buyers, with the median age for a first-time buyer now at 38 years old [2] Risks and Challenges - US foreclosure filings in May were up 9% from a year ago, while completed foreclosures shot up 34% in the last year [3] - A new analysis of commercial mortgage-backed securities debt shows 6.42% of borrowers were 30 or more days delinquent or in foreclosure [3] - The office loan delinquency rate is at 7.8%, and the rate of loans transferred to special servicing has hit a 25-year high of 16.19% [3] - Over $300 billion worth of mortgages in Canada are set for renewal this year, many of which were signed when rates were at historic lows [3]