Altos

Mike Simonsen joins Compass as chief economist

Compass is looking to up its game by hiring a chief economist. And the nation’s top brokerage by sales volume announced Monday that it has appointed Mike Simonsen to the role. As the founder of housing market data firm Altos Research, Simonsen is no stranger to housing market trends and analysis. Altos was acquired by […]

Mike Simonsen joins Compass as chief economist Read More »

It’s official: DOGE cuts are impacting the DC housing market

When Elon Musk was given control over much of the federal government staffing levels at the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, real estate professionals in Washington, D.C., wondered if the sweeping layoffs would impact the housing market. While everyone has taken a wait-and-see approach, it’s getting hard to deny that people are moving

It’s official: DOGE cuts are impacting the DC housing market Read More »

New Florida condo laws aim to add transparency for buyers

Come July 1, those working and transacting in Florida’s condo market will have some new requirements to deal with. On Monday, Florida Governor Ron Desantis signed both HB 913 and HB 393 into law.  Many of the changes outlined in the bills were championed by Florida Realtors. These changes include things like adjustments to document

New Florida condo laws aim to add transparency for buyers Read More »

How to think about home prices for the rest of 2025

The story for the housing market over the past three years has been, “Home sales are down, home prices are up.” Because inventory was so restricted after the pandemic, prices pushed higher even as demand weakened. That story may finally be inverting as unsold inventory of homes is now great enough that home prices are

How to think about home prices for the rest of 2025 Read More »

Seattle housing market wrestles with crippling affordability concerns

On the surface, Seattle’s housing market looks like any other in the country. The inventory of single-family homes for sale is up substantially year over year. New listings are up slightly, sales remain subdued and home prices aren’t moving much. That’s the story in the majority of housing markets. But Seattle is wrestling with a

Seattle housing market wrestles with crippling affordability concerns Read More »

Where does the housing market stand 5 years after the ‘flight to the suburbs’?

The onset of COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 set off a wave of domestic migration that reoriented housing markets across the country, turning some metro areas into boomtowns and sinking a number of others. The prevailing narrative around this phenomenon took on a life of its own — a mass exodus from urban cities in

Where does the housing market stand 5 years after the ‘flight to the suburbs’? Read More »

DOGE effect? Housing inventory in DC is rising faster than the rest of the country

Agent Janice Pouch had a listing go up in February for a single-family house in a desirable part of Washington, D.C., where homes typically don’t last long.  She had no reason to think that wouldn’t be the case this time either, especially after a packed open house during its first weekend on the market. Instead,

DOGE effect? Housing inventory in DC is rising faster than the rest of the country Read More »

Where land-use regulations are driving up housing costs

President Donald Trump has made deregulation a policy pillar for his second term — and housing regulations are up for review. Homebuilders say that federal rules have driven up the cost of building a home. Many mortgage professionals want to release Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from conservatorship. And there were no shortage of complaints

Where land-use regulations are driving up housing costs Read More »

Mortgage rates remain close to 7%, but there are positives for housing

Mortgage rates rose in the past week, but even as they remain close to 7%, there’s little evidence to suggest they’ll move much higher and further constraint housing affordability. On Tuesday, 30-year conforming rates averaged 6.93% while 15-year conforming rates averaged 6.76%, according to HousingWire’s Mortgage Rates Center. In comparison, these figures stood at 6.88%

Mortgage rates remain close to 7%, but there are positives for housing Read More »

Inventory back to 2019 levels and what that means for 2025

To start things off, I have an announcement to make, today will be my last weekly article for Altos Research. I founded Altos nearly 20 years ago to bring a new level of analytics and data to the housing market. Two and a half years ago, Altos was acquired by HousingWire, and it’s been tremendously

Inventory back to 2019 levels and what that means for 2025 Read More »