• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Ex-Google engineer says Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Sundar Pichai share the same trait—it's the lesson he swears by as a $7.2 billion AI CEO

1

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Ex-Google engineer says Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Sundar Pichai share the same trait—it's the lesson he swears by as a $7.2 billion AI CEO
Real Estate

Homebuyers hit with another blow as mortgage rates soar 24% in March

Will Daniel
By
Will Daniel
Will Daniel
Down Arrow Button Icon
Will Daniel
By
Will Daniel
Will Daniel
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 31, 2022, 5:55 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Mortgage rates rose at a record pace in March after the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate for the first time since 2018 in hopes of cooling rising inflation.

The average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage—the most common type of mortgage in the U.S.—has surged an incredible 24% in the past four weeks alone, data from Freddie Mac shows. That’s the fastest four-week increase for mortgage rates in history, Redfin’s deputy chief economist Taylor Marr told Fortune.

Homebuyers are now paying an average of 4.67% for their 30-year-fixed rate mortgages—up from just 3.22% in January. The rapid increase in U.S. mortgage rates over the past few months has pushed the typical monthly payment for an American homebuyer up by more than $500, Marr said.

And with Wall Street predicting the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates as many as seven times this year—thereby increasing the cost of borrowing on everything from cars to student loans—homebuyers will likely be in for more mortgage rate increases moving forward.

The rising cost of home loans may help cool the U.S.’s red-hot housing market as higher rates will lead some borrowers to lose their mortgage eligibility due to banks’ strict debt-to-income ratio requirements.

The “abrupt” increase in interest rates particularly influences first-time homebuyers.

“We are hearing from our agents on the ground that some of the first-time homebuyers might be more sensitive to the rising rates and are some of the first ones to back out. I do think we’re probably already observing some buyers being priced out of the market at this point,” Marr said.

A whopping 64% of non-homeowners also said affordability is already a factor holding them back from buying a home, according to a Bankrate.com survey released on Wednesday.

Still, in the fourth quarter of 2021, Redfin found that a record 80% of homes are being purchased by investors who are typically cash buyers and therefore less sensitive to interest rate increases. That means, even with the recent jump in mortgage rates, home prices will likely continue to rise in the near term.

Rising prices, low inventory

Average home prices have been on a tear over the past few years, rising from around $215,000 at the start of the pandemic to more than $280,000 this month.

In January alone, home prices jumped 19.2% year-over-year, a figure that dwarfs every annual price increase ahead of the 2008 U.S. housing bubble.

One of the main reasons for the rapid increase in home prices is historically low inventory. The U.S. has under-built housing over the past two decades to the tune of 5.5 million to 6.8 million homes, according to a 2021 National Realtors Association report.

Marr said single-family home inventory is near the lowest level it’s been in decades, and “as of March 27, active listings are down 22% year-over-year.”

While U.S. homebuilders have ramped up building recently to help keep pace with demand, Marr believes new construction won’t be able to boost inventory enough to lower prices in the near term.

“One in three single-family homes right now are new construction, but they’re still building about 31% below their long-run average per household,” Marr said. “So housing starts aren’t quite making that large of a dent in terms of the inventory shortage just yet.”

Never miss a story: Follow your favorite topics and authors to get a personalized email with the journalism that matters most to you.

About the Author
Will Daniel
By Will Daniel
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Real Estate

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Real Estate

lol
Real EstateHousing
Harvard’s housing report has a darker message than affordability—the middle-class home was always a historical accident
By Nick LichtenbergJune 29, 2026
3 hours ago
Mortgage rates today, June 29, 2026
Personal Financemortgages
Mortgage rates today, June 29, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJune 29, 2026
3 hours ago
Current refi mortgage rates report for June 29, 2026
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current refi mortgage rates report for June 29, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJune 29, 2026
3 hours ago
Current ARM mortgage rates report for June 29, 2026
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current ARM mortgage rates report for June 29, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJune 29, 2026
3 hours ago
One in three Gen Zers is letting AI do their homebuying homework, but they still trust realtors with the closing process
AIhomebuying
One in three Gen Zers is letting AI do their homebuying homework, but they still trust realtors with the closing process
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJune 28, 2026
18 hours ago
Young real estate agent with clients at house
SuccessJobs
LinkedIn says real estate is one of the hottest industries for entry-level workers—One Gen Z sales agent made $75K his first year with no experience
By Emma BurleighJune 28, 2026
1 day ago

Most Popular

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
2 days ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
4 days ago
Ex-Google engineer says Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Sundar Pichai share the same trait—it's the lesson he swears by as a $7.2 billion AI CEO
Success
Ex-Google engineer says Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Sundar Pichai share the same trait—it's the lesson he swears by as a $7.2 billion AI CEO
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 28, 2026
23 hours ago
Cristiano Ronaldo is soccer's first-ever billionaire: He went from begging for burgers outside McDonald's to landing a $400 million contract
Success
Cristiano Ronaldo is soccer's first-ever billionaire: He went from begging for burgers outside McDonald's to landing a $400 million contract
By Preston ForeJune 28, 2026
22 hours ago
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
Environment
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
By Catherina GioinoJune 28, 2026
1 day ago
Iran is forcing the U.S. into an escalation trap as a 'shadow war' over the Strait of Hormuz heats up that could kill the tenuous ceasefire
Politics
Iran is forcing the U.S. into an escalation trap as a 'shadow war' over the Strait of Hormuz heats up that could kill the tenuous ceasefire
By Jason MaJune 28, 2026
16 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.