The Ari Group at Keller Williams Tampa Central

To show that home prices don’t fall every time there’s a recession, it helps to turn to the historical data. Looking at the recessions going all the way back to 1980, home prices appreciated in four of the last six recessions. So, historically, when the economy slows down, it doesn’t mean home values will fall. Research also helps paint the picture of how a recession could impact the cost of financing a home. Historically, each time the economy slowed down, mortgage rates decreased. Fortune explains that mortgage rates typically fall during an economic slowdown.

If you're planning to buy a home this year, you might have heard that pre-approval is a necessary step to take before starting out on your journey. But why is that? And is it still important in today's shifting market? The truth is, getting a pre-approval letter from your lender is critical, and when it comes to your home search, it can be a game changer in so many ways. To better understand why, it's important to know what pre-approval is. Freddie Mac defines the process like this: A pre-approval is an indication from your lender that they are willing to lend you a certain amount of money to buy your future home. The lender you work with will provide you with a pre-approval letter, which is an official document that states the maximum amount they are willing to lend you, . . . Put simply, pre-approval from a lender helps you understand your true price range and how much money you can borrow for your loan.

This year, particularly this spring, the number of homes for sale has grown. That's partly due to more homeowners listing their houses, but also because higher mortgage rates have helped ease the intensity of buyer demand. Moderating buyer demand slows down the pace of home sales, which in turn helps inventory rise. Experts say that growth will continue. Recently, realtor.com updated their 2022 inventory forecast. In the latest release, they increased their projections for inventory gains dramatically, going from a 0.3% increase at the beginning of the year to a 15.0% jump by the end of 2022