U.S. housing market trends

The short version

• 1The typical U.S. home is worth $366K, up 1.2% in a year. Zillow forecasts +1.1% over the next 12 months.
• 2Typical rent is $1,932 a month (+2.7%). Buying the typical home with 20% down at 7.32% costs $2,012 a month in principal and interest, $80 more than renting.
• 3Nationally it's a strong buyer's market (heat index 22/100). Homes take 56 days to go under contract and 27% of listings have had a price cut.
• 4It takes about $101K a year in household income to afford the typical home, versus $77K to afford typical rent.
• 5Builders started homes at a 1,221,000 annual pace in Sep 2026, with 8.5 months of new-home supply on the market.