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By G. Steven Bray
What I call the “recession whisperers” have been active of late, which may be making you nervous about the housing market. Whether you’re a homeowner now or want to be one in the future, the pain associated with falling home prices probably is fresh in your mind given what happened during the Great Recession ten years ago.
According to Ralph Mclaughlin at Corelogic, that worry may be for naught. The housing market generally does pretty well during a recession. Of the last five recessions, three saw home prices continue to rise. Of the other two, prices dipped only 1.9% in 1991, but they fell almost 20% in the Great Recession, and that’s a very recent memory.
However, Mclaughlin cites two other statistics that suggest the housing market is well-positioned to weather any downturn. First, housing inventory is close to a record low. Based on US Census data, the nation has only 15.7 housing units per 1000 households. This compares to almost 35 units per 1000 just before the Great Recession. Thus, even in the event of another recession, it’s unlikely we’d have a glut of unsold homes as we did ten years ago.
Second, demographic factors are favorable for continued home price growth. Currently, 46% of the US population is under age 35, and the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies estimates Millennial households will increase by 32 million in the next twenty years. That points to a lot of demand for housing.
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