Currently, US households are not only facing higher prices for food, goods, and services, but also an increase in monthly mortgage payments, which, according to data from Realtor.com, exceeded $2,000 in the fourth quarter of 2025, one of the highest thresholds. high.

Since 2022, with soaring inflation, the housing market has been facing tough challenges, from high mortgage rates that approached 8% to a sharp drop in inventory that drove home prices to historic levels. As a result, mortgage payments add to the affordability challenges buyers are already facing.

In this regard, Hannah Jones, senior economic research analyst at Realtor.com, commented that new borrowers entering the market will face substantially higher payments than the average for the existing portfolio, keeping many potential sellers locked into their positions.

In the report recently released, Realtor highlighted that in recent years the average mortgage payment has increased by more than $600. According to details of the analysis, in 2013 the average payment was $1,255, rising to $1,456 in 2020; In 2021 it fell to $1,390 before accelerating to $2,005 by the end of 2025. Overall, this represents a 44% increase in four years.

According to Jones, given the current housing market outlook, “moderating inflation and mortgage rates will be key factors driving seller activity, which will partially alleviate the pressure on prices and competition in the current undersupplied market,” she said.

However, the senior economic research analyst at Realtor.com noted that this year, the volatility of mortgage rates linked to geopolitical and economic uncertainty is complicating the sector and raising questions about whether relief will arrive quickly enough to convince reluctant sellers before another spring passes, it mentioned.