Cost hikes drive nearly one million renters out of homeownership qualification in 2021
By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor
Cost hikes last year priced out nearly one million renters from the ranks of homeowners, according to a recent REALTORS study.
The income a household needs to pay a mortgage for a median-priced home rose in 2021 to $62,872, up from $55,186 in 2020. That figure stems from the calculation of income a household needs to pay the mortgage affordably so that monthly mortgage payments with interest do not exceed 25% of income.
The home price hike makes it more difficult for many renters to qualify for home loans. The median existing-home sales price averaged $345,442 in 2021, a 16.4% increase from the median sales price of $296,700 in 2020.
Based on the above figures, the National Association of Realtors estimated that the number of renter households who can pay the mortgage affordably in the U.S. declined from 8.75 million to 7.71 million.