Home Price Deceleration Doesn't Mean Home Price Depreciation

Dated: June 17 2022

Views: 74

Home Price Deceleration Doesn’t Mean Home Price Depreciation

Home Price Deceleration Doesn’t Mean Home Price Depreciation | MyKCM

Experts in the real estate industry use a number of terms when they talk about what's happening with home prices. And some of those words sound a bit similar but mean very different things. To help clarify what's happening with home prices and where experts say they're going, here’s a look at a few terms you may hear:

  • Appreciation is when home prices increase.
  • Depreciation is when home prices decrease.
  • Deceleration is when home prices continue to appreciate, but at a slower pace.

Where Home Prices Have Been in Recent Years

For starters, you’ve probably heard home prices have skyrocketed over the past two years, but homes were actually appreciating long before that. You might be surprised to learn that home prices have climbed for 122 consecutive months (see graph below):

Home Price Deceleration Doesn’t Mean Home Price Depreciation | MyKCM

As the graph shows, houses have gained value consistently over the past 10 consecutive years. But since 2020, the increase has been more dramatic as home price growth accelerated.

So why did home prices climb so much? It’s because there were more buyers than there were homes for sale. That imbalance put upward pressure on home prices because demand was high and supply was low.

Where Experts Say Home Prices Are Going

While this is helpful context, if you’re a buyer or seller in today’s market, you probably want to know what’s going to happen with home prices moving forward. Will they continue that same growth path or will home prices fall?

Experts are forecasting ongoing appreciation, just at a decelerated pace. In other words, prices will keep climbing, just not as fast as they have been. The graph below shows home price forecasts from seven industry leaders. None are calling for prices to fall (see graph below):

Home Price Deceleration Doesn’t Mean Home Price Depreciation | MyKCM

Mark Fleming, Chief Economist at First American, identifies a key reason why home prices won’t depreciate or drop:

“In today’s housing market, demand for homes continues to outpace supply, which is keeping the pressure on house prices, so don’t expect house prices to decline.”

And although housing supply is starting to tick up, it’s not enough to make home prices decline because there’s still a gap between the number of homes available for sale and the volume of buyers looking to make a purchase.

Terry Loebs, Founder of the research firm Pulsenomics, notes that most real estate experts and economists anticipate home prices will continue rising. As he puts it:

“With home values at record-high levels and a vast majority of experts projecting additional price increases this year and beyond, home prices and expectations remain buoyant.”

Bottom Line

Experts forecast price deceleration, not depreciation. That means home prices will continue to rise, just at a slower pace. Let’s connect so you can get the full picture of what’s happening with home prices in our local market and to discuss your buying and selling goals.

Blog author image

Marcus Roth

Welcome to my world of real estate, where my passion for helping clients like you find their dream home or navigate successful selling is more than just a profession—it's my purpose. I'm Marcus ....

Latest Blog Posts

More Homes for Sale Isn’t a Warning Sign – It's Your Buying Opportunity

More Homes for Sale Isn’t a Warning Sign – It's Your Buying OpportunityMaybe you’ve heard that the number of homes for sale has reached a recent high. This might lead you to

Read More

Housing Market Forecasts for the Second Half of 2025

Housing Market Forecasts for the Second Half of 2025From rising home prices to mortgage rate swings, the housing market has left a lot of people wondering what’s next – and whether now

Read More

Why Today’s Foreclosure Numbers Aren’t a Warning Sign

Why Today’s Foreclosure Numbers Aren’t a Warning SignWhen it feels like the cost of just about everything is rising, it’s only natural to wonder what that means for the housing

Read More

What To Expect from Mortgage Rates and Home Prices in 2025

Curious about where the housing market is headed in 2025? The good news is that experts are offering some promising forecasts, especially when it comes to two key factors that directly affect your

Read More
Stop it!