Jeff Andrews

1 week ago | housingwire.com | Jeff Andrews

A historically low number of homes for sale has been a fixture of the housing market for years now, giving sellers the upper hand over buyers that have had to trample over each other to secure a purchase. That might be changing in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area. New listings have shot up considerably since mid-January, and overall inventory has risen with it. According to data from Altos, new listings are up 28.1% year over year, and inventory has risen 37%.

1 week ago | housingwire.com | Jeff Andrews

The foundations of the economy are wobbling and Americans are taking notice. The University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Index for April plunged from to 50.8 from 57, lower than the 54 economists projected. The drop is driven by expectations for inflation over the next year, which jumped to 6.7% from 5%. President Donald Trump has given consumers plenty of reason to think inflation will rise.

1 week ago | housingwire.com | Jeff Andrews

The current status of tariffs seems to change on a daily basis, and federal layoffs have forced some to change plans. But the uncertainty alone is affecting the price of things related to housing and impacting the behavior of buyers and sellers. “It’s terrifying,” said Compass Chicago luxury agent Joanne Nemerovski. “People don’t know if [the tariffs] are coming or going. It’s really hard emotionally for people.

2 weeks ago | housingwire.com | Jeff Andrews

Consumers and home shoppers continue to get relief on inflation, but there’s a catch. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics fell in March to 2.4% year over year, down from 2.8% in February and below expectations. Even better, it fell by 0.1% relative to February. The annual figure remains above the inflation target of 2%, which the Federal Reserve wants to see before lowering the federal funds rate.

2 weeks ago | housingwire.com | Jeff Andrews

President Donald Trump’s global tariff rollout has become a rollercoaster. A week after announcing a new tariff regime that imposed dramatic levies on America’s most reliable trade partners, Trump posted on social media Wednesday that he’s placing a 90-day pause on tariffs against 56 countries and the European Union. However, he’s raising the tariff rate on a critical trade partner for homebuilders — China. That levy is now an astronomical 125%, effective immediately.