The past two years have seen a significant shift in the housing market, with mortgage rates rising from roughly 3% in 2021 to over 6% in 2023. This increase has led to a substantial surge in annual mortgage spending, leaving many homeowners feeling trapped. Compounding this issue, the national average home value has also risen by 18.1% during the same period. The combination of these factors, along with a decrease in housing supply and demand, has created a challenging environment for homeowners looking to sell and move.
To uncover where homeowners feel most trapped in their mortgages, MoneyGeek analyzed data for over 312 metro areas across home values, historic mortgage rates, and housing supply and demand trends. While more factors are involved in purchasing or selling a home, our findings examine the waning flexibility of doing so in a heated housing market.