Why Homes Feel Unaffordable Even When Prices Stop Rising 🏡💸
When the sticker price stalls but the pressure doesn’t Introduction 🌱 Headlines say home prices are cooling. Charts flatten. Sellers lower expectations. And yet, for many buyers, the dream of owning a home still feels farther away than ever. This disconnect leaves people confused and frustrated. If prices are no longer racing upward, why does affordability still feel so tight. Why do monthly payments feel heavier. Why does the math still refuse to work. The answer lives beyond listing prices. Home affordability is shaped by a web of forces that quietly intensified while prices grabbed the spotlight. Interest rates, insurance costs, taxes, maintenance, wages, debt, and risk tolerance all collide at the monthly payment level, where reality lives. This learning article breaks down why homes can feel unaffordable even when prices stop rising, and why affordability has less to do with headlines and more to do with cash flow, stability, and long-term risk. Affordability Lives...