NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast
2025 Real Estate Trends: What Homebuyers and Sellers Need to Know
Thu, 23 Jan 2025
Learn how to navigate the 2025 housing market with tips for buyers and sellers facing high rates, prices and tight inventory. What steps can you take to buy a home in a high-rate market? How can you prepare your home to sell for the best price? Hosts Sean Pyles and Sara Rathner discuss how buyers and sellers can navigate the 2025 housing market despite high rates, tight inventory and rising home prices. NerdWallet mortgage reporter Holden Lewis joins the episode to share tips for buyers, including how to get pre-approved for a mortgage, the importance of budgeting for rising homeowners insurance premiums, and why timing the market is risky. He also shares smart strategies for sellers, including the value of curb appeal, documenting recent repairs, and how professional staging and photography can make a home stand out. Plus: Learn about broader housing trends, like the impact of "rate lock-in" on inventory, the connection between Federal Reserve policies and mortgage rates, and how changes to real estate agent commission rules are affecting buyers. In their conversation, the Nerds discuss: housing market 2025, home buying tips, selling a house, mortgage rates 2025, real estate trends, rate lock-in, pre-approval mortgage, homeowners insurance costs, house affordability, first-time homebuyers, housing inventory shortage, real estate commissions, Fed and mortgage rates, buying a house in high rates, preparing to sell a home, home staging tips, home prices, real estate commission changes, real estate agent fees, home selling strategies, 2025 real estate forecast, Zillow stalking, housing market challenges, tips for house hunters, real estate market tips, and real estate pricing trends. To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email [email protected]. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend.
Chapter 1: What challenges do buyers face in the 2025 housing market?
So you want to buy a house this year or maybe sell the one you're in and trade up or downsize? We've got the episode for you. Welcome to NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast. I'm Sean Piles.
And I'm Sarah Raffner.
With this episode, we continue our January series, Your Money in 2025. And today, Sarah, we are checking in on the housing market, specifically the house market. It's been a rocky couple of years for folks looking to buy their first house or move out of one and into another.
Yeah, buyers have been facing the headwinds of both high mortgage interest rates and high home prices. Lose-lose. The market is tight because people who bought before rates started to go up don't want to leave those rates. And just in general, more people want to buy houses than the number of houses that are actually available. So it's all been a little bit stuck.
For a little while last year, it looked like things were maybe going to loosen up as interest rates started to come down. But then that trend reversed itself for a bit. Who knows what's coming this year?
We're going to try to look into the crystal ball and at the very least, give you some helpful tips for navigating the process and getting ready for when you do decide you want to jump into the market.
That's right. There are a lot of steps you can take now in anticipation of what you might want to do later in the year.
Well, we want to hear what you think. What are you working on in your financial life as we start the new year? Leave us a voicemail or text the Nerd Hotline at 901-730-6373. That's 901-730-NERD. Or email a voice memo to podcast at nerdwallet.com. Sarah, let's get into your conversation with our fellow nerd, Holden Lewis, and get a sense of what the housing market might look like in 2025.
Holden Lewis, so glad to have you with us again on Smart Money.
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Chapter 2: How can you prepare your home to sell for the best price?
This episode was produced by Tess Vigeland. I helped with editing. Amanda Derengowski helped with fact-checking. Megan Maurer mixed her audio. And a big thank you to NerdWallet's editors for all their help.
And here's our brief disclaimer. We are not financial or investment advisors. This nerdy info is provided for general educational and entertainment purposes and may not apply to your specific circumstances.
And with that said, until next time, turn to the nerds.