But the action that could help solve America’s home affordability crisis could potentially make it worse. To understand why, let’s take a look at how we got here. At the core of the housing puzzle is a supply and demand imbalance. It’s Econ 101: There are more people ready to buy than there are houses for sale. That was true even before the pandemic came along and sent demand through the roof.
That’s especially true when American home prices remain at a record high. That’s part of the supply problem. The Fed can’t build houses, but it can — by indirectly influencing mortgage rates with its benchmark rate — make the prospect of selling more appealing for homeowners. Already, market anticipation of a rate cut at the September Fed meeting has brought mortgage rates down to 6.2% last week, from 6.7% at the beginning of August.