Is 3% Home Buying Power the 2026 Turning Point?

Slide 1
Buyers: 2026 quietly shifts power as incomes finally outrun home prices.

Slide 2
Affordability improved 7 straight months; longest streak since 2019.

Slide 3
Hidden driver: 2.8% income growth beats price growth, boosting buying power even with high rates.

Slide 4
That math alone adds ~3% affordability by late 2026, last seen summer 2022.

Slide 5
Mortgage rates aren’t crashing—~6.2% early 2026, maybe sub-6% by year-end.