Odd Lots

Transcript: This Is What 7% Mortgages Will Do to the Housing Market

What happens when demand and supply both plunge?

Residential homes in San Francisco, California, US, on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022. 

Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
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Thanks to the surge in mortgage rates, we've seen a historic collapse in mortgage affordability. New homebuyers are facing a massive sticker shock relative to what they could have paid just six months ago. So does this mean that house prices are due for a crash? On this episode of Odd Lots, we speak with Morgan Stanley housing strategist Jim Egan about what comes next. Egan argues that while high mortgage rates will discourage buyers, there won't be a significant unlocking of supply, since very few people will be forced to sell. It will be housing activity that sees the biggest change. This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.