US housing market outlook for rest of year discussed

Key facts

• HousingWire editor Sarah Wheeler and lead analyst Logan Mohtashami discussed the US housing market outlook.
• Data from May 31, 2026, shows Alabama's median sale price at $312,600 with a median household income of $62,027.
• California's median sale price was $887,400 with a median household income of $96,334 as of May 31, 2026.
• The national median sale price was $440,411 with 1,397,071 active inventory as of May 31, 2026.
• The national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.76% for the week ending September 10, 2026.
• Zillow's Home Value Index (ZHVI) measures typical home value and market changes.
• Zillow also provides forecasts for home values (ZHVF) and observed rent index (ZORI).

HousingWire Daily podcast host Sarah Wheeler spoke with lead analyst Logan Mohtashami about the outlook for US housing demand and home prices for the remainder of the year. The discussion drew on data from various sources, including HomeStats and Zillow Research.

According to data from May 31, 2026, Alabama had a median sale price of $312,600 and a median household income of $62,027, resulting in a price-to-income ratio of 5.04x and an average of 57 days on market. In California, the median sale price was $887,400 with a median household income of $96,334, a price-to-income ratio of 9.21x, and 33 days on market. Nationally, as of May 31, 2026, the median sale price stood at $440,411, with 1,397,071 active inventory and an average of 50 days on market. The sale-to-list ratio was 98.6%, and 20.0% of listings had a price cut.

The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.76% for the week ending September 10, 2026. HomeStats offers free housing data, including median sale price, median household income, price-to-income ratio, days on market, and price cuts, for states and national figures.

Zillow Research provides data such as the Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), which measures typical home value and market changes, and the Zillow Home Value Forecast (ZHVF), a month-ahead, quarter-ahead, and year-ahead projection of the ZHVI. Zillow also publishes the Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI) for typical market rent rates.