• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less

1

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
FinanceHousing

40 overvalued housing markets that could see 15% to 20% home price declines in a recession

By
Lance Lambert
Lance Lambert
Former Real Estate Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Lance Lambert
Lance Lambert
Former Real Estate Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 13, 2022, 5:49 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

A housing bubble requires both a rush of speculators entering into the market and “overvalued” home prices. Oh, and the bust at the end, of course.

Unlike the housing bubble that popped in 2008, the pandemic housing boom isn’t underpinned by a frenzy of speculation, Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi says. While home flipping has certainly ticked up during the pandemic, he says, we aren’t seeing the exuberance of the last bubble.

So is the coast clear? Well, not so fast. While Zandi won’t call this latest boom—which has sent U.S. home prices up 37% over the past two years—a bubble, his research finds that we’re once again amid a historically “overvalued” housing market.

Last week, Moody’s Analytics gave Fortune exclusive access to its updated proprietary analysis of U.S. housing markets. The firm aimed to find out whether fundamentals, including local income levels, could support local home prices. The finding? Through the first quarter of 2022, national house prices are “overvalued” by 24.7%. That’s up from the fourth quarter of last year, when Moody’s Analytics determined national house prices were “overvalued” by 20.9%.

Let’s be clear: That doesn’t mean Moody’s Analytics thinks U.S. home prices are about to drop by 24%. Instead, what it means is that home prices are, historically speaking, priced very high relative to household incomes. Now that we’ve reached this level, Zandi says, it will make it harder for home price growth to push upwards. Indeed, Zandi is predicting the year-over-year rate of home price growth will flatline to 0% by this time next year.

But not every regional housing market will be so lucky. While Zandi doesn’t predict national home price declines, he estimates significantly “overvalued” housing markets, places like Boise and Charlotte, could see 5% to 10% home price declines over the next 12 months. If a recession actually materializes—something Moody’s Analytics gives a 1-in-2 chance of occurring over the next 24 months—then Zandi says national home prices could fall by around 5%. Meanwhile, if a recession hits, Zandi says, those significantly “overvalued” housing markets would likely see home prices slashed by 15% to 20%.

Among the 413 regional housing markets measured by Moody's Analytics, the firm deems 96% are "overvalued." Simply put: Nearly the entire country has house prices that are higher than underlying fundamentals would historically support.

Among the markets analyzed by Moody’s Analytics, 183 are "overvalued" by more than 25%. That's up from 150 regional housing markets it deemed "overvalued" by more than 25% in the fourth quarter of 2021. The most "overvalued" markets are concentrated in fast-growing cities in the Mountain West and Sunbelt that benefited from the nation's work-from-home boom. That includes both Boise ("overvalued" by 72%) and Charlotte ("overvalued" by 66%).

Among those "overvalued" housing markets, which ones are actually likely to see home prices fall? In order, Zandi points to these "juiced-up" regional housing markets: Boise; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Las Vegas; Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Tampa; Atlanta; Fort Collins, Colo.; Sherman, Texas; Jacksonville; Idaho Falls, Idaho; Lakeland, Fla.; Greeley, Colo.; Longview, Wash.; Charleston, S.C.; Albany, N.Y.; Denver; Clarksville, Tenn.; Greensboro, N.C.; and Charlotte.

Already we’re seeing the U.S. housing market shift. As data rolls in for May and June, it's clear that the pandemic’s housing boom has finally fizzled out. New home sales, existing home sales, and mortgage applications are plummeting. That’s forcing some sellers to do what three months ago would have sounded absurd: They're cutting their price. Last week, 6.44% of home listings on Zillow saw a price cut—the highest weekly share of price cuts in more than five years.

Where does the housing market head from here? For the next several months, housing economists tell Fortune we should expect further slowing.

Zandi goes further. He's already calling this slowdown a "housing correction." Heading forward, he says, we'll see home sales continue to fall sharply as more home shoppers balk at record home prices. But it isn't just because home prices got too high. Over the past six months, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate has spiked from 3.2% to 5.85% as the Fed gets serious about tackling inflation. That’s causing many borrowers, who must meet lenders’ strict debt-to-income ratios, to lose their mortgage eligibility.

"The housing market is rolling over," Zandi says.

If you’re hungry for more housing data, follow me on Twitter at @NewsLambert.

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.

About the Author
By Lance LambertFormer Real Estate Editor
Twitter icon

Lance Lambert is a former Fortune editor who contributes to the Fortune Analytics newsletter.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

Private equity gets cut of two of Taylor Swift’s biggest pop hits through Max Martin’s catalog sale
Arts & Entertainmentprivate equity
Private equity gets cut of two of Taylor Swift’s biggest pop hits through Max Martin’s catalog sale
By Mia OsmonbekovJune 25, 2026
2 hours ago
stock
InvestingMarkets
How one chip stock reversed the global tech selloff, exposed AI’s ‘memory tax’ and made the case for an entire valuation regime change
By Nick LichtenbergJune 25, 2026
3 hours ago
Paris court gives oil giant Total Energies half a year to tighten climate policies. Climate activists cry foul
EnergyEurope
Paris court gives oil giant Total Energies half a year to tighten climate policies. Climate activists cry foul
By The Associated Press, Molly Quell and Sylvie CorbetJune 25, 2026
4 hours ago
Students happy outside of school
SuccessColleges and Universities
One U.S. college is fixing tuition at just 10% of parental income: ‘We’re not hiding the cost of college behind secret formulas’
By Emma BurleighJune 25, 2026
4 hours ago
Personal Liability Insurance for Homeowners: Coverage and Common Exclusions Explained
Personal FinanceInsurance
Personal Liability Insurance for Homeowners: Coverage and Common Exclusions Explained
By Joseph HostetlerJune 25, 2026
4 hours ago
Business Owner’s Policy (BOP) Insurance: The Smart Coverage Bundle Many Small Businesses Overlook
Personal FinanceInsurance
Business Owner’s Policy (BOP) Insurance: The Smart Coverage Bundle Many Small Businesses Overlook
By Joseph HostetlerJune 25, 2026
4 hours ago

Most Popular

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
Success
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 24, 2026
2 days ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
12 hours ago
Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
Retail
Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
1 day ago
Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’
Asia
Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
1 day ago
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
Success
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 23, 2026
2 days ago
Ikea’s billionaire founder was so frugal that he bought clothes from flea markets and took free salt and pepper from restaurants
Success
Ikea’s billionaire founder was so frugal that he bought clothes from flea markets and took free salt and pepper from restaurants
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 25, 2026
12 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.