Market Memo

February 2023 – By Kyle Rohrwasser

According to the Case-Shiller National Home Price Index, American home values fell roughly 25% from the beginning of 2006 to their bottom in early 2012. Since that low point, average home prices in America have skyrocketed, largely due to low-interest rates, government quantitative easing, and the involvement of large real estate companies purchasing single-family homes as investments. These three major factors created a market where debt was cheap, excess dollars were present in the system, and homes were scarce – a trifecta for increasing real estate values.