Market Affordability Study

A recent study found that about 71 percent of U.S. housing markets are unaffordable for the average American. A new study finds the most and least affordable markets in the nation.

The most affordable housing market in Realtor.com's study was Bibb County, Ga. Home to Macon and 1.5 hours from Atlanta, Bibb's median home price in February 2019 was $141,165. Rounding out the rest of the most affordable markets were Baltimore, Md., Wayne County, Mich., Rock Island County, Ill., and Montgomery County, Ala. The lowest median home price of the top five is in Wayne County, home to the City of Detroit, $115,050. The highest was in Baltimore, $265,300.

ATTOM Data Solutions ... looked at how much average wage earners would need to make monthly mortgage payments, property taxes, and insurance payments on a median-priced home in 473 counties. The company assumed that they made a 3 percent down payment on the property with a 28 percent maximum debt-to-income ratio. Then ATTOM factored in median local wages.

“We are seeing a housing market in flux across the United States," ATTOM's Chief Product Officer Todd Teta said in a statement. "[That's] pricing many people out of the housing market, but also ... creating potentially better conditions for buyers.”

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