Home Buying Season Is Here. It Could Be Chilly.

After last year’s high mortgage rates pushed buyers to the sidelines and prevented some homeowners from moving, the Feb. 17 weekend could be an important litmus test for 2024’s housing market. The first quarter of the year should mark the start of the housing market’s rebound, according to forecasters. “There’s a lot of buyers out there who are intending to shop this spring,” says Mike Fratantoni, the Mortgage Bankers Association’s chief economist.