How COVID-19 Affected First-Time Homebuyers

Donghoon Lee and Joseph Tracy

No 20210412, Liberty Street Economics from Federal Reserve Bank of New York

Abstract: Efforts in the spring of 2020 to contain the spread of COVID-19 resulted in a sharp contraction in U.S. economic growth and an unprecedented, rapid rise in unemployment. While the first wave of the pandemic slowed the spring housing market, home sales rebounded sharply over the rest of the year, with strong gains in house prices. Given the rising house prices and continuing high unemployment, concerns arose that COVID-19 may have negatively affected first-time homebuyers. Using a new and more accurate measure of first-time homebuyers, we find that these buyers have not been adversely affected by the pandemic. At the same time, gains from lower mortgage rates have gone to existing homeowners and not to households purchasing their first home.

Keywords: first-time home buyers; mortgage; pandemic; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D13 R31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021-04-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ure
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