It may (finally) be easier to buy a home this year

Getty Images; Tyler Le/BI

It was supposed to be the year that America's real estate market came back to life — until it wasn't.

Ever since the Federal Reserve jacked up borrowing rates to fight inflation in 2022, real estate agents, economists, and politicians of all stripes have grumbled about the sluggish pace of home sales and the market's steep price of admission. But near the end of 2024, housing prognosticators began reporting signs of a thaw: Mortgage rates had hit two-year lows...