Ohio sees nation's sharpest drop in homebuying affordability since 2020

Housing conditions show mounting affordability pressures alongside uneven local market activity. Nationally, traffic at newly built homes fell to a level last seen in 2012, despite builders increasing price cuts and incentives to attract buyers. In Honolulu, November sales of single-family homes and condos rose year over year but declined from October, while median prices edged higher; a local real estate leader described demand and new listings as consistent with a balanced market. Ohio recorded the country’s sharpest decline in homeownership affordability from 2020 to 2025: the share of occupations able to afford a typical home with 10% down fell from 67% to 26%, while affordability for a two-bedroom rental also worsened. The decline has left many traditionally middle-class workers unable to buy, and Mansfield was among the hardest-hit areas.