California Sunrise over the Pacific Ocean. In today's real estate market, many potential buyers find themselves on the sidelines, anticipating a downturn in home values to make their entry into homeownership more affordable. With mortgage rates experiencing a significant hike from 3.25% in January 2022 to 7% today, the logic seemed straightforward: for the market to become affordable again, either incomes would need to rise substantially, interest rates would need to fall sig