Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metro housing market

What this means

• Valuation. Prices are 34% above what local incomes have historically supported (this area's pre-2020 price-to-income ratio).
• Prices. Home values are up 3.3% over the past year (U.S.: +1.2%).
• Supply. Listings are 57% below the 2017-19 norm and rising (+9% vs. a year ago): still a tight market.
• Negotiating. Buyer leverage is low (9/100; U.S.: 54): homes typically sell at or above asking (100.8% of list); 21% of listings had a price cut (U.S.: 26%).
• Affordability. A mortgage on the typical home takes 35% of the median household income (U.S.: 35%); it takes about $99k a year to keep the payment at 30% of gross pay. That includes about $1,224 a year for home insurance (U.S.: $1,790).
• Buy vs. rent. Buying costs about $626/mo more than renting a typical home (mortgage payment vs. typical rent).
• Disaster risk. FEMA expects about $109 a year in natural-disaster damage per $100k of building value (U.S.: $155), mostly from flooding.
• Outlook. Leaning up: likely −2% to +13% over the next 12 months (86% chance of a rise).

Next 12 months

Leaning up

Prices are more likely to rise than fall over the next year. Likely change: −1.7% to +13.2% (80% range; middle estimate +7.1%), chance of a rise 86%, of a 5%+ drop 4%.

HouseVane's model, refit every month on local market signals and national ones, trained only on data known at the time. How accurate it has been.

Counties in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metro