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The housing market has been super-heated in recent years since the pandemic and the popularity of working from home sent ripples across America. After several months of hikes, mortgage rates are expected to fall in 2024, and an increase in home sales may follow.

You may be wondering if this is the year to sell your home, or would it be wise to wait another year or two? That’s not a simple yes/no decision. A variety of factors come into play when making a big lifestyle and financial move like this one.

Here, we’ll provide guidance on how to size up the pros and cons of selling now, including:

•   What is the housing market like in 2024?

•   What are good reasons to sell your house?

•   What are good reasons to wait to sell your house?

•   Should I sell my house now or wait? If so, what are selling tips?

•   Should I buy a house in 2024?

Examining the Housing Market in 2024

The coronavirus pandemic brought an unprecedented demand for housing as more people needed houses that would accommodate the shift to working from home as well as kids shifting to the remote-learning model. The housing market heated up, also fueled by low mortgage interest rates.

Fast forward to today, when many people are heading back to the office, children are back at school, and mortgage rates and the annual percentage yield (APYs) on mortgages have climbed. This has occurred in sync with the Fed raising their rates with an eye to slowing inflation.

What does that mean for the housing market in 2024? It may be softer than at its white-hot peak, but it is still largely a seller’s market, with home prices expected to continue slowly rising in many markets.

So to summarize: Houses were selling like hotcakes throughout the pandemic and demand remains strong in many areas. This could provide a good opportunity to sell your house in some situations. But if you’re selling so you can buy another house, there’s more to dig into local market conditions in order to answer the question, “Should I sell my house now?”


💡 Quick Tip: An online property tracker can help you monitor your home equity over time. That’s important for understanding your net worth and finding sufficient insurance protection.

3 Reasons to Sell Your House

Now could be the smartest time to sell your house, depending on your specific situation. Here are some compelling reasons to sell your house in 2024.

Reason #1: Your House is Worth More Now

Housing prices spiked recently, and now they are dropping. In other words, your home is likely worth more than several years ago and possibly less than it will be in a year or two.

If, due to the spike in value, you discover that how much equity you have in your home is significantly higher, it could be a great time to cash out and buy something else. Or, if you know you want to sell within the next year or two, it might be wise to make a move now since property values may slip lower in the near future.

Recommended: How Much Is My House Worth?

Reason #2: A Few Minor Repairs Could Increase Value

Even if your home is already worth more than in the past, you can get even more value out of it if you make common home repairs like replacing pipes or a water heater.

Also consider revamping your kitchen or bathrooms, since those are big influencers for people looking for a new home. A fresh coat of paint can breathe new life into your home and make it all the more appealing if you put it on the market.

Reason #3: Houses are Selling Fast

Looking to sell quickly? Now could be a good time. In 2024, the median time a home is on the market is 61 days, according to Fred Economic Data. By comparison, homes were typically on the market for 83 days in 2023.

At the start of the year, homes were typically on the market for two weeks longer than a year prior, but that still represents a quicker sale than pre-pandemic norms. So if you do decide to sell your property, be prepared to have to move out quickly and make sure you have a plan for where you’ll live next.

3 Reasons You Should Wait to Sell Your House

While there are some great reasons to sell your home right now, it may not be the right time to sell for everyone. Here’s why you might want to wait.

Reason #1: You Can’t Afford to Buy

Selling in a seller’s market is great…but not so great if you need to buy another house, especially if you’re staying in the same area. Buying a house may be cost-prohibitive for you, especially when you factor in closing costs on top of the inflated pricing.

Also, there’s no avoiding the fact that it has become more expensive to borrow money. As of mid-May 2024, the average mortgage rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage was 6.21% versus 5.89% in January of 2024.

That said, if you live in an expensive area, you could sell your home and move to another more affordable state. Or you might look into different mortgage loan products and options (for instance, buying down your rate by paying points) to make a move less cost-prohibitive.

Recommended: How Much House Can I Afford?

Reason #2: You Owe More Than You Could Sell For

If you are upside-down on your mortgage payments though, selling won’t provide a solution. Perhaps you took out a second mortgage or not have paid enough on your first mortgage to recoup the expense by selling, even at a higher price. That means you would still owe money on a house you no longer live in after selling.

If this is the case, it may be better to build equity over time before selling.

Reason #3: You’re Not Ready to Make Home Repairs

While making home repairs before selling could help you get a higher price for your home, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have $30,000 lying around to make those improvements. If you know that certain repairs would help you get more for your house but you can’t afford to make them right now, it may be better to wait to sell a house until you can afford to invest in those home improvements.

Tips for Selling (and Buying) a Home

Before coming up with your own answer to the question of “Should I sell my house,” consider these points:

•   Figure out how much you can afford to pay to buy another. If you can only afford a house that’s smaller than your current one, or in a neighborhood you don’t want to live in, there’s not much point in selling only to end up worse off.

•   Look at comparables to understand market trends and how much homes are selling for in your neighborhood. Go to open houses to see what sort of updates and features sellers are offering so you have an idea of what to do to get your own house ready for sale.

•   Contemplate being represented by a real estate agent or doing it yourself. There are some great DIY sites that can cut down on the fees you pay to sell, but you will probably have to invest time, effort, and cash into marketing your property.

For instance, if you’re selling your house on your own, invest in professional photos rather than taking your own, and get the house staged (that means more than just removing all the toys and dog beds before a showing!). The better you present your home, the better the price you can command.

•   Remain patient if you’re also buying. It can feel frustrating to be outbid for what seems like the house of your dreams, but it can be a reality right now. Don’t force a decision — the right house will find you.

💡 Quick Tip: Planning a home improvement project? Some upgrades provide more value than others. A midlevel-budget kitchen or bath remodel, for example, can provide a decent return on investment.

The Takeaway

Selling your house this year could be a smart financial decision, but it’s important to make sure you’re looking at the bigger picture with your finances.

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Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

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For retirees on a fixed income, inflation can have a significant influence on their ability to maintain their budget. That’s because as inflation rises over time, that fixed income will lose value.

That could mean that retirees need to scale back their spending or even make drastic changes to ensure that they don’t run out of money. The average rate of inflation was 8% in 2022, the highest inflation rate in 40 years. By January 2024, the inflation rate had dropped to 3.1%.

When it comes to their retirement money, 90% of Americans ages 60 to 65 say inflation is their biggest concern, according to a 2023 survey by Nationwide. However, by planning ahead, it is possible to minimize some of the impact of inflation on your nest egg.

Read on to learn more about inflation and retirement and what you can do to help protect your savings.

What Is Inflation?

Inflation is the rate at which prices of goods and services increase in an economy over a period of time. This can include daily costs of living such as gas for your car, groceries, home expenses, medical care, and transportation. Inflation may occur in specific segments of the economy or across all segments at once.

There are multiple causes for inflation but economists typically recognize that inflation occurs when demand for goods and services exceeds supply. In an expanding economy where more consumers are spending more money, there tends to be higher demand for products or services which can exceed its supply, putting upward pressure on prices.

When inflation increases, the purchasing power of money, or its value, decreases. This means as the price of things in the economy goes up, the number of units of goods or services consumers can buy goes down.

How does inflation affect retirement? When purchasing power declines, the value of your savings and investments goes down. While the dollar amount does not change, the amount of goods or services those dollars can buy falls. In retirement, inflation can be especially harmful, since retirees typically don’t have an income that goes up over time.

Concerns about inflation and retirement may even push back the age at which some people think they can afford to retire.

5 Ways that Could Potentially Minimize the Impact of Inflation on Retirement

While inflation can seem like a challenging or even scary part of retirement, there are several investment opportunities that may help you maintain purchasing power and reduce the risk of inflation.

1. Invest in the Stock Market

Investing in stocks is one way to potentially fight inflation. A diversified portfolio that includes equities may generate long-term returns that are higher than long-term inflation. While past performance does not guarantee future returns, over the past 10 years, the average annualized return for the S&P 500 has been 12.39%. Even when inflation is factored in, investors still have substantial returns when investing in stocks. When adjusted for inflation, the average annualized return over the past 10 years is 9.48%.

However, stocks are risk assets, which means they are sensitive to market volatility. These price swings may not feel comfortable to investors who are in retirement so retirees tend to allocate a smaller portion of their portfolio to stocks to help manage market risk.

How much you may decide to allocate to stocks depends on a number of factors such as your risk tolerance and other sources of income.

2. Use Tax-Advantaged Retirement Vehicles

To maximize the amount of savings you have by the time you reach retirement, start investing as early as you can in young adulthood in retirement accounts such as employer-sponsored 401(k)s or Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA). The more time your money has to grow, the better.

With 401(k)s and traditional IRAs, the money in them grows tax-deferred; you pay income tax on withdrawals in retirement, when you might be in a lower tax bracket than you were during your working years.

Another option is a Roth IRA. With this type of IRA, you pay taxes on the money you contribute, and then you can withdraw it tax-free in retirement.

Recommended: How to Open an IRA: 5-Step Guide for Beginners

3. Do Not Over-Allocate Long-Term Investments With a Low Rate of Return

Risk averse investors may be tempted to keep their nest egg invested in securities that are not subject to major price swings, or even to keep their money in a savings account. However, theoretically, the lower the risk investors take, the lower the reward may be. When factoring in fees and inflation, ultra-conservative investments may only break even or perhaps lose value over time.

While they offer a guaranteed return, high-yield savings accounts, for example, typically don’t earn enough interest to beat inflation in the long run. Since savings account rates are not higher than inflation rates, the buying power of your savings will continue to decline. That’s particularly important for retirees who are often living off their savings and investments, rather than off of an income that rises with inflation.

Because of this, retirees may want to consider keeping a portion of their investments in the stock market.

💡 Quick Tip: If you’re opening a brokerage account for the first time, consider starting with an amount of money you’re prepared to lose. Investing always includes the risk of loss, and until you’ve gained some experience, it’s probably wise to start small.

4. Make Sure You Understand Inflation-Protected Securities

Treasury inflation-protected securities or TIPS, which are backed by the federal government, are designed to help protect investments against inflation. The principal value of the investment increases when inflation goes up and if there’s deflation, the principal adjusts lower per the Consumer Price Index.

However, for some investors, TIPS may have disadvantages. TIPS typically pay lower interest rates than other government or corporate securities. That generally makes them less than ideal for individuals like retirees who are looking for investment income. Also, unless inflation is quite high, and unless they are held for the long-term, TIPS may not offer much inflation-protection. There are also potential tax consequences to consider when the bonds are sold or reach maturity.

Finally, because they are more sensitive to interest rate fluctuation than other bonds, if an investor sells TIPS before they reach maturity, that individual could potentially lose money depending on the interest rates at the time.

Be sure to carefully weigh all the pros and cons of TIPS to decide if they make sense for your portfolio.

5. Buy Real Estate or Invest in REITs

Retirees may also consider investing in real assets. Real estate is typically an inflation hedge because it holds intrinsic value. During periods of inflation, real estate may not only be able to preserve its value, but it might also increase in value. One of the daily costs impacted by inflation is the cost of housing.

That’s why rental income from real estate historically has kept up with inflation. Investing in real estate investment trusts (REITs), may be another way for retirees to diversify their investment portfolio, reduce volatility, and add to their fixed-income. Just be sure to understand the potential risks involved in these investments.

Inflation Calculator for Retirement

It’s important to factor inflation into your plans as you’re saving for retirement. One way to do that is using a retirement calculator, like this one from the Department of Labor, which accounts for how inflation will impact your purchasing power in the future. That calculator uses a 3% inflation rate for retirement planning, but inflation fluctuates and could be higher or lower in any given year.

The Takeaway

While inflation can have an impact on a retirement portfolio, there are ways to protect the purchasing power of your money over time. Allocating a portion of your portfolio to stocks and other investments aimed at minimizing the impact of inflation may help.

Another way to curb the impact of inflation during retirement is to reduce expenses, which allows the money that you have to go further.

And starting to save for retirement as early as possible could help you accrue the compounded returns necessary to counteract rising prices in the future.

Ready to invest for your retirement? It’s easy to get started when you open a traditional or Roth IRA with SoFi. SoFi doesn’t charge commissions, but other fees apply (full fee disclosure here).

FAQ

Is inflation good or bad for retirees?

A small amount of inflation each year is a normal part of the economic cycle. But over time, inflation eats away at the value of the dollar and purchasing power of your nest egg is diminished. This can have a negative effect on a retirement investment portfolio or savings.

How can I protect my retirement savings from inflation?

There are several Investing strategies you can use to protect retirement savings from inflation. These include diversifying your portfolio with inflation hedges including TIPS (treasury inflation-protected securities) and investments that typically provide a high rate of return. It’s important to keep saving for retirement even if you don’t have a 401(k).

Does your pension increase with inflation?

Some pensions have a cost of living adjustment on their monthly payments, so they increase over time. However, this is not the case for all pensions. When inflation increases this can affect your benefits.

Photo credit: iStock/RgStudio

Third-Party Brand Mentions: No brands, products, or companies mentioned are affiliated with SoFi, nor do they endorse or sponsor this article. Third-party trademarks referenced herein are property of their respective owners.

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Tax Information: This article provides general background information only and is not intended to serve as legal or tax advice or as a substitute for legal counsel. You should consult your own attorney and/or tax advisor if you have a question requiring legal or tax advice.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.


Investment Risk: Diversification can help reduce some investment risk. It cannot guarantee profit, or fully protect in a down market.

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