Buyers Still Face Bigger Barriers | When Experience and Results Matter

Recent commission decoupling brought limited change in who paid buyer-agent commissions, and overall home affordability for buyers stayed largely unchanged, according to an analysis.
The analysis said buyers' biggest hurdles remained saving for down payments and getting access to private or off-market listings not widely advertised.
Despite heavy attention on commission changes, the data indicated those shifts did not meaningfully move buyers' financial burden in the housing market.
Experts said long-running buyer challenges persisted, especially the difficulty of building enough savings upfront and finding homes outside public listing channels.
Industry experts said high costs for labor, land, capital, and materials continued worsening the housing shortage and pushing prices higher for buyers.