Economic Growth Picks Up and Housing Steadies

The Realtor.com® economics team video update gives you the relevant economic and real estate information you need to know each week, every Friday, to navigate the housing market as a homebuyer, home seller, or industry professional. For the week ending May 1, Realtor.com® Chief Economist Danielle Hale discusses the latest FOMC rate decision in Jerome Powell’s final meeting as Chair, and the advance estimate for the economic growth rate in the first quarter of 2026. She then covers the latest findings for New Construction, with housing starts moving higher but a pullback in permits. However, trends vary, across and even within regions, as seen in the Realtor.com Market Clock. The recent Monthly Housing Report from Realtor.com, shows new listings are rising despite uncertainty fueled by geopolitical tensions over the weeks. Prices are coming down; however, price cuts are also being reduced. Weekly Realtor.com housing data also showed steady listing trends in April. Trends remain stable despite ongoing fluctuation for mortgage rates, with the latest reaction to Middle East conflicts resulting in a weekly increase. Finally, Danielle covers the first-quarter results for homeownership, which held steady above pre-pandemic levels but were lower than the early-pandemic surge. She also discusses the first-ever Realtor.com Rent Report for Los Angeles, revealing that median rents have dropped compared to last year, unlike NYC rent prices, which rose. Prices are also up in Phoenix, as the desert metro takes on Denver in the latest Luxury Housing Showdown. And lastly, the Realtor.com teamed up with The Wall Street Journal for our quarterly Housing Market Ranking for both the overall market, which highlights mid-sized industrial cities like South Bend, Indiana and the luxury sector, where vacation destinations like Santa Fe, New Mexico took the top slots. Find all the details, including full reports and our housing data for download at realtor.com/research. You can also follow us on X (formerly Twitter) for real-time updates. And Instagram @realtordotcomecon for graphics. Reports and articles referenced: This week's video https://www.realtor.com/research/video-economic-and-housing-market-update-may-1-2026/ Realtor.com Q1 NYC Rent Report https://www.realtor.com/research/nyc-q1-2026-rent/ Realtor.com Luxury Market Showdown: Phoenix vs. Denver https://www.realtor.com/research/luxury-market-showdown-denver-vs-phoenix/ Realtor.com Q1 LA Rent Report (Inaugural) https://www.realtor.com/research/la-q1-2026-rent/ Realtor.com April Monthly Housing Report https://www.realtor.com/research/april-2026-data/ Introducing the Realtor.com Market Clock https://www.realtor.com/research/what-is-the-market-clock Realtor.com Market Clock: 2026 Q1 - The Most Fragmented Housing Market in Years https://www.realtor.com/research/market-clock-report-2026q1/ WSJ/Realtor.com Spring 2026 Housing Market Ranking https://www.realtor.com/research/april-2026-wsj-rdc-housing-market-ranking/ WSJ/Realtor.com Spring 2026 Luxury Housing Market Ranking https://www.realtor.com/research/april-2026-wsj-rdc-luxury-housing-market-ranking Commentary on Mortgage Rates - April 30, 2026 https://www.realtor.com/research/freddie-mac-mortgage-rates-april-30-2026/ Realtor.com Weekly Housing Market Trends - Week of April 25 https://www.realtor.com/research/weekly-housing-trends-view-data-week-april-25-2026/ Commentary on Federal Open Market Committee April 2026 Meeting https://www.realtor.com/research/federal-reserve-april-2026-meeting/ Commentary on Case Shiller https://www.realtor.com/research/case-shiller-home-prices-february-2026/ Commentary on Homeownership Rate & Housing Vacancy Survey https://www.realtor.com/research/homeownership-q1-2026/ Commentary on Housing Starts https://www.realtor.com/research/new-home-construction-march-2026/ --- WATCH NEXT Building a legacy starts with the right strategy. Watch our latest video: The New Rules of Generational Wealth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xGoz05kxMA RESOURCES & DATA 📈 Detailed Housing Reports: https://www.realtor.com/research/ 📊 Free Housing Data: https://www.realtor.com/research/data 🏠 Find your next home: https://www.realtor.com 📱 Download our mobile app: https://www.realtor.com/mobile JOIN THE COMMUNITY - Follow us on: Facebook: /realtor.com Instagram: /realtordotcom TikTok: /realtor.com Threads: https://www.threads.net/@realtordotcom X: /realtordotcom Pinterest: /realtordotcom #realtor #realestate