Shauna Ray2021 President, Northern Wasatch Association of Realtors When it comes to real estate next year, consumers can expect a strong housing market with signs of normalizing. For example, home prices may rise at a slower pace, interest rates may increase a bit and sales activity may be slightly lower, although the number of transactions should exceed pre-pandemic levels. Those were some of the predictions from National Association of Realtors Chief Economist Lawrence Yun, who recently spoke to Realtors at a national conference in San Diego. “All markets are seeing strong conditions, and home sales are the best they have been in 15 years,” Yun said. In fact, Yun mentioned Salt Lake City as one of the top five hottest …

Shauna Ray2021 President, Northern Wasatch Association of Realtors A new report is shedding light on why Utah’s home prices are rising so fast — and it’s not because of a housing bubble. Rather, the rapid increases are the result of a housing supply shortage and pandemic challenges that fueled demand for homes. The findings are part of a new research report from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah. “The State of the State’s Housing Market” report, written by James Wood and Dejan Eskic, details both the history of Utah real estate as well as current housing conditions in the existing, new and rental markets.  “Our research confirms that Utah is in the midst of a housing …