After several years of consistent mortgage rate increases and soaring home prices, the prognosis for the 2025 housing market seemed promising at the start of the the year. However, recent economic and political instability has cratered consumer confidence and homebuyer optimism.

After months of delays, President Donald Trump's contentious tariff barrage is now in effect. It imposes a wide variety of new import taxes that are the steepest seen in nearly a century and affect all of the country's trade partners.