Morgan Stanley says housing affordability still worse than pre-2022
In February 2026, mortgage rates fell below 6%, briefly improving housing affordability, but Morgan Stanley Research found affordability would not return to pre-2022 levels. Under a base case toward ~5% rates, carrying costs ease but remain higher than long-run norms; at 6%, gains barely emerge. A median home’s monthly payment is about $2,000, roughly double five years ago.