In this episode of the Top of Mind podcast, Mike Simonsen sits down with Dr. Orphe Divounguy, Senior Economist with Zillow's Economic Research team, to talk about what’s on the horizon for the housing market this year. Dr. Divounguy shares the latest findings from Zillow’s monthly market report, reveals which markets dominated Zillow’s “hot markets” list, and offers his perspective on recession risk, construction trends, and more. He also explains why a debt ceiling showdown in Congress could slam the brakes on the housing market.

About Dr. Orphe Divounguy

Dr. Orphe Divounguy is a Senior Economist with Zillow's Economic Research team. His columns have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, CNN Business, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, Crain’s Chicago Business, and other major publications. Dr. Divounguy is also a frequent television and radio guest with appearances on CBS, ABC, Fox, and other stations across the nation.

The team’s research can be found at https://zillow.com/research and includes analyses about for-sale and rental market dynamics, fair housing, and other topics. Zillow also provides dozens of housing market datasets freely available for download at https://zillow.com/data.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

• The latest findings from Zillow’s monthly market report
• Why affordability will make or break the housing market this year
• Which markets dominate Zillow’s “hot markets” list and why
• Orphe’s frameworks for understanding recession risk and construction trends
• Why homes in risky climate areas might actually increase in price in the future
• One surprising risk that might spike mortgage rates this spring

Featuring Mike Simonsen, President of Altos Research

A true data geek, Mike founded Altos Research in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. The company now serves the largest Wall Street investment firms, banks, and tens of thousands of real estate professionals around the country. Mike's insights on the market have been featured in Forbes, New York Times, Bloomberg, Dallas Morning News, Seattle PI, and many other national media outlets.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Dr. Orphe Divounguy on LinkedIn
• Dr. Orphe Divounguy on Twitter
• Zillow
• Zillow Research
• “Mortgage Rates Fall as New Data Backs up Falling Inflation, but Debt Fight Could Roil Market”
• Mike Simonsen on LinkedIn
• Altos Research

Follow us on Twitter for more data analysis and insights:

https://twitter.com/altosresearch

https://twitter.com/mikesimonsen

See you next week!