According to a press release issued by Zillow: 
One reason this home shopping season is so difficult for buyers is that the homes available for sale are generally more expensive than the median home value of all homes in the same market.
As home prices recovered and surpassed the peak values reached during the housing bubble, concerns about housing affordability also returned, despite low mortgage rates keeping monthly payments relatively affordable. The large down payments that come with high prices are a significant barrier to homeownership, and the monthly payments are taking up a larger share of income as well.
Nationally, mortgage payments on the median home for sale require 20% of the median income.
“Homes have gotten so expensive in many major cities that even with low mortgage rates, monthly costs for homes that are currently for sale are starting to be unaffordable,” said Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Svenja Gudell. “Down payments are a top concern for today’s homebuyers, but the reality is that monthly costs are becoming unaffordable as well. Low inventory is pushing sticker prices higher, and when mortgage rates start to rise, monthly payments will be driven further into unaffordable territory.”
If you have any questions about this information or title insurance, please contact Ralph Aponte: 732.914.1400.
Counsellors Title Agency, www.counsellorstitle.net, founded in 1996, is one of New Jersey’s most respected title agencies, serving all 21 New Jersey counties with title insurance, clearing title, escrow, tidelands searches, and closing and settlement services for commercial or industrial properties, waterfront properties and marinas, condominiums, townhouses or residential single family homes. Counsellors Title also features its own Attorney Settlement Assistance Program™ [ASAP], which is an individual resource customized to fit the needs specifically of real estate attorneys, including, Documentation, Preparation, Disbursement of Funds, Attendance at Closing, HUD Preparation or Post-Closing Matters.