If buying a home feels impossible right now, you’re far from alone. New data from NBC News puts an actual number on how difficult home buying has become, and the results confirm what many buyers already know: The market is still stacked against them.
The newly launched NBC News Home Buyer Index measures how hard it is to buy a home on a scale from 0 to 100. Higher numbers mean tougher conditions. For October, the national score came in at 75.7, a level that reflects high prices, intense competition, limited supply, and ongoing economic uncertainty.
Why Buying Feels So Out of Reach
Home prices have continued to outpace incomes. Mortgage rates remain above 6%. And nearly 3 out of 10 homes are selling above asking price, pushing buyers into bidding wars they didn’t plan for — or can’t afford.
But the index shows that the struggle isn’t evenly distributed. Conditions vary wildly depending on where you’re trying to buy, sometimes down to the county level. Some areas still offer relatively manageable markets, with more inventory and lower price pressure. Others have become almost unrecognizable in just a few years, with soaring prices, limited listings, and a level of competition that makes the entire process feel discouraging.
What the Index Measures
The Home Buyer Index pulls together four factors that shape the real buying experience:
- Cost, including home prices relative to income and rising expenses like insurance.
- Competition, such as how quickly homes go under contract and how often they sell above list price.
- Scarcity, or how many homes are actually available to buy.
- Economic instability, factoring in interest rates, unemployment, and market volatility.
A lower score means buyers have more breathing room. A higher score means you’re fighting uphill — often against cash buyers, investors, or sheer lack of supply.
The Places Getting Hit the Hardest
Coastal and fast-growing counties are seeing some of the toughest conditions. In places like New Hanover County, North Carolina, prices have surged so quickly that the area jumped from relatively affordable to one of the hardest places to buy in the country in just five years.
Meanwhile, more affordable regions still exist, often in smaller markets where inventory is more stable and competition isn’t quite as intense. The gap between “possible” and “forget it” is wide enough to cause an echo.
What This Means for Buyers
The index doesn’t magically make buying easier, but it does validate the experience many buyers are having. If you’re feeling priced out, exhausted, or stuck renting longer than planned, the data backs that up.
Conditions have improved slightly compared to last year, but the overall picture hasn’t changed much. High costs, limited supply, and economic uncertainty continue to make homeownership feel out of reach for a lot of middle-class buyers. It’s not that you’re doing something wrong. The market really is that hard right now.
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