Source: Zillow

March Market Report: Opportunity in Uncertainty

Grant Brissey

March 28, 2025

2 Minute Read

Macroeconomic indicators are pointing emphatically to growing uncertainty. Consumer confidence is flagging amid on-again off-again tariffs and inflation concerns, stocks are tumbling, and wage growth is slowing. A March employee confidence survey from Glassdoor found sentiment at the lowest point since it began collecting data in 2016.

Still, mortgage applications were up 31% from last March, as rates hit their lowest point since December. Annual home value growth has slowed to an 18-month low of 2.1%, helping buyers make up ground with affordability. As we move away from the sellers’ markets of the last few years, prepared buyers may find the upper hand in more metros.

Uncertainty can bring opportunity

“For buyer agents, these anxious conditions call for working closely with your clients — and a loan officer — to ensure that they’re confident about their future,” says Zillow Chief Economist Skylar Olsen. “For those buyers who feel certain, opportunities may exist with sellers whose drive to sell is a life event or like a job change or a desire to downsize. In some cases, uncertainty can also be a motivating factor for sellers.”