U.S. Housing Market in 1987

In 1987, the U.S. housing market recorded existing-home sales averaged 3.44 million, new-construction sales of 671K, a median existing-home price of $85,600, and a 30-year fixed mortgage rate of 10.21%.

Year over year, existing-home sales fell 0.9% from 1986, new-home sales fell 10.5%, the median existing-home price rose 6.6% to $85,600, the 30-year fixed mortgage rose 0.02 points to 10.21%. Compared with five years earlier (1982), existing-home sales were 73% above 1982, median prices were 26% higher in nominal terms, the prevailing mortgage rate sat 5.83 points below the 1982 reading.

By the numbers — 1987: new-home sales 671K, existing-home sales 3.44M, median existing price $85,600, 30-year mortgage rate 10.21%.

Macroeconomic Context

1987 was the year of Black Monday. Real GDP grew 3.5%, CPI inflation rose to 3.7% as oil prices stabilized, and unemployment fell to 5.7% by December. The federal funds rate averaged 6.7%. Alan Greenspan replaced Paul Volcker as Federal Reserve Chairman in August. On October 19, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 22.6% in a single day — the largest one-day percentage decline in U.S. stock market history. The Fed's response, an aggressive injection of liquidity and a public commitment to support the financial system, established the modern Greenspan/Bernanke 'put' that would shape monetary policy for the next 30 years. The crash had limited real-economy effect; the recovery resumed within months.

The Mortgage & Credit Market

30-year fixed mortgage rates rose to 10.21%, a fraction higher than 1986. Originations fell 8% YoY as the refi wave subsided. Securitization volumes continued to grow as the GSE-driven mortgage system reached its modern operating template. The S&L crisis worsened: FSLIC's deficit grew to $32B by year-end, and Congressional debate over the eventual cleanup package — what would become the FIRREA of 1989 — began in earnest.

Cycle Position

Existing-home sales eased to 3.44M, down slightly from 1986. New-home sales fell to 671,000. The median existing home cost $85,600, up 6.6% YoY. The cycle's plateau persisted: volumes were near peak, but the oil-patch recession and the early S&L stress were beginning to show in regional Sun Belt markets that had been the source of 1983-86 outperformance.

The Year in Long View

Existing-home sales of 3.44M in 1987 represented 49% of the all-time annual peak (7.08M in 2005) and ran +73% above the modern-era trough of 1.99M (1982). New-home sales of 671K were 52% of the 2005 record (1,283K) and 219% of the absolute series low (306K in 2011). Combined U.S. home sales of 4.11M ran 49% of the 2005 all-time peak (8.36M total). Within the 1980s, the 1987 reading sat 15% above the decade average of 2.98M existing-home transactions per year. The median existing-home price of $85,600 translates to roughly $236,756 in 2024 dollars — about 58% of 2024's $408,000 record in real terms. Buyers in 1987 were not paying anything close to today's inflation-adjusted prices. Against the median U.S. household income of $23,618, the price-to-income ratio worked out to 3.6× — compared with 2024's all-time-high reading of 5.4×, which marks the most stretched affordability in the modern record. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate of 10.21% sat 2.51 points above the full-history (1971–2024) PMMS average of 7.7% and 3.37 points above the 2024 reading of 6.84%. At that rate, the principal-and-interest payment on a $200,000 30-year mortgage would have been roughly $1,786/month. Year-over-year, existing-home sales fell 0.9% from 1986, new-home sales fell 10.5%, the median existing-home price rose 6.6%. Looking forward to 1988: existing sales would rise 2.0% to 3.51M, the 30-year fixed would rise 0.13 points to 10.34%.

Sources & Methodology

The 1987 figures on this page come from three federal data sources: the U.S. Census Bureau Survey of Construction (annual new single-family home sales), the National Association of Realtors Existing Home Sales report (annual existing-home transactions and median sale prices), and the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (annual average 30-year fixed mortgage rate). Recession bands are drawn from the National Bureau of Economic Research Business Cycle Dating Committee. Inflation adjustments use the Bureau of Labor Statistics' CPI-U series, and price-to-income ratios reference the Census Bureau's annual median U.S. household income table.