U.S. homeowners are staying in their houses for the longest time in at least 25 years, largely thanks to their low mortgage rates, data shows.
Why it matters: That — along with still-high home prices and tight inventory — is keeping the housing market on ice.
The big picture: Sellers at the end of 2025 had owned their homes for an average of 8.6 years — a record in data going back to early 2000, when the average was 4.2 years.
Zoom in: Homeowners in Metro Detroit are staying put for a little less time than the national average — about 8.5 years for homeowners who sold in the fourth quarter last year.
Twenty years ago, homeowners in the Detroit area were only staying about three years before their homes changed hands.
What we're hearing: Homeowner tenure has increased steadily in almost every major metro area over the past two decades, according to ATTOM, an industry data provider.