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If Homes Were More Like Turkey Dinners, Buyers Could Save $110 Per Month

Thanksgiving meal

Families dream of buying a home by November for one reason: to be moved in time for an iconic turkey dinner on Thanksgiving.

But this year, homebuyers won’t get as good a deal on one part of the equation: homes prices have not dropped as sharply as the cost of a Thanksgiving meal.

The cost of a turkey dinner for 10 with all the fixings, says the Farm Bureau, has dropped 9% since 2022, from roughly $64 that year to $58 in 2024.

Home prices, however, have only come down 5% during the same period. After hitting a 2022 high of $442,600, the median-priced home has dropped to $420,400 this year according to the Census Bureau and HUD.

Imagine A World Where Homes Were More Like Turkeys

What if home prices had fallen as quickly as turkey dinners? It could be a very different housing market.

A 9% drop from 2022 levels would mean today’s home prices would be closer to $400,000, levels not seen since the third quarter of 2021. But demand isn't waning like that for turkeys.

The Farm Bureau reports that there has been a decrease in turkey demand to the tune of one pound per person in the U.S. since last year.

If homes were more like turkeys, lower demand would result in a rough $20,000 discount from today’s levels. That would reduce someone’s monthly payment by about $110 per month at current interest rates.

Actual 5% Drop Since 2022

Hypothetical Turkey-Like 9% Drop Since 2022

2022 Home Price

$442,600

$442,600

2024 Home Price

$420,400

$402,000

P&I Payment*

$2,517

$2,407

*10% Down, 7% 30-year fixed mortgage. Example purposes only.

About The Author:

Tim Lucas is the Editor and Lead Analyst at MortgageResearch.com. He began his mortgage career in 2001 at Washington Mutual, reviewing wholesale loan files submitted by mortgage brokers. In the mid-2000s, he transitioned to retail lending at M&T Bank as a Mortgage Loan Processor, working with a wide range of borrowers: first-time buyers, investors using now-notorious "option ARMs" and jumbo buyers financing $1–5 million homes.

Tim later launched his own loan processing company while originating loans for his own clients, mainly FHA and USDA loans for first-time buyers. When the 2008 housing crash hit, he pivoted to assisting a prominent Loan Officer at Seattle Mortgage and Golf Savings Bank. He eventually became a Mortgage Processing Supervisor at Mortgage Advisory Group. There, he earned a reputation as a solutions-oriented processor, known for solving complex loan scenarios and uncovering obscure guidelines to help clients get approved.

In 2013, after more than a decade in lending, Tim moved into mortgage education—creating trusted content for sites like MyMortgageInsider.com and TheMortgageReports.com. Today, he blends 10+ years of hands-on mortgage experience with another decade in consumer education at Three Creeks Media, where he leads MortgageResearch.com. Tim is also a licensed Loan Originator (NMLS #118763).

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