PULSE: Columbus, Ohio Real Estate Market Intelligence

April 2026 Edition | Updated April 19, 2026 | 60+ sources across 5 categories | People · Utility · Liquidity · Supply · Economy

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Executive Summary

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P | People

The consumer confidence story got significantly worse in March. The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 53.3 — a reading that places it in the bottom 1st percentile of the survey’s entire history, which stretches back to 1952. The prior low before this year was touched briefly during the 2008 financial crisis and at the peak of the 1980 inflation shock. The current reading reflects cascading concerns: oil-price inflation from the Iran war, uncertainty from the tariff rollout, stock market losses hitting retirement accounts, and a growing fear of recession.

For Columbus, the fundamentals that earned it the NAR’s Top 10 Hot Spot designation in December 2025 haven’t changed — population growth running nearly 40% above the national rate, income growth at 7.2% YoY, 37.5% millennial household share. Those structural tailwinds are real. But they operate below the surface. Consumer sentiment operates at the surface. When people feel financially uncertain, they delay buying decisions — even in markets where they could afford to move forward.

The practical effect on Columbus: buyers who were emotionally ready to enter the market in March and April are pausing to watch two things resolve — rates and tariff chaos. Real estate agent Monica DiSchiano, quoted by Redfin in late March, put it plainly: “There are people who need to move. But many are taking their time.” In Columbus, with 46 median days on market in March, buyers had more time than they’ve had since 2021. That window has not closed. Whether those sidelined buyers return once the uncertainty lifts, or stay cautious through summer, is the critical question for spring 2026.

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U | Utility

Tariffs: The New Construction Cost Story

On April 2, 2026 — exactly one year after the first Liberation Day announcement — the Trump administration rolled out a second wave: a 10% baseline tariff on all trading partners, with higher rates on specific countries. The housing market felt it immediately. Homebuilder stocks lost 5–10% of their value the morning after the announcement. The stock market had its worst week since the COVID crash of 2020.

For Columbus real estate professionals, the tariff story matters most through two channels: what it does to new construction costs, and what it does to mortgage rates via inflation expectations.

Utility Costs: Still Moving Up

Utility	Change	Effective
Columbus Water	+18%	Jan. 1, 2026 (in effect)
Columbia Gas (fixed charge)	$36 → $58/month	2026 (in effect)
AEP Ohio (proposed)	+$4/month	PUCO decision pending Q2 2026
Combined household impact	+$36 to $61/month	Full effect by 2027

The AEP Ohio rate case is still moving through PUCO with a decision expected mid-2026. The combined utility cost trajectory matters for buyer affordability calculations and for investor models on tenant retention in Class B and C rental properties.

LinkUS Transit Update

The $8 billion LinkUS project remains on schedule. West Broad Street BRT breaks ground in 2026, opens in 2028. East Main follows in 2029. Nothing has changed on this front — it remains one of the few unambiguously positive infrastructure stories in Central Ohio’s near-term pipeline.

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L | Liquidity

Rates in April: Two Forces Pulling Opposite Directions

March ended with 30-year rates at 6.46–6.57%. Then Liberation Day happened. The stock market collapsed. Money flooded into Treasury bonds as a safe haven, pushing the 10-year yield briefly down to 3.86% — which dragged mortgage rates down with it. Zillow’s tracker showed the 30-year fixed at 6.22% on April 5, the lowest reading since late February. The Freddie Mac weekly average for April 2 was 6.46% (reflecting the prior week’s data, before the full tariff shock).

Whether that dip holds is the question of the week. Redfin’s analysis noted that after falling briefly in the days following Liberation Day, mortgage rates had been “rising consistently” again as Treasury yields climbed — potentially on fears of foreign bond holders (China and Japan) selling U.S. Treasuries in retaliation. The 10-year yield jumped from a low near 3.9% back toward 4.5% within days. If Treasury yields stay elevated, the brief rate relief evaporates.

Date	30-yr Fixed	Source	Context
Feb. 27	5.98%	Freddie Mac	Cycle low — first sub-6% since Sept. 2022
Mar. 19	6.22%	Freddie Mac	FOMC holds, war driving inflation
Mar. 26	6.38%	Freddie Mac	Four consecutive weeks higher
Apr. 1	6.57%	Bankrate	Pre-Liberation Day high
Apr. 2	6.46%	Freddie Mac (weekly avg)	Liberation Day tariff announcement
Apr. 5	6.22%	Zillow	Flight-to-safety dip post-market crash
Apr. 6	6.22–6.46%	Range	Highly volatile; direction unclear

Two Paths Forward

Redfin laid out the split clearly: if tariffs cause an economic slowdown that reduces inflation expectations, rates could fall further — the 10-year could pull down toward 3.5–3.8%, which would put 30-year mortgage rates back toward 5.5–5.75%. That would be a genuine housing demand catalyst. If instead tariffs reignite inflation (the more likely scenario if the economy holds up), rates stay elevated or rise further — potentially toward 7% — and the spring market stalls. Mortgage Professional America called the current environment a “perfect storm”: Iran war, tariff chaos, potential Fed hike, and a collapsed refi market all arriving at once.

The FOMC April 28–29 Meeting

This is the single most important near-term event for mortgage rates. The Fed held at 3.50–3.75% in March. Governor Waller had previously floated the idea of a hike. Bankrate projects the year will average around 6.1%, with a range of 5.7–6.5%. Fannie Mae’s March 10 forecast was more optimistic — projecting rates dipping to 5.9% in Q2, 5.8% in Q3, and 5.7% by year-end. The MBA is more cautious: rates stay above 6% through 2026. The tariff shock adds a new variable to all of those forecasts. Any Fed comment after the April 28–29 meeting that signals a hike remains possible will push rates higher immediately.

What the Rate Range Costs on a Columbus Purchase

Rate	Monthly P&I on $335K (10% down)	vs. Feb. 27 Low
5.98% — Feb. 27 low	~$1,803	—
6.22% — Apr. 5 Zillow	~$1,843	+$40/mo
6.46% — Apr. 2 Freddie Mac	~$1,884	+$81/mo
6.57% — Apr. 1 Bankrate	~$1,903	+$100/mo

Columbus REALTORS put it plainly: the half-point rate increase since the February low costs buyers roughly $109 more per month on the Columbus median. That is real money, and it is why affordability remains the ceiling on this market even as supply stays tight.

Refi Market: Closed

Refinance applications dropped 10.5% in the week ending March 20, then fell another 15–19% the following week as rates pushed back toward the mid-6% range, per Mortgage Professional America. As of April 5, the 30-year refi rate sits at 6.80% per Zillow. The brief February window — when the 30-year refi briefly touched 6% — has closed. Refinancing now only makes sense for homeowners who closed at 7%-plus in 2023–2024. That’s a real group, but a shrinking one.

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S | Supply

Columbus: March Data Is In

The Columbus REALTORS March 2026 report published April 13. The first hard read on how the market absorbed the Iran war’s rate impact and the early tariff uncertainty — and the answer is: it held.

2,118 closings in March (+0.5% YoY). Volume essentially flat against a year ago, in a month that absorbed the fastest rate run-up since 2022 and the worst consumer sentiment reading in living memory. That is not a weak result. Median price: $335,000 (+4.7% YoY). Price growth is stable. Columbus is not seeing the price softening that has shown up in Sun Belt and Mountain West markets where inventory is back above 2019 levels. Inventory at 4,067 (+3.1% YoY). Supply is growing, but slowly. The YoY gain has narrowed from November’s 19.5% peak to 3.1% now. At 1.6 months of supply, this is still a seller’s market by any standard measure.

Month	Active Listings	YoY Change	Median Price	Days on Market
Nov. 2025	5,497	+19.5%	$325,000	40
Dec. 2025	4,440	+14.2%	$322,000	43
Feb. 2026	3,999	+7.6%	$315,000	49
Mar. 2026	4,067	+3.1%	$335,000	46

New listings in March came in at 3,240 (+1.3% YoY) — a modest recovery from February’s 1.8% dip. YTD through March: 5,389 closings, essentially flat against 5,385 in the first three months of 2025. Days on market hit 46, up 17.9% YoY — homes are sitting longer than last spring, which is a buyer-friendly shift, but context matters: 2025’s spring market was notably fast, and 46 days is still well below the pre-pandemic average.

The one number to watch: In-contract activity came in at 2,932, down 0.8% YoY. Closings are a lagging indicator. Contracts are the leading one. A slight year-over-year dip in new contracts — in a month when rates were rising fast and tariff news was breaking daily — is consistent with a market that paused, not one that broke. But if contract activity drops further in April, that shows up in May closing numbers and confirms real demand softening.

“One thing I’ve learned throughout my career is that finding the ‘perfect’ time to buy or sell doesn’t exist. The market will do what it does, and sitting on the sidelines because of a half percent here or there usually doesn’t work out for either side of the transaction.”

— Gloria Alonso Cannon, 2026 Columbus REALTORS President

March 2026 County Detail

Area	Closings	YoY Change	Median Price
Franklin County	1,045	−3.1%	$320,000
Delaware County	242	+16.3%	$489,951
Fairfield County	128	+1.6%	$350,000
Olentangy LSD	123	+24.2%	$525,000
Pickerington LSD	48	0.0%	$429,938
Worthington CSD	47	+51.6%	$400,000
Gahanna Jefferson CSD	50	+16.3%	$447,450

Franklin County flag: The core county posted a 3.1% YoY decline in March — the second consecutive monthly decline, following February’s 4.6% drop. Two straight months of Franklin County underperformance is worth tracking. It does not signal collapse — volume is nearly flat across the broader MLS — but it does suggest the urban and close-in segment is absorbing affordability pressure more acutely than the suburbs. Delaware and Olentangy are picking up the slack.

National Supply: Spring Has Arrived — Demand Hasn’t Fully Followed

NAR reported February 2026 existing-home sales at 4.09 million — up 1.7% from January but below the pace most forecasters projected heading into spring. The national median existing-home price was $398,000 with 3.8 months of supply. Pending home sales rose 1.8% month over month in February but were down 0.8% year over year — a concerning split given that February 2026 rates were meaningfully lower than February 2025. Buyers had cheaper borrowing costs and still showed less contract activity than a year ago.

Lisa Sturtevant at Bright MLS described it plainly: “When 2026 started, there was a lot of optimism for a strong spring homebuying season. Ongoing economic uncertainty, affordability constraints, and a lack of new listings were keeping home shoppers on the sidelines.” That was written before Liberation Day. The tariff shock adds another layer of hesitation on top of an already cautious buyer pool.

The regional divide that defined much of 2025 is holding in 2026. Northeast and Midwest markets — including Columbus — remain supply-constrained and see relatively firmer pricing. Sun Belt and Mountain West markets are seeing inventory above pre-pandemic 2019 levels and softer price trends. Columbus is still on the tighter end of the national spectrum, which is why its median has continued to appreciate modestly even as national price growth has flattened near 0–1%.

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E | Economy

Columbus Fundamentals: The Insulator Still Holds

Columbus’s local economy continues to run ahead of state and national benchmarks. Unemployment at 3.9% against 4.4% nationally. The February jobs report showed the U.S. economy actually losing jobs for the month, with unemployment edging up to 4.4% — a trend worth watching. Columbus is not immune to a national softening, but its state capital status, OSU ecosystem, and diversified job base provide structural protection that markets dependent on a single industry or migration wave don’t have.

Ohio’s December 2025 property tax reform remains in effect: owner-occupancy credit at 15%-plus, flat income tax at 2.75% (second-lowest nationally). These are not temporary conditions — they’re structural advantages that make Columbus an increasingly rational destination for relocating workers and small business owners comparing costs against Chicago, Cleveland, or coastal metros.

Intel Ohio One: Still Building, Still 2030

Intel’s New Albany campus timeline has not changed since the March update. Construction of Mod 1 fab targets completion in 2030, production 2030–2031. Mod 2 completes in 2031. Roughly 1,000 building trades workers on site now, projected to peak at ~1,600 by year-end 2026. The $300 million state incentive deadline at end-2028 will almost certainly be missed. None of this is new — but it bears repeating as a reminder that the New Albany housing premium is supported by construction activity right now, not permanent fab jobs. Those arrive at the end of the decade.

Data Centers: Regulatory Scrutiny Intensifying

Columbus City Council’s March 11 hearing on data center growth set the stage for ongoing legislative activity. Ohio Senate Bill 378 (water cost responsibility) and House Bill 706 (infrastructure cost protection for existing ratepayers) are both moving. The key fact that keeps getting papered over in press releases: Ohio’s 100+ data centers created roughly 22,300 short-term construction jobs and 4,500 permanent jobs as of 2024. That 45-to-1 ratio of temporary to permanent employment is why independent researchers — including a 2025 University of Michigan policy brief and analyses published by Good Jobs First — conclude that data center tax incentives frequently fail to generate the long-term employment communities expect. The honest economic argument for Columbus data centers remains what it was last month: property tax revenue and construction workforce activity, not permanent jobs.

The Macro Environment: Worse Than March

The convergence of forces hitting the housing market in spring 2026 is unusual. The Iran war has been running for five weeks. Oil is still near $100/barrel. Gas prices nationally rose 32% between late February and mid-March. Liberation Day tariffs arrived April 2 and immediately crushed equity markets. Consumer sentiment is at a historic low. The U.S. economy shed jobs in February. And the Federal Reserve is sitting on its hands, holding rates steady, watching inflation creep above its 2% target with no clear path to cut.

The MBA downgraded its 2026 home sales forecast from +8% to +5% following the Iran war escalation — and that downgrade happened before Liberation Day. J.P. Morgan Global Research had already projected U.S. house prices stalling at 0% nationally for 2026. Those were calibrated for a moderate-stress environment. The current environment is not moderate-stress.

For Columbus specifically: the market is better positioned than most to absorb these shocks. It has lower prices than coastal markets, stronger income growth, and a more diversified economic base. But “better positioned than most” is not the same as immune. The spring selling season is happening now. March held. Whether April and May hold as well is the open question.

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Title Professional Insights

Volume watch: YTD through March, Columbus is running at 5,389 closings — essentially flat (+0.1%) against the first three months of 2025. The MBA now projects +5% national home sales growth for 2026, down from its earlier +8% forecast. A realistic Columbus range is now 3–6% transaction growth for the full year, entirely dependent on whether rates stabilize before the May peak.

Refi market is closed for most: The 30-year refi rate sits at 6.80% as of April 5. The February window — when rates touched 5.98% — has closed. The remaining refi opportunity is concentrated among homeowners who closed at 7%-plus in 2023–2024. Don’t staff or forecast for a broad refi wave at current levels.

Ohio title rates (Jan. 1, 2026): Homeowner’s policies priced at Original Rate +15%, minimum $250 (up from $225). Nothing new here — ensure estimates are updated.

Wire fraud environment: Elevated. $500 million annually in real estate wire fraud nationally. 66% of title professionals have experienced empty lot scams (up from 58% in 2023). Economic stress and rate volatility historically correlate with increased fraud attempts. Client verification protocols matter more, not less, in uncertain markets.

New construction closings: Factor tariff-driven cost escalation into new construction purchase estimates. Contracts written in Q1 2026 may close in Q3 or Q4 against a materially different cost basis for the builder — which can create disputes and delays. Know your clients’ builder contracts.

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Real Estate Agent Insights

March held — but watch the leading indicators. Closings were up 0.5% and the median gained 4.7%. That is the good news. The slightly softer contract number (-0.8% YoY) and the second consecutive Franklin County decline (-3.1%) are signals worth tracking heading into April. Historically, major market shocks to consumer confidence have a 4–6 week window before their full effect shows up in pending contracts. The March data predates Liberation Day’s stock market impact. April contract numbers will be the first real read on how buyers absorbed that shock.

Submarket	Signal
Dublin (Corp.)	$675K median in March; exec relocation demand holding
Delaware County	+16.3% closings YoY; Dublin spillover active
Fairfield County	+1.6% closings YoY; value-market volume stable
Olentangy LSD	$525,000 median; +24.2% closings YoY
Worthington CSD	+51.6% closings YoY; March’s strongest large-market performance
Gahanna Jefferson CSD	+16.3% closings YoY; spring acceleration underway
Franklin County	-3.1% closings YoY; second consecutive monthly decline
New Albany	Premium held by construction activity; fab jobs still 2030
Pickerington LSD	Flat YoY — volume holding but growth has stalled

Pricing discipline matters more, not less, in this environment. When buyers are emotionally cautious, overpriced listings sit. In February, 41% of Columbus listings took price reductions. In a fragile spring, that number will go higher for sellers who tested the market aggressively. Listing price accuracy on Day 1 is the job.

New construction buyers: Talk to your clients about tariff cost risk explicitly. A builder quoting $450,000 today on a home that closes in eight months is working against a materially different material cost structure. Ask builders what their escalation clauses say. Know the answer before your client signs.

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Real Estate Investor Insights

Single-family rentals: Columbus SFR vacancy at 4.1% vs. 6.8% nationally. Gross yield roughly 6.6%. Class B/C rent growth 5% YoY. Average rents: 1BR $1,077–$1,445, 3BR $1,738. The tariff shock and consumer sentiment collapse may actually be a mild positive for SFR investors in the near term — buyers who pause on purchasing stay renters. But if rates fall sharply because tariffs cause a recession, the calculus shifts fast.

Multifamily: 2026 deliveries projected at 5,153 units, down 44% from 2025’s 8,561. That supply taper is the most important multifamily story in Columbus right now. Vacancy hit 8.8–9.9% in 2025 (20-year high), but net absorption surged 356% YoY. The worst is likely over for multifamily owners who held through 2025.

New construction investment plays: Factor tariff-driven cost escalation into your underwriting. NAHB’s $9,200–$10,900 per-home cost increase compresses margins on development deals that penciled at pre-tariff pricing. Any deal with a 12-plus month development timeline needs to stress-test against material cost escalation in the 10–15% range.

Tax reform: Franklin County effective rates 1.64–2.66%. Ohio Opportunity Zones still offer a 10% Ohio income tax credit. Run post-reform assessments before closing on acquisitions.

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What to Watch

Columbus REALTORS March 2026 report: What it showed

The March report published April 13 and the headline is: Columbus absorbed the first full month of Iran war rate pressure without breaking. Volume essentially flat (+0.5%), median up 4.7%, inventory growing modestly. The market held. Two things to track going forward. First, Franklin County posted its second consecutive monthly decline (-3.1% in March after -4.6% in February). If that becomes three straight months, the core urban market is showing real demand softening that broader MLS numbers are masking. Second, in-contract activity was down 0.8% YoY — a small number, but contracts lead closings by 30–45 days. April and May closing numbers will reflect whatever buyers did (or didn’t do) in the immediate aftermath of Liberation Day.

FOMC April 28–29 meeting

The most consequential near-term event for mortgage rates. The question is not just whether the Fed holds, cuts, or hikes — it’s what the statement and press conference communicate about inflation tolerance. Any signal that the Fed is tilting toward a hike, rather than just a hold, will push the 10-year yield higher and pull mortgage rates up with it. Watch the post-meeting language on inflation expectations closely.

NAR March existing-home sales (April 13) and pending sales (April 21)

February’s national pending sales were down 0.8% YoY despite lower rates than a year ago — a red flag. March pending sales will capture the first wave of buyer response (or non-response) to the Iran war and tariff news. A second consecutive YoY decline would confirm a soft spring nationally, with implications for Columbus transaction volume forecasts.

Tariff trajectory — 90-day pause window

The April 2 Liberation Day announcement came with a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs for most countries (China excluded, where tariffs went to 125%). That pause expires around early July. If negotiations produce deals that reduce tariff rates before expiration, construction material costs and inflation expectations ease — and rates could follow down. If the pause expires without resolution, another round of cost escalation hits builders and consumers simultaneously heading into the second half of 2026.

Spring listing volume — weekly Columbus MLS counts

March new listings recovered to +1.3% YoY at 3,240 after February’s dip. If April and May don’t produce meaningful listing acceleration — 2,500-plus new listings per week in the Central Ohio MLS — buyers face fewer choices heading into the traditional peak. That would be seller-favorable despite all the macro uncertainty. Watch the weekly numbers closely through May.

AEP Ohio PUCO rate case decision

Decision expected mid-2026. A proposed +$4/month increase stacks on top of the Columbia Gas and Columbus Water hikes already in effect. Combined utility cost increases of $36–$61/month by 2027 matter for buyer affordability calculations and tenant retention models.

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Source Index (60+ Sources)

Category 1: Columbus Local Housing (13)

• Columbus REALTORS, March 2026 Housing Report (columbusrealtors.com, April 13, 2026)
• Columbus REALTORS, Feb. 2026 Housing Report (columbusrealtors.com, March 10, 2026)
• Columbus REALTORS, 2025 Year-in-Review (Feb. 3, 2026)
• The Columbus Team, Central Ohio Housing Report Feb. 2026
• Redfin Columbus, Feb. 2026 market data
• Houzeo, Columbus OH Housing Market 2026
• Sam Cooper Realtor, 2026 Central Ohio Forecast (Feb. 4, 2026)
• The Mancini Group, 2026 Market Forecast (Feb. 2, 2026)
• SellFor1Percent, Columbus Housing Update (Feb. 9, 2026)
• Norada Real Estate, Columbus Ohio Housing Market Trends
• 10TV WCMH, Columbus Home Sales 2026
• Vision Realty, Columbus Home Buyers and Sellers 2026 (Dec. 26, 2025)
• Sam Cooper Realtor, Columbus Neighborhood Data (Feb. 2026)

Category 2: Columbus Economy & Infrastructure (10)

• AWF Labor Tools, Columbus Building Trades Intel/Data, Mar. 2026
• Hoodline, Intel New Albany Delayed to 2030, Mar. 2026
• Data Center Dynamics, Intel $28B Delay, Feb. 11, 2026
• WOSU, Columbus City Council Data Center Hearing, Mar. 11, 2026
• Spectrum News 1, SB 378 Water Bill, Mar. 18, 2026
• Missoula Current, Data Center Job Predictions Don’t Add Up, Mar. 2026
• Univ. of Michigan Ford School, Data Center Policy Brief, 2025
• Good Jobs First, Data Center Tax Breaks Report, 2025
• Built In, Data Center Jobs: Pay, Roles and What to Expect, 2025
• Gigafact / Nevada Independent, Data Center Permanent Jobs, 2025

Category 3: Mortgage Rates & Liquidity (14)

• Freddie Mac PMMS, April 2, 2026 (6.46% weekly average)
• Bankrate, April 1, 2026 (6.57%)
• Zillow, April 5, 2026 (6.22%)
• Money / Freddie Mac, March 30–April 2, 2026
• Norada Real Estate, Mortgage Rates Today April 1, 3 & 5, 2026
• Norada Real Estate, Mortgage Rate Predictions for April 2026
• The Mortgage Reports, April 3, 2026
• National Mortgage News, Tracking Trump Tariff Effect on Mortgage Industry
• Redfin, Tariffs and Volatile Mortgage Rates analysis
• Morgan Stanley, 2026 Mortgage Rate Forecast
• Fannie Mae, March 10 2026 quarterly rate forecast (5.9% Q2 target)
• Mortgage Bankers Association, updated 2026 forecast (above 6% all year)
• Mortgage Professional America, “Perfect Storm” analysis, March 2026
• CBS News, Mortgage Rates Surging April 2026

Category 4: National Housing Market (13)

• NAR, Existing-Home Sales February 2026 (4.09M, $398K median)
• NAR, Pending Home Sales February 2026 (+1.8% MoM, −0.8% YoY)
• NAR, Statistical Release Schedule (March EHS April 13, March PHS April 21)
• Redfin, 2026 Housing Market Mood, late March 2026
• RealEstateNews.com, Housing Market Conditions Fragile, March 17, 2026
• Yehey.com, Spring 2026 Real Estate Outlook (March geopolitical analysis)
• J.P. Morgan Global Research, U.S. Housing Market Outlook 2026
• HousingWire, Pending Sales Inventory Growth 2026 (Feb. 21, 2026)
• DiscountPropertyInvestor, 2026 Real Estate Market Trends (March 2026)
• J.P. Morgan, “US Housing Market Outlook” Jan. 27, 2026
• HousingWire, Tariffs Holding Pattern mortgage rates, April 2025 context
• ResiClub Analytics, Inventory Updates February–March 2026
• HomeBuyingInstitute, Spring 2026 Trends

Category 5: Tariffs, Geopolitics & Macro (13)

• Brookings Institution, Recent Tariffs Threaten Residential Construction, Oct. 2025
• Center for American Progress, Trump Tariffs Could Result in 450,000 Fewer Homes, Dec. 2025
• NAHB, How Tariffs Impact the Home Building Industry (April 2025 builder survey)
• NAHB, New Tariffs on Lumber and Wood Products, Sept. 2025
• ENR, 1Q 2026 Cost Report: Tariffs Contributed to Price Hikes, March 2026
• HousingWire, Tariffs Could Inflate Housing Costs, Dec. 2025
• PBS NewsHour, Tariffs on Lumber and Appliances, March 2025
• Buildium, How Will Tariffs Affect Real Estate in 2026
• U.S. News, Liberation Day Tariffs Could Shackle Homebuyers
• NBC News, From Lumber to Lighting: How Trump’s Tariffs Drive Up Home Construction Costs
• National Mortgage News, Tracking the Trump Tariff Effect on the Mortgage Industry
• NBC News, Iran War Already Hit Gas Prices, March 22, 2026
• Mortgage Professional America, Is This the Perfect Storm for Housing, March 2026

PULSE is produced for informational purposes. Data accuracy depends on sources cited. Market conditions change rapidly; consult current MLS data, licensed professionals, and legal/financial advisors before making real estate decisions. Originally published April 6, 2026. Updated April 19, 2026 to reflect Columbus REALTORS March 2026 data (published April 13, 2026).