Rocket Companies Inc., through its real estate brokerage Redfin, has released a new report indicating that U.S. housing costs could return to "normal" by 2030 if home-price growth stabilizes and mortgage rates fall to 5.5%. Currently, the housing market faces challenges with record-high home prices and elevated mortgage rates, alongside insufficient home construction to meet demand. However, recent trends suggest a positive shift, as both home-price growth and mortgage rates show signs of decline. The report, while hypothetical, suggests that a return to affordability is possible without a crash in home prices. Key factors for this potential market shift include steady price and income growth, alongside modest declines in mortgage rates. In particular, tech-driven metro areas with rapid wage growth and cooled home price increases, such as the Bay Area, Austin, Seattle, and Denver, are already seeing a return to 2018-level housing costs. Nonetheless, half of the top 50 populous U.S. metro areas may not achieve normal housing costs within the decade if current trends persist.