North Texas homebuyers shouldn’t expect much price relief in 2022.  While economists are calling for smaller year-over-year home price gains in the year ahead, the increases in Dallas-Fort Worth are expected to continue at higher than normal rates.  “It probably is going to slow down because the prices have gotten so high,” said James Gaines, an economist with the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M. “It’s tough to envision home prices will go up another 18% to 20% over the course of 2022.  “But if it went down to 9% or 10%, it would still be a high rate of increase.”  Gaines predicts that home sales activity in the metro area may level off in the year ahead.  “The prices have gotten so high we expect some of the demand to slack off next year,” he said. “But it’s still going to be a strong year.”  And there’s no sign the tight housing market will get more inventory in 2022, Gaines said.  “In theory, we should see it. But in practice I don’t think we are going to,” he said. “Where’s this inventory going to come from.”

• Dallas Morning News, December 24, 2021