In 60 Seconds

What COVID-19 has meant for home sales & prices

Betty Liu Explains: What COVID-19 Has Meant for Home Sales & Prices | Money In :60 | GZERO Media

Betty Liu, Executive Vice Chairman for NYSE Group, explains:

How has the housing market reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic?

So, as you can well imagine, when stay-at-home orders are put in place, the housing market just dried up. Sales fell dramatically. Existing home sales in the month of April dropped nearly 18%. However, home prices actually continue to still rise. The median price for an existing home in the United States was $286,000. That was a rise of 7.4% from April of 2019.

Why haven't we seen home prices drop due to all this economic uncertainty?

So, as I mentioned, demand fell sharply for houses, existing houses in the United States during this COVID pandemic. And you don't need an economics degree to know that when demand falls, that means prices drop as well. But that didn't happen this time around. And the reason is because supply also fell as well. So, that basically left the supply-demand relationship unchanged.

More For You

TOKYO, JAPAN - FEBRUARY 8: Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), places a red paper rose on the name of an elected candidate at the LDP headquarters on general election day on February 08, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. Voters across the country headed to polls today as Japan's Lower House election was held.
Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon - Pool/Getty Images

When Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called snap elections last month, it was a big gamble. Holding a winter election just four months into her tenure with no real policy record to run on?

Microsoft unveiled a new set of commitments guiding its community‑first approach to AI infrastructure development. The strategy focuses on energy affordability, water efficiency, job creation, local investment, and AI‑driven skilling. As demand for digital infrastructure accelerates, the company is pushing a new model for responsible datacenter growth — one built on sustainability, economic mobility, and long‑term partnership with the communities that host it. The move signals how AI infrastructure is reshaping local economies and what people expect from the tech shaping their future. Read the full blog here.

Armed Israeli soldiers walk through an alley in the Old City of Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, on February 7, 2026. The Israeli army routinely secures routes and gathering points when settlers visit the city.
Photo by Mosab Shawer/Middle East Images/StringersHub/Sipa USA

The Israeli government unilaterally passed measures that allow Jewish settlers to purchase land in the West Bank, overriding past laws that effectively banned the sale of property there to anyone other than Palestinian residents.