Palo Alto, Calif., May 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nearly half (48%) of homeowners didn't consider moving at all in the last 12 months— up from 41 percent who said the same two years ago, according to a new study out today from Point, a home equity financing platform.
The reasons behind the slowdown are shifting. Around 29% of homeowners who canceled moving plans cited life circumstances — a job loss, a family situation, shifting caregiving obligations — as a reason, nearly double from 16% in 2024. Meanwhile, the share citing mortgage rates as a barrier fell to 45%, down from 55% two years ago, as weekly average rates declined nearly 100 basis points over the same period, per Freddie Mac data (1).
“For years, the story of housing gridlock has been about mortgage rates and home prices, but Point data shows something more fundamental is shifting beneath the surface: life itself is prompting people to stay put,” said Aaron Terrazas, an economist for Point. “Broader economic uncertainty beyond the cold calculus of interest rates has become a bigger barrier to mobility. When households don't know what next year looks like for their job, their family, or the broader economy, moving stops feeling like an opportunity and starts feeling like a risk."
This slowdown in households moving has ripple effects. Housing inventory has been constrained for a decade, and when existing homeowners stay put, the problem compounds — fewer listings, fewer opportunities for first-time buyers, and less overall market activity.
Even among the falling share of homeowners who view rates as an obstacle, the threshold for what an ideal rate looks like has actually gotten stricter over time: 83% of homeowners who cite mortgage rates as a barrier today say they’d need rates below 5% to consider a move, compared to 64% who said the same in 2024.
Rather than moving, homeowners are doubling down on where they already live. Nearly half (49%) of would-be movers say they plan to renovate instead – and nearly two-thirds (65%) of all homeowners plan to do some sort of renovation on their home within the next year and a half.
Bathroom remodels (31%) and kitchen renovations (27%) are among the most common planned projects, alongside 25% of homeowners who are expanding their existing home — building an addition, an accessory dwelling unit (ADU), or finishing a previously unfinished part of their home — rather than trading up. More than a third of renovation-planning homeowners are committing $30,000 or more to their projects, reflecting substantial, long-horizon investment in their current homes.
The renovation wave is running up against a persistent equity access gap. Roughly six in ten homeowners need financing for their projects, yet for many, traditional options are out of reach. Among homeowners who are not planning to use a HELOC or cash-out refinance, 33% say rates on those products are still too high.
“American homeowners are sitting on record levels of home equity, but a meaningful share of the population is locked out of accessing that wealth,” said Eddie Lim, co-founder and CEO of Point. “Whether it’s the inability to sell, or the inability to get affordable financing, traditional paths to home equity just aren’t working for a lot of people right now. That's exactly the gap home equity investments were designed to fill — giving homeowners a way to tap their equity without taking on new debt or monthly payments, regardless of where rates go."
For more details, the full report can be found here.
About Point
Point is the leading home equity platform making homeownership more valuable and accessible. Point’s flagship product, the Home Equity Investment (HEI), empowers homeowners to unlock their equity to eliminate debt, get through periods of financial hardship, and diversify their wealth – without adding to their monthly expenses. Point has worked with more than 20,000 homeowners, unlocking more than $2 billion in home equity. Point’s HEI enables investors to access a previously untapped asset class – owner-occupied residential real estate. Founded in 2015 by Eddie Lim, Eoin Matthews, and Alex Rampell, Point is backed by top investors, including Westcap, Andreessen Horowitz, Ribbit Capital, Greylock Partners, Bloomberg Beta, Blue Owl Capital, Alpaca VC, and Prudential. The company is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA. For more information, please visit www.point.com
(1) Source: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, April 2024-April 2026
Methodology: Point’s 2026 Moving & Sentiment Study surveyed 1,007 U.S. homeowners in early 2026. The survey was nationally distributed across major U.S. regions, with respondents spanning age groups and household income levels. All respondents confirmed owner-occupancy of their primary residence. Year-over-year comparisons reference Point’s 2024 Moving & Sentiment Study (n=1,076).
Lauren Nash Point 4254292315 laurennash@motherbear.agency
