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If Homes Were More Like Turkey Dinners, Buyers Could Save $110 Per Month

Thanksgiving meal

Families dream of buying a home by November for one reason: to be moved in time for an iconic turkey dinner on Thanksgiving.

But this year, homebuyers won’t get as good a deal on one part of the equation: homes prices have not dropped as sharply as the cost of a Thanksgiving meal.

The cost of a turkey dinner for 10 with all the fixings, says the Farm Bureau, has dropped 9% since 2022, from roughly $64 that year to $58 in 2024.

Home prices, however, have only come down 5% during the same period. After hitting a 2022 high of $442,600, the median-priced home has dropped to $420,400 this year according to the Census Bureau and HUD.

Imagine A World Where Homes Were More Like Turkeys

What if home prices had fallen as quickly as turkey dinners? It could be a very different housing market.

A 9% drop from 2022 levels would mean today’s home prices would be closer to $400,000, levels not seen since the third quarter of 2021. But demand isn't waning like that for turkeys.

The Farm Bureau reports that there has been a decrease in turkey demand to the tune of one pound per person in the U.S. since last year.

If homes were more like turkeys, lower demand would result in a rough $20,000 discount from today’s levels. That would reduce someone’s monthly payment by about $110 per month at current interest rates.

Actual 5% Drop Since 2022

Hypothetical Turkey-Like 9% Drop Since 2022

2022 Home Price

$442,600

$442,600

2024 Home Price

$420,400

$402,000

P&I Payment*

$2,517

$2,407

*10% Down, 7% 30-year fixed mortgage. Example purposes only.

About The Author:

Tim Lucas began his mortgage career in 2001 at Washington Mutual, reviewing wholesale loan files submitted by mortgage brokers. In the mid-2000s, he transitioned to retail lending at M&T Bank as a Mortgage Loan Processor, working with a wide range of borrowers: first-time buyers, investors using now-notorious "option ARMs" and jumbo buyers financing $1–5 million homes.

Tim later launched his own loan processing company while originating loans for his own clients, mainly FHA and USDA loans for first-time buyers. When the 2008 housing crash hit, he pivoted to assisting a prominent Loan Officer at Seattle Mortgage and Golf Savings Bank. He eventually became a Mortgage Processing Supervisor at Mortgage Advisory Group. There, he earned a reputation as a solutions-oriented processor, known for solving complex loan scenarios and uncovering obscure guidelines to help clients get approved.

In 2013, after more than a decade in lending, Tim moved into mortgage education—creating trusted content for sites like MyMortgageInsider.com and TheMortgageReports.com. Today, he blends 10+ years of hands-on mortgage experience with another decade in consumer education at Three Creeks Media, where he leads MortgageResearch.com. Tim is also a licensed Loan Originator (NMLS #118763).

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