This year started with record-high home prices, historically low mortgage rates and a solid upper hand for sellers.

But then the script flipped.

Home prices faltered, rates have reached an eight-year high, and the pendulum has started to swing in the buyer’s favor.

Suffice it to say 2018 has been a mercurial year for real estate – though anyone with any rudimentary understanding of the real estate market knew to expect that or at least knew to expect the unexpected.

But come 2019, will these trends continue? Here are some predictions we rounded up from experts at Forbes and Zillow for the 2019 real estate market:

Mortgage rates will rise.

“In 2019, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is expected to reach 5.8 percent – territory not seen since the dark days of 2008, when rates were racing downward in response to the housing crisis.”

Commutes worsen.

“Job creation concentrated in urban cores will continue in 2019 and contribute to longer, more crowded commutes as people are pushed to nest and grow their families in the suburbs.”

Millennials will buy homes.

“The largest population of millennials will turn 29 next year, entering peak household formation and home-buying age, and contributing to the increase in first-time buyer demand.”

Rents reverse course.

“Would-be buyers will be too financially stretched to buy and will continue renting. As a result, recent – and very slight – drops in rent will reverse and turn positive again.”

Overall home sales will drop.

“In 2019, experts anticipate home sales to decline around 2 percent for another slightly slower year as buyers continue to wrangle with higher mortgage rates after contending with several years of rapid price growth.”

Home price growth will slow.

“Experts believe home price appreciation will likely slow to near 3 percent based on the assumption that the recent pattern of increasing inventory levels will be sustained in the upcoming year.”

Home value growth will slow.

“Zillow forecasts growth of 6.4 percent from October 2018 to October 2019 – a 3.79 percent increase for calendar 2019 – indicating a cooling from red-hot growth of 8 percent in March of 2018.”

Natural disasters will claim a record number of homes.

“As the frequency and magnitude of natural disasters continue to escalate, building costs will rise, and insurers will be increasingly reluctant to offer policies in danger zones or will charge higher premiums.”

Inventory troubles will ease slightly.

“The wave of first-time home buyer demand will be met by somewhat higher inventory levels than in 2018. However, inventory will likely still remain tight nationally through 2019.”

Technology will continue to disrupt the industry.

“Technological innovation will rapidly advance in the real estate industry – iBuying, blockchain, artificial intelligence and machine learning will change the ways buyers, sellers and investors interact with each other.”

It seems, albeit prematurely, that while the market will cool and slow a bit in 2019, it may not necessarily be a bad thing. In fact, it seems that it may be just what the market needs to correct course and stabilize to prevent the dreaded ‘bubble’ that experts have feared would return in the wake of a white-hot real estate market.

So whether you’re ready to buy, sell, rent or entertain options for investing in one the top-10 markets  in the country, the experienced professionals are here to guide you every step of the way as you make some of the biggest financial decisions of your life.

Because at DeLeon Sheffield Company, ‘We’re More Than Realty; We’re Family.’

LINK to ‘Blog 65: Slow-and-Steady: Tampa Bay Named Top-10 Market After 40 Years’ once published’