Almost ten years after the real estate crisis set off wild swings in the housing market, most markets finally stabilized last year. Here’s what experts are predicting we will see in 2017:

Mortgage Interest Rates
Forecasters are split on whether mortgage rates will remain above 4 percent. The Mortgage Bankers Association and Freddie Mac predict that the 30-year fixed will stay above 4 percent in the first quarter. Fannie Mae, the National Association of Realtors, Wells Fargo and other organizations predict that they’ll be below 4 percent during the period.

Millenials Entering The Housing Market
For a long time, the real estate industry waited for millennials to start buying houses in big numbers. They finally arrived. In 2016, people under 35 made up 61 percent of first-time homebuyers, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Millennials are more secure in their jobs, so they’re better qualified for mortgages, particularly the low down payment options. While inventory is still tight, many institutional investors have left the market, which makes it easier for first-time home buyers to compete for entry-level properties.

Inventory Stays Tight
Nationally, the inventory of homes for sale was less than 4.5 months toward the end of the year. The inventory has been low, although if new homebuilding continues, that will help inventories.

It’s especially hard to find lower-price homes suitable for first-time buyers. Entry-level homes have been kept off the market because so many owners owed more on their homes than they were worth. Disproportionately, it was that segment of the market that was hit the hardest.

The good news is that the tightening labor market is beginning to push up wages and the economy has lately shown signs of greater expansion.

Home Sales Will Increase
January and February tend to have the least number of home sales. However, real estate pundits believes that rising interest rates will push buyers into the market earlier in the year. People will try to buy in winter, figuring that higher interest rates will make homes less affordable in spring.

Easier To Get A Mortgage
It’s easier to get a mortgage now than at any time in the past eight years. That reflects an increased availability of both jumbo loans and low down-payment loans. Banks may also be more willing to work with borrowers over the next few years as they look to make up for a decline in refinancing business when interest rates go up.

Foreign buyers will play a smaller role
Foreign buyers, who have helped fuel the luxury real estate market in recent years, backed off a bit in 2016 amid rising prices and an appreciated dollar and increased scrutiny from the Treasury Department. That trend may accelerate as foreign investors weigh the impact of a Trump presidency on their purchase.