a continued slowdown in housing sales this spring could ripple through real estaterelated industries including sales of furniture and appliances rising mortgage rates are cooling the us housing market sapping recent buyer interest heading into the crucial spring selling season economists home builders and realestate agents saw evidence of a thaw in early 2023 when rates declined from over 7 in november to 609 in early february that was enough to lure back some buyers who had adjusted to higher borrowing costs