Prices are down for the third month in a row.

Housing prices around the United States have been fluctuating wildly since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prices dropped in some areas as people fled crowded cities, while prices skyrocketed elsewhere as first time homebuyers sought to take advantage of the confusion. While the market was on the way to stabilization earlier in the year, the emergence of the Omicron variant has caused a new wave of uncertainty and exodus, and the market is feeling it, with prices down by roughly .6% from September to October.

“Since the start of the pandemic, house prices in the U.S. have been inflated by historically low interest rates, supply restrictions which included a foreclosure moratorium, and increased savings for a down payment due to limited options for discretionary spending,” said Zillow Senior Economist Kwame Donaldson, in a statement. “House price growth is now slowing because many of these supports have expired or are dwindling. But other supports remain – the U.S. labor market touts low unemployment and robust wage growth, a tsunami of millennials are reaching the peak age for first time homebuyers, and the for-sale inventory unexpectedly tightened in October and November.”

“Home prices continue to appreciate at double-digit rates — two-to three-times faster than a year ago — across all metropolitan areas reported by the CoreLogic S&P Case Shiller Index,” CoreLogic Deputy Chief Economist Selma Hepp said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the rate of home price growth will be limiting for many young buyers who have yet to accumulate sufficient equity gains, and an expected increase in mortgage rates next year will present further challenges. Together, these two factors will keep a lid on continued home price acceleration.”