Housing market news, read for homeowners

mortgage rates · November 3, 2026

Mortgage Rates: The December Fed Hike Is 85% Priced In

With a December Fed hike 85 percent priced in, waiting for the meeting buys sellers nothing; the only mortgage rate surprise left points up.

property taxes · November 3, 2026

Georgia's $18K Tax Break Pays About $500, and Only Once

The $18,000 cut lands as roughly $500 one time; the real selling math sits in a mandatory assessment cap your buyer never inherits.

days on market · November 2, 2026

Days on Market: The 31-Day Median Only Counts Winners

Published days on market excludes failed listings and resets relisted clocks, so the true wait to sell runs materially longer than the median.

home affordability · November 2, 2026

Affordability Policy Now Targets Your Home Equity

Supply-side reform is the one affordability lever that works by capping what your home is worth, and politicians from Illinois to San Francisco just grabbed it.

when to sell a house · November 1, 2026

When to Sell a House: 3% Gains Make Timing a Rounding Error

At 3.0% annual appreciation, a year of perfect timing earns the typical seller about $8,500, less than one routine price cut. Execution beats the calendar.

Federal Reserve interest rate decision · October 31, 2026

Fed Rate Decision: The Hold Lowered Your Buyer's Mortgage

The October 2026 FOMC produced no cut. It did produce falling long-term yields, which is the part that actually moves your buyer's payment.

home prices · October 30, 2026

Home Prices Up 3% or Falling? Both Headlines Are Right

On October 30, 2026, one index showed home prices rising and another the first drop in three years. Both are right, and neither prices your home.

home sales · October 30, 2026

Home Sales So Thin, Fraud Led the News; Values Up 3.0%

Transaction volume is so thin that a deed-fraud conviction topped the week's housing news, yet typical home values are still up 3.0% from a year ago.

property taxes · October 29, 2026

Property Tax Hikes Only Have to Win Once

A failed property tax levy comes back until it passes, and a passed one never leaves, which is why your carrying cost moves in one direction only.

mortgage rates · October 29, 2026

Mortgage Rates at 7.31% Are Worth $14 a Month to Buyers

Mortgage rates slipped to 7.31% after the Fed held steady, saving buyers roughly $14 a month. The real discount is coming from homebuilders.

Federal Reserve interest rate decision · October 26, 2026

Fed Rate Decision: Mortgage Rates Ignored the Last Cut

The last time the Fed cut, mortgage rates rose 60 basis points in six weeks. The statement is theater; the 10-year Treasury is the signal.

home prices · October 26, 2026

Home Prices: Slowest September Since 2011, Up 3.0%

September 2026 price growth was the slowest for any September since 2011. At 3.0 percent, waiting to sell now costs more than it earns.

refinance rates · October 24, 2026

Refinance Rates at 7.2%: Every Refi Re-Arms the Lock-In

The October 24 refi drop is worth about $30 a month. The policy push that came with it re-locks millions of owners and keeps future listings thin.

mortgage rates · October 24, 2026

Sub-7% Mortgage Rates Would End Seller Scarcity, Not Save It

A half-point rate drop saves a locked-in owner only about $100 a month but releases a decade of deferred listings. Falling rates help your buyer more than you.

home affordability · October 23, 2026

Home Affordability Help Often Lands in the Seller's Pocket

When policy cuts ownership costs faster than it adds homes, buyers redirect the savings into higher bids, and sellers capture part of the benefit.

home sales · October 23, 2026

Home Sales Headlines Dried Up; Values Still Up 3.0%

Sellers quit the fall market for convenience; the buyers who stay must close. Typical values were still up 3.0 percent year over year in September 2026.

property taxes · October 22, 2026

Property Taxes Lose to Insurance in 75% of US Counties

An October 2026 study finds insurance now costs more than property taxes in three of four US counties, and it is the bill no vote can touch.

home prices · October 21, 2026

Home Prices Flatlined in July; the 3% Gain Is History

Case-Shiller's July 2026 print was flat in peak selling season. Sellers waiting for more appreciation are extrapolating a gain the monthly data no longer pays.

housing starts · October 21, 2026

Housing Starts Fall 5.2%; 43% of Builders Cut Prices

September 2026 starts fell 5.2 percent, but 43 percent of builders cut prices in October, a 2020s record. Completions are still landing on your block.

housing supply · October 20, 2026

Housing Supply: Builder Buydowns Equal a $58K Price Cut

Resale inventory still runs 17% below pre-pandemic. The glut is new construction, where a buydown to 5.9% matches a $58,000 price cut no seller can afford.

refinance rates · October 20, 2026

Refinance Rates Fell 7 Bps. Sellers Shouldn't Care

The October 20 refinance dip describes a market your buyer is not in. The purchase rate and your equity are the numbers that matter.

mortgage rates · October 19, 2026

Mortgage Rates at 7.40% Mean Shakier Buyers, Steady Prices

Applications fell 2.7% and adjustable-rate loans hit a one-year high of 10.5% in mid-October 2026, yet prices kept climbing. Sellers lose leverage, not equity.

home sales · October 18, 2026

Home Sales Comps Priced at 6.5%; Today's Buyer Pays 7.4%

September closings were financed near 6.5%. At 7.4%, your next buyer needs about $8,300 more income to qualify for the same house.

housing market crash · October 18, 2026

Housing Market Crash Needs Forced Sellers. There Aren't Any

Price crashes run on desperate sellers, and locked-in, above-water owners are not selling. The 2026 risk is a thin buyer pool at your price, not a falling one.

property taxes · October 17, 2026

Wyoming Property Tax Cut: Buyers Don't Inherit the 50%

Wyoming's Prop 1 halves your tax bill but resets at closing. It cheapens holding, not selling, in the markets where out-of-state buyers set the price.

home prices · October 17, 2026

Home Prices Up 3%: The Freeze and the Fire Are One Market

September 2026's 3.0% national gain is the seam between a frozen high-cost tier and a hot affordable one. Sellers who price off the average will misprice.

home affordability · October 16, 2026

Home Affordability: Surplus Exits, Prices Still Up 3%

The listing surplus resolves through withdrawal, not discounts: optional sellers pull out before cutting, which is why values still rose 3% in September 2026.

housing supply · October 15, 2026

Housing Supply Is Up Because Homes Won't Sell at 7.40%

September 2026 sales ran under 4 million while inventory neared normal. Rising supply is thin demand, and sellers pay for it in price cuts.

mortgage rates · October 15, 2026

Mortgage Rates at 7.40% Carry No Fear Premium Left

The 30-year hit 7.40% the week of October 8 with a normal spread, which means the mechanical route to cheaper mortgages no longer exists.

home sales · October 14, 2026

Home Sales Slump Is a Seller Strike: Maine Prices Up 1.1%

September 2026 sales fell while prices rose in Maine and Texas suburbs. That combination means sellers are quitting faster than buyers, and listing exploits it.

refinance rates · October 13, 2026

Refinance Rates at 7.40% Push 1 in 7 Buyers Into ARMs

With refinancing dead at 7.40%, the seven-year high in adjustable-rate borrowing is the number that should time your sale.

property taxes · October 13, 2026

Louisiana Property Taxes: Amendment 2 Kills the Deadline

Louisiana's November 3 Amendment 2 lowers no one's bill. It removes the deadline that forces local governments to surrender unused taxing power.

home prices · October 12, 2026

Home Prices Still Rising, but the Buyer Pool Fell 8.5%

Pending sales fell 8.5% and mortgage rates jumped a quarter point in one week, yet every price index still prints green. Sellers lose leverage first.

mortgage rates · October 11, 2026

Mortgage Rates Hit 7.40% and the Fed Can't Fix It

Seven straight weekly increases pushed the 30-year to 7.40%, driven by a 10-year Treasury at 5.28%. A Fed cut may never reach your buyer's payment.

home sales · October 9, 2026

Home Sales Split: New Homes Now $35K Cheaper Than Resale

New homes sold $35K below the existing median in August 2026 while builders bought down rates; sellers near $400K now compete with the factory.

property taxes · October 9, 2026

Property Taxes Cost Sellers $14K per $100 at 7.4% Rates

At 7.4% mortgage rates, every $100 a month of property tax erases about $14,000 of buyer borrowing power, and the seller, not the buyer, absorbs that cut.

housing starts · October 8, 2026

Housing Starts Slump Is Quietly Worth 3% to Sellers

Falling starts remove future competition and are already showing up as a 3% gain in typical home value, unless a builder is active near you.

home affordability · October 8, 2026

Home Affordability Crisis, Values Up 3%: Sell the Scarcity

Affordability is near its worst since 2008, yet typical US home values rose 3.0% in August 2026. The freeze is your moat; the thaw is your competition.

refinance rates · October 7, 2026

Refinance Rates: Shopping 5 Quotes Beats a 35 Bps Drop

Refi applications just hit their lowest since 2025, but the spread between lender quotes is now worth more than the rate drop everyone is waiting for.

housing supply · October 7, 2026

Housing Supply Is Flooding Headlines, Not Your ZIP Code

Supply pledges from Lagos to Canberra filled one week's news cycle. Prices across 26,274 US ZIP codes say the shortage on your street is still intact.

mortgage rates · October 6, 2026

Mortgage Rates at 7.55% Split the Housing Market in Two

At 7.55%, the national 3% price gain averages two diverging markets, and sellers in elastic Sun Belt metros need a different playbook.

home prices · October 5, 2026

Home Prices Lag, Listings Lead: Vegas Just Hit 10,000

US home values rose 3.0% through August 2026, but Las Vegas inventory just topped 10,000 for the first time in a decade. Supply moves first.

home sales · October 5, 2026

Home Sales News Skews Luxury: Typical Values Up 3%

September 2026's most-covered home sales ran near seven times the typical $288,608 US value, and that gap should change how you read the market.

property taxes · October 4, 2026

Property Tax Bills Won't Fall: Wisconsin Up 5.7%

Every new local revenue stream arrives already spent, so the property tax stays the line that settles the difference. Buyers price that in. Sellers should too.

home sales · September 28, 2026

Home Sales Data Is 60 Days Old. Prices Still Rose 3%.

Closed sales are contracts signed 30 to 60 days earlier, so the cooling in the headlines describes a market that no longer exists.

housing market forecast · September 27, 2026

Housing Market Forecast: 3% Growth Hides 26,274 Markets

US home values rose 3.0 percent in the year through August 2026, but that average blends 26,274 local markets. Only one of them is yours.

property taxes · September 26, 2026

Property Taxes Are Repricing 2021's Boom, Not Your Home

Assessors price your home off the boom that already ended, and buyers are repricing your sale to match the bill they will inherit.

mortgage rates · September 26, 2026

Mortgage Rates Hit 7%, but Home Prices Rose 3%

Seven percent mortgage rates have frozen supply, not prices. Typical US home values rose 3% through August 2026. Sellers face a slow sale, not a crash.

Federal Reserve interest rate decision · September 25, 2026

Fed Rate Hike Under Warsh: Home Prices Still Up 3%

Treasury yields tightened weeks before the Fed's first hike under Warsh, and values still rose 3.0 percent because rate lock-in is starving supply.

home prices · September 24, 2026

Home Prices Up 3% Because Sellers Refuse to Move

The typical US home is worth $288,608 as of August 2026, up 3.0% in a year, and record-low mobility deserves more credit than buyers do.

refinance rates · September 24, 2026

Refinance Rates Hit 7.17%, and Most Owners Are Locked Out

At 7.17%, refinancing pays only for owners above roughly 7.5%; for everyone else, selling is the realistic way to reach equity.

home sales · September 23, 2026

Home Sales News Is Trivia; Values Still Rose 3%

Trophy-sale roundups tell you nothing. With US values up 3.0% and volume thin, your price band and three local comps decide your outcome.

property taxes · September 22, 2026

Property Tax Bills Rise as Home Prices Stall at 0.8%

Maryland values rose just 0.8% in a year, yet local governments want more taxing power, and assessment caps mean your buyer's bill will top yours.

mortgage rates · September 21, 2026

Pending Home Sales Hit 3-Year Low; Prices Still Up 3%

Signed contracts are the weakest since 2023, yet typical home values are up 3%: the price you see reflects a shrinking pool of homes that still sell.

housing supply · September 21, 2026

Housing Supply Pledges Won't Reach Buyers Before 2028

On September 21, 2026, supply pledges dominated housing news worldwide. Delivered supply is a 2028 story, and US values still rose 3.0% in August 2026.

home prices · September 20, 2026

Home Prices Rose 3%, but Seller Net Proceeds Are Shrinking

US home values rose 3.0% in the year to August 2026, but concessions and builder rate buydowns are quietly cutting what sellers actually net.

home affordability · September 19, 2026

Home Affordability Near 7% Rates Favors Sellers Under $289K

Rates near 7% in mid-September 2026 crushed buyers, yet August 2026 values still rose 3.0%; leverage sits with sellers of attainably priced homes.

refinance rates · September 19, 2026

Refinance Rates Jumped 35 Bps. Sellers Should Ignore It

Refinance rates leapt 35 basis points on September 19, 2026, while purchase rates eased. Only one of those numbers matters if you are selling.

Federal Reserve interest rate decision · September 18, 2026

Fed Rate Hike Shrinks Seller Competition, Prices Up 3%

Each hike in the Fed's 2026 path pushes more would-be sellers off the market, which is why home values still rose 3% through August 2026.