Housing market news, read for homeowners

home sales · August 3, 2026

Home Sales Fall as Record Prices Mask a 9-Month Slide

The June 2026 median hit a record while asking prices fell a ninth straight month; sellers who anchor to the closed-sale number join the 20% cutting price.

mortgage rates · August 2, 2026

Mortgage Rates at a One-Year High: What Sellers Face

Rates near a 12-month peak are pricing buyers out faster than 3 percent price growth can pull them in. Sell to the payment.

property taxes · August 2, 2026

Property Taxes Rise When Your Home Value Falls

Assessments run one to three years behind the market, so a cooling area can hand you a higher tax bill and a weaker negotiating position at once.

home affordability · August 1, 2026

Home Affordability Index at 102.3: Wages, Not Prices, Did It

June 2026's affordability gain came from paychecks, not price cuts or a rate break. Sellers reading it as strong demand are pricing to a fragile buyer pool.

Federal Reserve interest rate decision · July 30, 2026

Fed Rate Decision Flips From Cut to Hike: What Sellers Lose

For two years the case for waiting was a coming rate cut. On July 29 the odds flipped toward a hike, and mortgage rates hit a one-year high.

home prices · July 30, 2026

Home Prices Up 3% in June, but Real Value Is Falling

Nominal prices rose 3% through June 2026, but with 2026 growth forecast at 1.2% and rates at an 11-month high, sellers are pricing into shrinking budgets.

home sales · July 29, 2026

Home Sales: Pending Contracts Fell Twice as Fast in June

June 2026 closings slipped 2.4% while pending contracts dropped 5.4% in every region. The forward gauge says seller leverage erodes over the next 60 days.

mortgage rates · July 29, 2026

Rates Near a One-Year High Hit Median Sellers First

A move toward 7 percent does not tax all sellers equally. At the typical US price, it thins your buyer pool before it touches your price.

property taxes · July 28, 2026

Property Taxes Rose 3% in 2025 While Home Values Fell 1.7%

The effective tax rate hit a five-year high of 0.9% in 2025 because bills climbed as values dipped, and the next assessment cycle will price in the recovery.

refinance rates · July 28, 2026

Refinance Rates Near 7%: Why Selling Beats the Refi

Refi pricing now runs about 40 basis points above purchase loans, and the same rate blocking your refinance is holding your competition off the market.

housing supply · July 28, 2026

Housing Inventory: A Seller Strike, Not a Recovery

National listings growth stalled because sellers pulled back, not because buyers surged. That distinction decides whether waiting to sell pays.

home affordability · July 27, 2026

Record Home Prices Hide a 4% Real Decline for Sellers

The June median set an all-time high, but the summer rate move quietly repriced the typical home down about 4 percent in the only currency buyers spend.

existing home sales · July 26, 2026

Existing Home Sales: Ignore the Record, Watch Contracts

June closings measured spring demand while pending sales fell 5.4 percent, and that gap decides your fall sale, not the record median.

Federal Reserve interest rate decision · July 26, 2026

July Fed Meeting: The Wrong Number for Sellers to Watch

A rate hold is priced in and the overnight rate does not set mortgages. Pending sales down 5.4% in June is the number that decides your sale.

mortgage rates · July 25, 2026

Mortgage Rates at 2026 Highs: Why Your Rate Decides the Sale

The rate that governs your outcome is the one on your next loan, not the one your buyer pays, and the two point in opposite directions.

home prices · July 25, 2026

Home Prices: Builders Are Cutting, Your Equity Is Not

The falling-price headlines describe new construction, but the builder discounting behind them sets the ceiling on what your resale home can fetch, and waiting out 2026 will not fix that.

property taxes · July 24, 2026

Property Taxes Are Repricing the Decision to Sell

Assessments are rising at twice the pace of home values, and Florida's Amendment 3 would turn staying put into a measurable financial edge, so know which side of the lock-in you are on before you list.

home sales · July 24, 2026

New Home Sales Uptick: What It Means for Resale Sellers

June's 1.6 percent gain is a builder story, and it points to more payment competition in the tier where most homeowners sell.