09/17/2026
🚨 The Fed raised rates today.
If you have a few minutes…. 👇
before everybody runs screaming from the housing market…
Can we talk about what that ACTUALLY means for mortgage rates?
Because here’s something a lot of people don’t realize:
Mortgage rates don’t sit around waiting for the Fed to make an announcement.
Markets are forward-looking.
When investors believe a Fed move is coming, that expectation can start showing up in longer-term interest rates — and therefore mortgage rates — BEFORE the Fed ever walks up to the microphone.
So today’s Fed hike does NOT mean someone simply added another .25% to your mortgage rate this afternoon.
Mortgage rates have already been moving.
Now for the part nobody particularly wants to hear:
Are mortgage rates great right now?
Nope. 😂
I’m a Realtor, not a magician, and I’m not going to stand here and tell you 7-ish percent feels amazing.
It doesn’t.
But here’s the part I think people are missing…
Sometimes the “bad” market creates the opportunity.
For BUYERS, higher rates have pushed some people to the sidelines.
And if you’re financially comfortable buying right now, that can mean something we haven’t always had much of:
BREATHING ROOM.
🏡 More homes to choose from.
🤝 Less competition on certain properties.
💰 More opportunity to negotiate with sellers.
🛠️ A better chance at seller concessions, closing-cost assistance or a rate buydown when the circumstances allow it.
And maybe the biggest one…
TIME.
Time to actually look at a house.
Time to think.
Time to get an inspection.
Time to negotiate.
Time to decide whether you actually LOVE the house instead of standing in the driveway with six other buyers trying to decide how much over asking price you’re willing to offer before somebody else gets it.
Remember that market?
I do. 😳
But SELLERS — don’t stop reading, because there is another side to this.
Higher rates have slowed buyers down. They haven’t made people stop needing houses.
People still get transferred.
Families still grow.
People still get married.
People still get divorced.
Jobs still change.
Military families still PCS.
And life doesn’t wait around for a 5% mortgage rate.
And here’s something interesting:
The buyers who ARE out looking right now often aren’t out there because buying a house sounded like something fun to do this weekend.
They’re looking because they’re ready — or because life says it’s time.
And despite years of higher mortgage rates, home prices nationally haven’t fallen off a cliff. Home values have proven remarkably resilient.
Does that mean you can slap any price you want on your house and somebody will buy it?
Absolutely not. 😂
THIS market will punish an overpriced house.
But a well-prepared, properly priced home can absolutely sell.
And sellers have something else worth considering:
If you’re waiting for rates to drop because you think THAT will be the perfect time to sell, remember what could happen on your side of the equation too.
Lower rates could bring more buyers back.
But they could also convince a whole lot of homeowners with low existing mortgage rates that it’s finally comfortable enough to sell.
Meaning you could have more buyers…
AND more competition from other sellers.
That’s the part of real estate nobody can perfectly time.
And buyers, the same thing applies to you:
If mortgage rates eventually make a meaningful drop, you’re probably not going to be the only person who notices.
The people sitting on the sidelines are watching too.
More buyers can mean more competition.
So there isn’t necessarily one magical “perfect” market.
Sometimes you get the better rate.
Sometimes you get the better price.
Sometimes you get better terms.
Sometimes you get less competition.
And sometimes the biggest advantage is simply being willing to move when everybody else is waiting for someone to announce that it’s officially safe.
I’m NOT telling everyone to run out and buy or sell a house because rates are high.
Some buyers absolutely should wait.
If today’s payment doesn’t comfortably work, it doesn’t work. Period.
And some sellers aren’t going to get the number they need in today’s market.
That’s reality too.
But if your only reason for doing nothing is:
“I’m waiting for the market to get better…”
We should probably define what better actually means for YOU.
Because the market that gives you a lower interest rate may give you more competition.
The market that gives a seller more buyers may also give them more listings to compete against.
And the market everybody hates?
Sometimes that’s where the opportunity nobody is talking about lives.
Real estate has never been about finding a perfect market.
It’s about understanding the market you’re IN — and figuring out whether there’s an opportunity in it for YOU. 🏡
If you’ve been sitting on the sidelines — buyer OR seller — and want to know what the numbers actually look like right now, let’s talk.
No pressure.
No pretending rates are wonderful.
No doom and gloom either.
Just real numbers, real options, and a real conversation about whether making a move makes sense for you.
