11/01/2026
Always buy when you can comfortably afford the house. The rest is noise.
People are sitting on the sidelines saying “I’ll buy when it hits 5%.”
Think about what happens if it does. Every buyer who’s been waiting shows up at once. Sellers who were locked into their 3% loans finally list, but not fast enough. Bidding wars come back. The $400k house becomes a $460k house, and your “cheaper” payment at 5% looks a lot like your payment today at 7%.
Rates and prices move against each other. Lower rates don’t make houses cheap. They make them easier to overpay for.
What you can control: your income, your down payment, your monthly budget, how long you plan to stay. If the payment fits comfortably today, buy today. If rates drop later, you refinance. If they don’t, you’re already in.
Timing the rate is a guess. Affording the payment is math.
