11/03/2026
There isn't just one housing market right now: there are four, all running at the same time.
Which one you're in changes how you should buy or sell.
1. Cash buyers: About 26% of existing home sales this summer were all-cash. If you own a home, your equity may put you in this group.
2. Financed buyers: Rates aren't expected to fall anytime soon, but sellers are helping in other ways. Half of May sales included a concession like a rate buydown or closing-cost credit.
3. Rate-locked homeowners: About 2 in 3 homeowners have a mortgage rate under 5%, which keeps many from listing. Buyers, that also means the sellers who do list usually have a real reason to move.
4. Builders: At the current pace, it would take nearly 10 months to sell all the unsold new homes, well above the normal 4–6. That's pushing builders toward price cuts and rate buydowns.
Not sure which market you're in? Send us a DM and let's figure out your next move.
