Raleigh First Time Home Buyer

10/14/2026

First-time buyers: homeownership may be more within reach than you think! 🏡
Today I stopped by the Cottages of Idlewild to check out the homes going up near downtown Raleigh. Through Raleigh Area Land Trust, this community will offer 14 homes for purchase, starting at $190,000 for qualifying buyers!
Here’s how it works: you own the home, while the land trust owns the land, which you lease long-term. You build equity, but resale limits help keep the home affordable for the next qualifying buyer, too. 💛
This is just ONE of various programs that can help first-time buyers. If you’re feeling priced out, let’s explore your options before you count yourself!

09/08/2026

What's your priority in a house? Upgrades? Functionality?

Homes.com’s 2026 survey of people who are looking for or have recently moved into newly constructed homes, “What new home buyers want,” provides an

09/01/2026

🏡 Wondering why mortgage rates don't always go down when the Fed cuts rates?

There's an interesting article in The New York Times today about what's happening in the bond market—and believe it or not, it has a lot to do with real estate.

Mortgage rates aren't set directly by the Federal Reserve. They are influenced heavily by the bond market, particularly the 10-year Treasury yield. And right now, those yields are being affected by everything from inflation and government debt to what's happening in economies around the world. 🌎

So what does that mean if you're thinking about buying or selling a home?

Mostly, it means don't try to perfectly time the housing market based on predictions about interest rates.

We've spent the last few years hearing that mortgage rates are supposed to come down. Sometimes they do—and then something completely unrelated to housing sends them in the other direction.

For buyers, the better question isn't necessarily, "Should I wait until rates come down?" It's "Does buying make sense for me at today's price and payment?"

And for sellers, buyers are still buying—they're simply paying much closer attention to value, condition and affordability.

🏠 Real estate has always been affected by interest rates, but it's also affected by jobs, inventory, local demand, home prices and what's happening in your own life.

Sometimes the best time to make a move isn't when the market is "perfect."

It's when the move makes sense for you.

And that's why I think understanding what's happening behind the headlines is much more useful than trying to predict the next one. 😊

Government yields are hitting multi-decade highs, reflecting anxiety about debt levels, deficits and inflation. The effects will extend to mortgages, business loans and other types of credit.

07/28/2026

If you're serious about owning your first home but are feeling a bit uncertain of how to manage it, these classes might be worth investigating...

Welcome to Home Repair Lab! Learn valuable skills and gain confidence. Join us for tricks & tips on how YOU can tackle home repairs and improvements.

07/16/2026

🏡 Could this be the biggest win for first-time homebuyers in decades?

If you've been dreaming of buying your first home but feel like prices keep moving farther out of reach, there may finally be some encouraging news.

The new 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act has officially become law. Will it make homes cheaper overnight? No. But it takes aim at one of the biggest reasons housing has become so expensive: we simply haven't built enough homes.

Here's why that matters...

🏗️ More homes = less competition.

For years, we've had too many buyers chasing too few homes. That's what drove bidding wars and pushed prices higher.

This law encourages communities to build more housing by cutting red tape, speeding up approvals, and rewarding cities and towns that increase their housing supply. The goal is simple: put more homes on the market so buyers have more choices instead of competing over the same few listings.

🏘️ More affordable housing options.

The bill also makes it easier to build manufactured, modular, and other lower-cost housing by modernizing outdated federal rules and expanding financing opportunities. These homes can often be built faster and at a lower cost than traditional site-built homes, creating more affordable entry points for first-time buyers.

🏠 A fairer shot at homeownership.

The legislation includes updates to mortgage programs and lending rules designed to improve access to financing for first-time buyers while also placing new limits on very large institutional investors buying additional single-family homes. The hope is that more homes end up in the hands of families instead of investment firms.

✨ Here's what I want my first-time buyers to know...

This law isn't about making every home suddenly cost $100,000 less.

It's about creating enough housing that buyers have choices again.

When inventory increases:
✅ Buyers have more homes to choose from.
✅ Sellers face less pressure to price aggressively.
✅ Bidding wars become less common.
✅ Home prices tend to grow at a healthier, more sustainable pace instead of skyrocketing.

As someone who's worked with first-time buyers for over 20 years, I think that's a step in the right direction.

Will it solve everything? Probably not.

But if it helps more people stop renting and finally get the keys to their first home, that's something worth getting excited about. ❤️
If you want to learn more check this link out: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/11/business/economy/housing-bill-affordability.html

05/07/2026

For all of the First Time Buyers out there waiting for the “perfect” market… this may actually be your moment 🏡✨

No, rates aren’t 3% anymore. But Buyers are finally starting to get something they haven’t had in years: options, negotiating power, and a little breathing room.

We’re seeing more homes hit the market, fewer crazy bidding wars, and Sellers becoming more open to concessions, rate buy downs, and repairs. That’s a HUGE shift from the chaos we saw a few years ago.

Wake County inventory alone is reportedly up over 20% from last year, which means Buyers finally have more choices and a little more leverage again. 👏

The truth is, most people don’t buy their first home because the market is perfect… they buy because they’re ready to stop renting, start building equity, and create a place that’s theirs.

This market just requires strategy, patience, and someone who knows how to navigate it creatively 😉

Interesting reads if you want to follow what’s happening locally:
• WRAL: “Triangle housing market shifts toward balance as inventory climbs in 2026”
• NC REALTORS February 2026 Housing Report

The Triangle housing market is entering a more balanced phase in 2026, with Wake County inventory up 20.9%. The median price for a Wake County home in January was $450,000, Triangle MLS data shows.