Overview
- Freddie Mac reported the 30-year fixed rate at 6.15% in the year’s final reading, a 2025 low, with the 15-year at 5.44% as Treasury yields eased.
- Signed contracts rose 3.3% in November, the strongest showing in nearly three years, signaling early momentum as rates eased.
- National price growth slowed to about 1.4% year over year in October, with gains in Chicago, New York and Cleveland and declines in Tampa, Phoenix and Dallas, per Case‑Shiller.
- Affordability pressures persist for first-time buyers, who now make up just 21% of purchasers as many need years to save for down payments, according to NAR and Realtor.com.
- Most 2026 forecasts call for rates to hover in the low‑6% range and for modest national price gains of roughly 1%–3%, with some metros projected to fall, including parts of Florida and California.