Mortgage rates climb toward 2026 highs as inflation pressure persists
The 30-year fixed mortgage rate climbed to 6.52% this week, just below its 2026 peak, while the 15-year fixed rate rose to 5.84%, Freddie Mac reported. Both rates remain below year-ago levels of 6.84% and 5.97%, respectively.
The retention strategy most brokers overlook
Broker-owners can use personal contact, open communication and shared community work to make agents feel valued before competitors try to recruit them away.
Stabilizing home prices giving buyers a clearer path to purchase
The median home price has stabilized, and mortgage rates have eased enough that monthly payments are more manageable than they've been in years. Realtors can use that shift to restart conversations with buyers who went quiet and help them find negotiating leverage on listings that have been sitting.
Lower Asking Prices Are a Win for Today’s Buyers
If affordability has been the biggest thing standing between you and a home, there's a little good news. Asking prices have started to come down.The typical seller listed their house for a median of $429,500 in May. That’s 2.4% lower than a year ago, according to Realtor.com. On its own, that won't