09/10/2026
I know a lot of people have been worried about rates lately, but the most important part of buying a home really hasn’t changed: buy based on what you can comfortably afford each month. Rates will move up and down. If they fall later, refinancing may give you an opportunity to lower your payment. But that isn’t guaranteed, and refinancing comes with closing costs and requires you to qualify again.
The purchase price, however, is locked in when you buy. So instead of trying to predict where rates will be next year, start with the numbers you know today. Look at the full monthly cost, including the mortgage, property taxes, insurance and any HOA dues, and make sure it works comfortably within your budget right now. If rates fall later, great. That can be an added benefit. But you shouldn’t need a future refinance to make today’s purchase affordable.
The headlines may change, but the basic rule doesn’t: buy the right home at a payment that works for your life today. That way, you don’t have to put pressure on yourself to do the nearly impossible task of predicting exactly what rates will look like months from now.
And if you’d just like to run the numbers together and get an idea of what buying could look like for you, I’d be happy to send you some information!
