09/25/2026
I keep hearing “If mortgage rates would just come down, people could afford homes again.”
And while interest rates absolutely matter, I don’t think the interest rate is the whole problem.
The bigger problem is the price of the house.
Mortgage rates fluctuate. They always have, and they always will. We’ve seen high rates, low rates, and everything in between.
But what happened to home prices over the last several years is different.
We watched home values climb dramatically, and in many markets, prices simply got ahead of what the average buyer’s income can support. Even if you lower the interest rate, an overpriced home is still an overpriced home.
A lower rate can make the payment better, but it doesn’t magically make a $350,000 house a $250,000 house.
And I see the other side of this every day as a listing agent.
I see homes sit.
I see what happens when a property is priced based on what a seller wants it to be worth instead of what today’s buyers are actually willing and able to pay.
And sometimes sellers have to make a difficult decision: Do we want to test the market, or do we actually want to sell the house?
Pricing correctly from the beginning matters. The first few weeks on the market are important, and buyers are paying attention. If a home is priced too high, it can sit, become stale, require multiple price reductions, and ultimately take longer to sell.
That doesn’t mean every home needs to be priced low. It means it needs to be priced according to today’s market…. not yesterday’s market.
Buyers don’t just need lower interest rates.
They need homes priced at levels that make sense for the market and for real people’s incomes.
Rates will change.
Markets will change.
But at some point, home prices have to reconnect with affordability.
And as a REALTOR®, I believe part of my job is being honest with my sellers about that, even when the truth isn’t necessarily what they want to hear.
Because my goal isn’t just to put a sign in the yard.
My goal is to help my sellers actually sell. 🏡
