07/28/2026
Here is where the US real estate market actually stands heading into the second half of 2026.
Mortgage rates: still near 7 percent. The anticipated cuts did not translate to lower borrowing costs. Inventory: improving slowly, but still below historical norms. Home values: holding in most market outside the Sun Belt. First-time buyer affordability: at historic lows.
This is not a slow market. It is a more complicated one.
The transactions happening right now require more documentation and more coordination than at any point in the past decade.
The brokerages positioned for the second half are the ones who built the infrastructure to close cleanly regardless of conditions.
Which market are you operating in? What are you seeing on the ground?