Real Estate Rates Rise As Spring Selling Season Approaches—Here’s What Buyers and Sellers Need to Know
Mortgage rates jumped 16 points last week, their biggest one-week increase in nearly a year, putting more pressure on buyers already navigating a challenging market.
The three-week climb marks the highest such increase in more than a year and a half, according to Freddie Mac data.
Rate increases add to pressures on consumer affordability. High prices erode purchasing power at the same time that rising oil prices depress consumer confidence, creating congestion from multiple directions.
Although prices remain below where they stood last year, many home buyers have had to readjust their budgets—a change that is expected to dampen sales activity in the coming months.
Marketers adjust expectations
Despite the headwinds for consumers, new data shows some encouraging signs on the supply side. Sellers entering the market appear to be holding back their price expectations, with the average asking price running about 2% below last year’s levels. New listings, however, have fluctuated from week to week, limiting how much buyers can benefit from the soft prices.
Inventory continues to rise as homes stay on the market longer, indicating a certain level of patience among buyers who appear to be in no rush to close.
The best time to sell is almost here
The timing of all this is important. Spring has a big impact on the housing market, as the seasonal increase in buying activity tilts conditions in favor of sellers. Nationally, the best time to sell is the week of April 12-18, 2026, according to Realtor.com®’s top economist. Hannah Jones.
But sellers in a few markets don’t have to wait that long. The ideal window for listings in Cincinnati, Seattle, and Grand Rapids, MI, comes next week, March 29–April 4. Recently, 16 markets reached their seasonal highs this week, March 22–28.
Luxury homes, mobile homes, and renters: What new research shows
Realtor.com’s economic research team released three reports that shed more light on different corners of the real estate market.
Raleigh and Washington, DC: Comfort Communications
He is a great economist Anthony Smith examines the luxury housing markets in the Raleigh-Cary, NC, and Washington, DC, metro areas. Beyond geographic proximity, both markets share a knowledge-based industrial base. That connection is evident in the data: The DC metro area ranks as the top source market for out-of-town buyers looking at real estate in Raleigh-Cary.
Mobile Homes: Low Cost, Uneven Distribution
He is a great economist Joel BernerThe report finds that mobile homes represent an affordable—if rare—housing option nationwide. They focus on non-metro areas and warm climates, with a notable focus on Florida and the Southwest.
Who’s Hiring—And Why Affordability Is a Common Thread
Economist Jiayi Xu divides today’s renters into three main groups: small households (31.9%), family households (44.3%), and long-term renters (36.1%). Together, with some overlap across categories, these groups account for more than 80% of all rental households. In all three, accessibility emerges as a defining challenge.
New homes gravitate not to major metros but to central cities—Colorado Springs, CO, Austin, TX, and Denver top the list—where rents are more manageable and roommate demand is low.
Family homes are concentrated in many small markets throughout California, Texas, and Florida, where affordability is under severe pressure.
Markets such as McAllen, TX, Stockton, CA, Bakersfield, CA, Riverside, CA, Miami, and Honolulu rank among the highest for family rental share.
Intergenerational wealth plays a role, as home ownership rates among younger families remain low and the financial benefits of home ownership are reduced.
A cluster of long-term renters in rent-controlled cities like New York City and Los Angeles, where stabilization policies can keep rents more affordable but can also reduce residents’ ability—or motivation—to move.
