Trust Mark, he knows where the pieces fit.
Happy New Year,
The holidays may be over but the celebrations aren’t because January 29 is National Puzzle Day.* The biggest puzzle you might have to solve this year is home buying, refinancing, rates and timing. It’s a lot to put together. It can take a level of patience that normal, busy humans (other than mortgage agents 🤓) just don’t have time to nerd out on figure out. Rather than trying to jam the pieces together with your fist—or worse, quitting altogether—talk to me. I’m here to help you crunch the numbers with less frustration, no missing pieces, and no pieces from the wrong puzzle that someone tries to fool you with (I’m looking at you, online quickie lenders 😠).
You have to see the big picture to solve the puzzle…
and the 2026 big picture is a good one for home buyers. I keep a close eye on the numbers and there are several clues that show that we are heading for a buyers’ market.
- First, there are lots of homes on the market. High inventory means buyers still have leverage going into 2026.
- Prices have stopped increasing and are currently steady.
- 53% of current listings have reduced prices.
- Homes are staying longer on the market. The average is 89 days.
I didn’t mention rates because the most important thing to consider is price. Rates can be refinanced, prices can’t. BTW—rates are pretty good now, but not refi-great yet.
The right fit is in the details.
Like a puzzle, you want to put the easy pieces together first. You know where and when you want to buy. I’m here to help fill in the middle when things start to get jumbled. I can help with:
- Navigating interest rates. A great resource I use is Mortgage News Daily. It’s an unbiased nationwide average (it’s not published by a lender)
- Picking the right loan and down payment for you and your long-term wealth building.
- And understanding points! Lenders may advertise a lower rate (maybe even in the 5’s!) BUT that’s if you buy mortgage points (i.e. paying more cash up front). It can take years just to break even if you do this.
So let’s make things click. Call, DM, or schedule a chat—I’m ready when you are.
Happy closing!
Mark
(*Not the weirdest holiday this year. What are your plans for Squirrel Appreciation Day on the 21st? I hear it’s nuts.)