Weekly Newsletter
Your weekly rates + housing briefing, by region
Every week we break down where mortgage rates went and what moved the national housing market — in plain English, with a local snapshot for your state or metro. No jargon, every number linked to its source, so you know what it means if you're buying or selling right now.
Recent issues
Newest first- Week of October 12, 20267 stories
Rates Reach a 52-Week High as a New Federal Housing Law Takes Effect
The 30-year fixed mortgage climbed to 7.40% this week — its steepest reading in a full year — just as a landmark federal housing supply law crosses its first enforcement milestone and the fall school-rankings season ignites home-search activity across the country.
- Week of October 5, 20267 stories
Rates Hit Their Highest Point in a Year as Fall Buyers Recalibrate
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage crested 7.28% last week and has since climbed further on daily trackers — while a jaw-dropping September jobs miss is now the biggest variable in what the Fed does next. Buyers, sellers, and renters all have consequential new data to act on this week.
- Week of September 28, 20267 stories
Price Cuts Hit a 2026 High as the 30-Year Mortgage Crosses 7%
The 30-year fixed cleared 7% for the first time in 2026, and fall sellers are already responding: price reductions just hit their highest September level since 2018. Buyers have their best negotiating leverage in years — if they can absorb today's rates.
- Week of September 14, 20266 stories
Inflation Jumps as Housing Inventory Hits a 10-Year High
August consumer prices surged at four times July's pace, keeping mortgage rates pinned at 6.76% as the fall buying season opens. Meanwhile, for-sale supply swelled to its highest level in a decade — rare leverage for buyers who can qualify.
- Week of September 7, 20267 stories
Rates Hit 6.71% as Rankings Land and Fall Buyers Find Leverage
The 30-year fixed climbed to 6.71% to open September, but a deepening split between softening coastal markets and a surging Midwest means the national number tells only half the story. School rankings just dropped, a forgivable down-payment grant closes September 30, and Houston just broke an all-time inventory record.
- Week of August 24, 20267 stories
Rates Slip for a Second Week as New-Home Sales Drop 10%
Mortgage rates fell for the second consecutive week while Tuesday's Census release confirmed July new-home sales dropped 10.5% — real negotiating ammunition for active buyers. Fresh school rankings, a new federal housing law, and a widening inventory gap round out a consequential late-summer week.
- Week of August 17, 20267 stories
High School Rankings Drop Right as Fall Home-Shopping Begins
U.S. News published the 2026–27 Best High Schools rankings yesterday — one of the most direct drivers of neighborhood home values — right as fall buyers start their search in earnest. Layer in a dipping 30-year rate, a landmark housing law entering implementation, and a national down-payment grant window closing in six weeks, and this is a week with real decisions at stake.
- Week of July 6, 20268 stories
Congress Passes Housing Bill as Mortgage Rates Hit 7-Week Low
Buyers get a rare double signal this week: a sweeping bipartisan federal housing law just cleared Congress while the 30-year fixed dipped to its lowest level in seven weeks. State-level action is moving just as fast — California's transit upzoning went live July 1, new down-payment-assistance windows are open, and one popular program has already run out early.
Read this week's issue for your market
Same national briefing, paired with the local snapshot for the region you pick.
