The national housing market rolls into late summer 2026 stuck in a familiar holding pattern. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate is parked near 6.9%, and inventory has crept only slightly higher than it was a year ago, while buyer demand quietly softens.
Home prices are still inching up in most areas — roughly 1% to 2% — which keeps affordability painfully tight for anyone trying to break in, even as homeowners sit on record levels of equity.
That tug-of-war between high rates and cautious buyers makes it tougher than ever to know which markets are actually worth the plunge…