Author: Jennie Shook

Prospective buyers were urged to look beyond a staged home's visual appeal during open houses and focus on details that support more informed decisions.
An agent said buyers should closely evaluate the home's overall condition, not just presentation, when comparing properties and deciding whether a showing reflects lasting value.
Neighborhood review matters too, with guidance encouraging buyers to assess the surrounding area rather than judging a property only by what is inside.
Separate neighborhood tips highlighted signs of promising markets, including new development and local business expansion, as buyers search for areas showing momentum.
These themes showed an ongoing advisory role in the home buying process, centered on helping shoppers make more informed choices as they evaluate homes.

In Arizona, buyers increasingly ask for solar alongside square footage, treating it less like a luxury upgrade and more like an expected home feature.
Several Arizona production builders now pre-wire homes for solar as a standard feature, expecting many buyers to choose systems at closing or soon after.
Across Arizona's newer master-planned communities, energy efficiency has become a key differentiator, giving similar floor plans another way to compete for the same buyer.
What once was a retrofit discussion in Arizona now starts before move-in, alongside countertop and cabinet choices, reflecting how solar entered routine purchase decisions.
Because cooling drives a large share of Arizona household electricity use, solar offers homeowners a practical way to manage costs instead of paying full price.

Buyers gained leverage as rates and uncertainty cooled urgency, while sellers still priced carefully to attract serious offers in today's shifting US market.
30-yr rates touched the mid-6% range in Early-Q2, then moved into the low-6% range, keeping payment math central for buyers and sellers.
Agent Survey Split
Midwest sellers' markets: 70%
Northeast sellers' markets: 74%
South sellers' markets: 13%
West sellers' markets: 22%
Well-priced homes can still draw multiple offers. Buyers may win repair payments, covered closing costs, or flexible move-in timing in softer markets.
Experts said a turnaround depends on rate stability, steady job growth, and less volatility; improved affordability could support stronger optimism into 2027.

In Early-Q3, US existing-home sales slipped ↓1.7% MoM but still finished ↑0.7% yearly, showing completed transactions held slightly above prior summer's pace.
Median existing-home prices reached $434.1K in Early-Q3, extending a 37-mo streak of yearly gains and giving many homeowners additional equity to monitor.
Inventory ended Early-Q3 at 1.54M homes, ↓1.9% MoM and ↓0.6% yearly, a reminder for buyers to track listings closely in a still-tight market.
Housing affordability improved nationally even as prices rose, suggesting buyers who stay prepared can benefit when value, timing, and available choices start aligning.
Mortgage costs averaged high-6% recently on a 30-yr fixed loan; any rate easing could further support buyers as the summer market continues.

A housing economist says the condo market is stabilizing after prior weakness, with some metros now seeing condo price gains outpace single-family homes.
Improved affordability is drawing buyers back toward condos, creating a practical option for shoppers seeking lower entry points in active markets today.
Mortgage rates are higher than earlier in 2026, but a housing economist says they remain comfortably below yearly levels for buyers now.
Lower mortgage rates are expected to help more potential buyers qualify and obtain financing, widening access as affordability conditions improve for households.
Buyers should watch condo choices and mortgage qualification closely, because both themes point to more practical paths for entering active markets now.