Category: For Buyers

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Sellers Are Cutting Prices To Meet Buyers Where They’re At

Written by St. George Island Mortgage Mortgage Syndicated User on August 28, 2026. Posted in Affordability, Buying Tips, For Buyers, Home Prices, Mortgage St. George Island, St. George Island Mortgage.

You’re scrolling through listings on your phone and everything looks good until you see the price (or the estimated monthly payment). Then you close the app. Because even if you love the house, the numbers feel impossible. But here’s the thing. Nationally, there are more homes sitting on the market than there are people out there looking. And when sellers need buyers more than buyers need sellers, that shows up in the price. Lower asking prices. More price cuts. And homes priced for what buyers can actually afford – not what sellers hope someone might pay. And it may be enough...

Worried About a Housing Crash? The Numbers Tell a Calmer Story.

Written by St. George Island Mortgage Mortgage Syndicated User on August 28, 2026. Posted in For Buyers, For Sellers, Home Prices, Inventory, Mortgage Rates, Mortgage St. George Island, St. George Island Mortgage.

A recent survey from Talker Research asked Americans to pick one word to describe how 2026 has felt so far. The winner? Stressful. And honestly, there’s been a lot going on. So, it’s understandable if you’ve been putting off buying or selling a home until things settle down. But you may be waiting on something that’s already happened. While everything else has felt shaky, the housing market has become one of the steadiest things out there. Look at the data. Home Prices Have Leveled Out After years of fast increases, data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows...

Higher Rates Could Actually Help Housing Supply – Here’s How.

Written by St. George Island Mortgage Mortgage Syndicated User on August 28, 2026. Posted in For Buyers, For Sellers, Inventory, Mortgage St. George Island, St. George Island Mortgage.

You may have heard the number of homes for sale isn’t growing like it was. And maybe that has you worried you won’t find a home you love when it’s time to make your move. But that may be about to change. Here’s why your pool of options may actually start ticking back up again. Growth Has Slowed, But It Hasn’t Stopped Active listings were up 2.1% year-over-year in July, according to Realtor.com. Back in January, inventory was up 10%. And in May of 2025, it was up 31.5%. So, growth has cooled off a lot over the last year. The past 3 months, though, have all seen inventory growth land in...

Who Has the Upper Hand in Today’s Housing Market?

Written by St. George Island Mortgage Mortgage Syndicated User on August 14, 2026. Posted in Buying Tips, For Buyers, For Sellers, Mortgage St. George Island, Selling Tips, St. George Island Mortgage.

Ask around and almost every homebuyer out there wants to know if there’s a way to get a better deal. And just about every seller wants to know if they’ll still get top dollar. The interesting thing is… both can be right at the exact same time. It just depends on where you live. That’s because today’s housing market isn’t moving in one direction anymore. Some markets clearly favor buyers. Others still favor sellers. But most are sitting somewhere in the middle. And knowing which market you’re actually in can completely change the strategy you use to buy...

Here’s Why Mortgage Rates Are What They Are Right Now

Written by St. George Island Mortgage Mortgage Syndicated User on August 14, 2026. Posted in Affordability, Economy, For Buyers, For Sellers, Mortgage Rates, Mortgage St. George Island, St. George Island Mortgage.

If you’re waiting for mortgage rates to fall a lot before you buy, you may be waiting a while. But before you get discouraged, there’s a number working behind the scenes that’s actually good for you right now. It’s called the spread, and once you understand it, you may see today’s rates in a whole new light. The Pattern That’s Held for 50+ Years For starters, mortgage rates don’t move on their own. They tend to follow the 10-year treasury yield, a number tied to how investors feel about the economy. It’s not an exact science, since plenty of other factors can...

The Case for Putting 20% Down on Your Next Home

Written by St. George Island Mortgage Mortgage Syndicated User on August 14, 2026. Posted in Affordability, Buying Tips, Downsize, For Buyers, Mortgage St. George Island, Move-Up, St. George Island Mortgage.

If you’re planning to buy your next home soon, you’ve probably heard the old rule about saving 20% for your down payment. The truth is, you usually don’t have to. Plenty of loan options let qualified buyers put down much less. But a lot of repeat buyers are choosing to put down 20% anyway. So, why are they if they don’t have to? Two reasons. They know a bigger down payment pays off, and after years in their current house, they’ve built up enough equity that it’s finally possible. Repeat Buyers Put More Money Down According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the typical repeat...

Thinking About Waiting for Lower Mortgage Rates? Read This First.

Written by St. George Island Mortgage Mortgage Syndicated User on August 14, 2026. Posted in Affordability, Buying Tips, Economy, For Buyers, Forecasts, Mortgage Rates, Mortgage St. George Island, St. George Island Mortgage.

Imagine waiting a year to buy a home, only to find mortgage rates haven’t changed much. That may sound frustrating.But it’s a real possibility. A lot of people are putting their plans on hold because they believe much lower mortgage rates are right around the corner. But, based on today’s forecasts, that may not happen. And you should know that before you decide what to do. Let’s look at why experts don’t expect a dramatic drop in rates – and the options that could help you buy anyway. Because even if rates don’t fall, you can still move. Here’s how. 1....

Big Investors Are Backing Off and That’s Your Opening

Written by St. George Island Mortgage Mortgage Syndicated User on August 14, 2026. Posted in First-Time Buyers, For Buyers, Mortgage St. George Island, St. George Island Mortgage.

For years, a lot of would-be homebuyers have worried about the same thing. How do you compete with big investors who can swoop in, pay cash, and snap up the houses you want? Well, worry a little less. Because right now, those big investors aren’t buying up the market. They’re backing out of it. Investors Are Buying Fewer Homes Than They Have in Years According to Redfin, investor home purchases just fell to their lowest level since 2020 – when the start of the pandemic temporarily caused pretty much all homebuying to pull way back. Before that, you’d have to go all the...

Buying a Home? Here’s What You Should Know About Home Insurance Costs.

Written by St. George Island Mortgage Mortgage Syndicated User on August 14, 2026. Posted in Affordability, Buying Tips, For Buyers, Mortgage St. George Island, St. George Island Mortgage.

If buying a home is on your radar, you’ve probably been keeping an eye on mortgage rates and home prices. But don’t forget about homeowners insurance. Homeowners insurance has always been part of owning a home. But over the past few years, it’s become a larger expense for many homeowners – something that’s especially frustrating when affordability already feels tight. The good news? While premiums are still rising, the latest data shows those increases are beginning to slow. Here’s what buyers should know. Home Insurance Costs Have Gone Up You’ve probably...

Home Price Growth Slowed Down. That May Be Changing.

Written by St. George Island Mortgage Mortgage Syndicated User on August 14, 2026. Posted in Buying Tips, For Buyers, For Sellers, Home Prices, Mortgage St. George Island, Selling Tips, St. George Island Mortgage.

After more than a year of headlines talking about how home prices are going to crash, the latest data shows that price growth may be starting to pick back up again. And depending on whether you’re buying or selling, that shift means something different for you. The Numbers May Be Starting To Turn For the past couple of years, home price growth has been moderating – cooling from around 7% in mid-2024, according to Redfin (see graph below). But look at the right side of that graph. The pace of that growth appears to have hit its low point and started to turn. While a couple months of data...