Winter 2026 Homebuyer Guide from the David Goldberg Mortgage Team by The David Goldberg Mortgage Team at Mutual of Omaha Mortgage

WhatYouReallyNeedToKnow AboutDownPayments

TheMisconception:

“Ihavetoput20%ofthe purchasepricedown.”

TheReality: Manypeopledon’t,especially first-timebuyers.

TheMedianDownPaymentforFirst-TimeBuyersIsLessThan20%

20%

CommonMisconception 10% First-TimeHomebuyers

Source:NAR

Andyoudon’tevenhavetoputthatmuchdown.Therearesome homeloanoptionsthatrequireaslittleas3.5%oreven0%down.

Plus,datashows80%offirst-timebuyers qualifyforhelpwiththeirdownpayment viadownpaymentassistanceprograms.

Unfortunately,only13%actually takeadvantageofthat.

Theaverageprogram providesabenefitof roughly$18,000.

Tolearnmoreaboutyourloanoptionsorassistanceprograms, connectwithatrustedlender.

The$416ShiftinAffordability

Ifyoupausedyourplanstomovebecauseofhigh ratesorprices,itmayfinallybetimetotakeasecond lookatyournumbers.Affordabilityisimprovingin39of thetop50markets,accordingtoFirstAmerican.And that’sthe7thstraightmonthwherebuyingahomehas startedtogetalittlebiteasier.

Let’sbreakthisdownintorealdollars,soyoucansee thedifferencethisismakingforyourmove.

MortgagePaymentsAreComingDown

Oneoftheclearestsignsofthisshiftisinmonthlypayments.ThelatestdatafromRedfinshows mortgagepaymentsonamedian-pricedhomearenow$416lowerthantheywerejustafew monthsback(seegraphbelow):

$2,671$2,616$2,590$2,530$2,466 $2,882$2,820

Thiskindofmonthlysavingsaddsupfast,andtotalsnearly$5,000overthecourseofayear. Whilethisisn’tenoughtocompletelychangetheaffordabilitygameovernight,thinkaboutitthisway. Whenyou’reputtingtogetherahomebuyingbudget,afewhundreddollarscouldbethedifference betweenbeingcomfortablebuyingandfeelinglikemoney’sabittight.

Andfromahome-searchperspective,itcouldevenbeenoughtochangethepricepointyou canlookat.AccordingtoRedfin:

“Aborrowerwitha$3,000monthlybudgetcannowafforda$468,000home,about$22,000 morethaninJune."

Andthat’sabigdealifyouhaven’tfoundahomeyouloveinyourpricerangeyet.Itgivesyoua littlemoreflexibilitytofindtheonethat’srightforyou.Eitherway,that’sabigwin.

What’sBehindtheShift?

Twokeyfactorsareworkinginyourfavorrightnow:

•Mortgagerateshaveeasedfromtheirhighearlierthisyear

•Homepricegrowthisslowinginmanymarkets

Bothofthosethingshelpyourbottomlineandgiveyouabitofbreathingroomifyou’rebuyinga home.AsAndyWalden,HeadofMortgageandHousingMarketResearchatIntercontinental Exchange,says:

“Therecentpullbackinrateshascreatedatailwindforbothhomebuyersandexisting borrowers.We’reseeingaffordabilityata2.5-yearhigh...”

Whetheryou’reafirst-timehomebuyerorsomeonelookingtomove-upintoabiggerhouse,the shiftshappeningthisyearcouldmakeyourmovepossible.Connectwithatrustedagentor lendertoseewhatyourmonthlypaymentwouldlooklikeattoday’srates.

Thesavingscouldbethedifferencebetween“notyet”and“let’sgo.”

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Affordabilityisimprovinginmanymarkets.Andthatmayresetthemathonyourmove. Let’srunthelocalnumberstogethersoyoucangetaroughestimateofhowmuchmore buyingpoweryoumayhavethanyoudidjustafewmonthsago.

MoreHomes,MoreChoices

Andhere’sanotherbigbrightspottoday thatmakesfindingahomeinyour budgetabiteasier:howmuch inventoryhasimproved.

SignificantGrowthAcrosstheNation

Nationally,thenumberofhomesforsalehasgoneupbyalot–andthat’strueinallregionsof thecountry.That’sshowninthisdatafromRealtor.com(seegraphbelow).Ineachofthefour regions,inventoryisupatleast8%comparedtooneyearago.IntheWest,it’sactuallyup almost18%.

InventoryHasImprovedinEveryRegionComparedtoLastYear

PercentChangeinActiveListings,Year-over-Year

Thatmeansmoreoptions,lesscompetitionwithotherbuyers,andachancetofindthespace thatactuallyworksforyou–whetheryou’relookingforabiggerbackyard,ashortercommute, orfinallyditchingyourrental.

But,NotAllMarketsAretheSame

Howmuchinventoryhasgrownisgoingtovarybyregion,andevenbyneighborhood.You canseethatplayoutinthegraphbelow.Justlikebefore,thebluestillshowsthatallregions haveseengrowthlately.Theredandgreenareaddedcontextonhowthatcomparestoa morenormalmarket(likewhatwehadbackin2017-2019).

•Thegreenbarsshowwhereinventoryhasrecovered(andevengrownaboveprepandemiclevels)intheSouthandtheWest.Youmayfindsellersareabitmorewilling tonegotiateintheseplaces.

•TheredbarsshowthenumberofhomesforsaleisstillbelownormalintheNortheast andMidwest,evenwiththerecentgrowth.Thisiswhereyou’llstillwanttostartwithyour bestoffer.

WhereHousingInventoryIsGrowingtheFastest

Y-O-YPre-Pandemic(2017-2019)

Eventhoughthegrowthmaylookdifferentbasedonwhereyouare,youstillhavemore optionsnowthanyouwould’vejustoneyearago.AsRalphMcLaughlin,thentheSenior EconomistatRealtor.com,says:

“Itcouldbeaparticularlygoodtimetogetoutintothemarket...you'regoingtohavemore choice.Andthat'snotsomethingthatbuyershavereallyhadmuchoverthepastseveral years.”

BottomLine

Thegrowthwe’veseenacrossthecountryisawinforbuyers.Reachoutifyouwanttosee what’savailableinandaroundourarea.

MidwestNortheastSouthWest

Homebuyersareinthebestpositioninmorethanfive yearstofindtherighthomeandnegotiateforabetter price.CurrentinventoryisatitshighestsinceMay2020, duringtheCOVIDlockdown.

LawrenceYun ChiefEconomist,NAR

WhyaNewlyBuiltHomeMight BeaSmartMoveRightNow

Areyoulookingforbetterprices,orevenalowermortgagerate?Youmight findbothinoneplace:anewlybuilthome.That'swhymorebuyersare choosingnewconstruction.It'snotjustaboutgettingthelatesttechnologyor modernfloorplans.It’sbecausetheymaybeabletogetabetterdeal.

Therearemorebrand-newhomesavailablerightnowthantherehasbeeninyears.Andasa buyer,thatcanhelpyouintwobigways.Itgivesyoumoreoptionstochoosefrom,anditmotivates builderstoselltheirinventorybeforetheybuildmore.That’sexactlywhysomanyhomebuildersare offeringseriousincentiveslikepricecuts,mortgageratebuydowns,andhelpwithclosingcosts.

Andperkslikethatarehardtoignore.That'swhy,inthefallof2025,newhomesaleshittheir highestlevelinover2years.Buyerssawtheopportunity,andtheyjumpedonit.Maybeit'stimefor youtodothesame.

BuildersAreCuttingPrices

DatafromtheNationalAssociationof HomeBuilders(NAHB)shows65%of buildersofferedspecialperksto buyers.That’sthehighestpercentage we’veseenin5years.

Oneofthemostcommonincentives they’reofferingrightnowisadjusting theprice.AccordingtoNAHB,41%of buildersaredoingpricecuts(seegraph totheright).

So,buildersmaybemorewillingto negotiatepricethanyou’dexpect. Andthatmeansyourdollarmaygo furtherifyoubuyanewlybuilthome.

Leanonyouragenttoseewhat’s availableandwhatincentivesbuilders areofferinginandaroundyourarea.

Source:NAHB

BuildersAreOfferingLowerMortgageRates

Here’ssomethingmostpeopledon’tknow.Rightnow,buyersofbrand-newhomesoftenget bettermortgageratesthanbuyersofexistinghomes.That’sbecausemanybuildersarealso offeringrateincentivestomaketheirhomesmoreattractiveandkeepsalesmoving.Theserate buydownscanshrinkthemonthlypaymentyou'dhave.

DatafromRealtor.comshows,in2023and2024,buyersofnewlybuilthomesgotamortgage ratearoundhalfapercentlowercomparedtothosewhoboughtexistinghomes(seegraph below):

Thebigtakeawayis:buildersaremotivatedtosell.So,youcouldsnagalowerpriceandmaybeeven alowermortgagerateifyoubuynew.Ifyou’vebeenfeelingpricedout,theseoffersmightbeyour waybackin.

Withbuilderscuttingpricesandmaybeevenhelpingyouscorealowermonthlypayment, that’snotsomethingtooverlook.

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Ifyouwanttoseehowactivebuildersareinyourtargetareaandwhatthey’reoffering,let's connect.Thatway,youhaveyourownagenttohelpyoucompareincentivesfrommultiple buildersandnegotiateonyourbehalf,makingsureyougetthebestdealpossible.

HousingMarket Forecastsfor2026

Afteracoupleofyearswherethehousingmarketfeltstuckinneutral,2026maybe theyearthingsshiftbackintogear.Expertforecastsshowmorepeopleareexpectedto move–andthatcouldopenthedoorforyoutodothesame.

MoreHomesWillSell

Withalloftheaffordabilitychallengesatplayoverthepastfewyears,manywould-bemovers pressedpause.Butthatpausebuttonisn’tgoingtolastforever.Therearealwayspeoplewho needtomove.Andexpertsthinkmoreofthemwillstarttoactin2026(seegraphbelow):

What’sbehindthechange?Twokeyfactors:mortgageratesandhomeprices.Let’sdiveintothe latestexpertforecastsforboth,soyoucanseewhymorepeopleareexpectedtomove.

MortgageRatesCouldContinueToEase

The#1thingjustabouteverybuyerhasbeenlookingforislowermortgagerates.Andafterpeaking around7%inearly2025,rateshavebeentrendingdownoverall.Thelatestforecastsshowthatcould continuethroughout2026,butexpertsaren’texpectingabigchange(seegraphbelow):

MortgageRatesCouldEaseintheYearAhead

The30-YearFixedRateandRateProjections

There’sasaying:whenrates goup,theytaketheescalator. Butwhentheycomedown, theytakethestairs.

Andthat’sanimportantthingto remember.It’llbeaslowand bumpyprocess.

Expectmodestimprovementinratesoverthenext yearbutbereadyforsomevolatility.Therewillbe bumpsalongthewayasneweconomicdatacomes out.Justdon'tletitdistractyoufromthebigger picture:theoveralltrendwillbeaslightdecline.

Andremember,theredoesn'thavetobeabigdrop foryoutofeelachange.Evenasmallerdiphelps yourbottomline.Ifyoucomparewhereratesare nowtowhentheywereat7%,you’realready savinghundredsonyourfuturemortgagepayment. Andthat’sareallygoodthing.It’senoughtomakea realdifferenceinaffordabilityforsomebuyers.

HomePriceGrowthWillBeModerate

Whataboutprices?Onanationalscale,forecastssaythey’regoingtorise,justnotbyalot.With ratesdownfromtheirpeakinearly2025,morebuyerswillre-enterthemarket.Andthatincreased demandwillkeepsomeupwardpressureonprices–andpreventpricesfromtumblingdown.

So,eventhoughsomemarketsarealreadyseeingslightpricedeclines,youcanresteasythatabig crashjustisn’tinthecards.Thankstohowmuchpricesroseoverthelast5years,eventhemarkets seeingdeclinesrightnowarestillupcomparedtojustafewyearsago.

Ofcourse,pricetrendswilldependonwhereyouareandwhat’shappeninginyourlocalmarket. Inventoryisabigdriverinwhysomeplacesaregoingtoseevaryinglevelsofappreciationgoing forward.Butexpertsagreewe’llseepricesgrowatthenationallevel(seegraphbelow):

Thisisyetanothergoodsignforbuyersandoverallaffordability.Whilepriceswillstillgoupnationally, it’llbeatamuchmoresustainablepace.Andthatpredictabilitymakesiteasiertoplanyourbudget.It alsogivesyoupeaceofmindthatpriceswon’tsuddenlyskyrocketovernight.

BottomLine

Afteraquietercoupleofyears,2026isexpectedtobringmoremovement–andmore opportunity.Withsalesprojectedtorise,mortgageratestrendinglower,andpricegrowth slowingdown,thestageissetforahealthier,moreactivemarket.So,thebigquestionis:

Willyoubeoneofthemoversmaking2026youryear?Let’sconnectifyouwantto getready.

HowChangingMortgageRates AffectYourFutureMonthlyPayment

Expertssayrateswillcomedownslightly–butsomevolatilityisexpected.So,youshouldn'ttryto timethemarket.It'sbettertofocusonhowanysmallchangeimpactsyourfuturemortgagepayment.

Ratherthanwaitingitoutforaratethattheylikebetter,hopeful homebuyersshouldassesstheirpersonalfinancialsituation—ifthe houseisrightforthem,andtheupfrontandmonthlypaymentsare affordable,itcouldbetherightchancetomakeamove.”

TheTop2Buyer MistakesToday

Intoday’scomplexmarket,you’llwanttobesure youhaveadvicefromateamofprofessionals. Herearethetop2otherbuyersaremakingright nowandhowyouragentandlendercanhelpyou avoideachone.

1.PuttingOffPre-Approval

Aspartofthehomebuyingprocess,a lenderwilllookatyourfinancestofigure outwhatthey’rewillingtoloanyoufor yourmortgage.Thisgivesyouagood ideaofwhatyoucanborrowsoyoucan reallywrapyourheadaroundthe financialsideofthingsbeforeyoustart lookingathomes.

Whilehousehuntingcanbealotmore funthantalkingaboutfinances,youdon’t wanttodothisoutoforder.

Makesureyougetyourpre-approvalfirst beforehousehunting.AsCNET explains:

“Ifyouwaittogetpreapproveduntilthe lastminute,youmightbescramblingto contactalenderandmisstheopportunity toputabidonahome.”

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2.BuyingMoreHouseThanYou CanAfford

Withtoday’smortgageratesandhome prices,it’sevenmoreimportanttoavoid stretchingyourbudgettoofar.Thisis especiallytruebecauseotherhousing expenseslikehomeinsuranceandtaxesare ontherise.

Besuretofactortheseexpensesintoyour budgetsoyoudon’toverextend.Bankrate offersthisadvice:

“Focusonwhatmonthlypaymentyoucan affordratherthanfixatingonthemaximum loanamountyouqualifyfor.Justbecause youcanqualifyfora$300,000loan doesn’tmeanyoucancomfortably handlethemonthlypaymentsthat comewithitalongwithyourother financialobligations.”

Thegoodnewsisyoudon’thavetodealwithanyoftheseheadaches,ifyouhavethe rightpartnerbyyourside.Let’sconnectsoyouhaveaprowhocanhelpyouavoidthese costlymistakes.

ThingsToAvoid AfterApplying foraMortgage

Oncealenderhadreviewedyour financesaspartofthehomebuying process,youwanttobeasconsistent aspossible.

Don’tchangebankaccounts.

Don’tdepositcash intoyouraccounts beforespeaking withyourbank orlender.

Don’tapplyfornewcreditor closeanycreditaccounts.

Don’tco-signother loansforanyone.

Don’tmakeany largepurchases.

Thebestadvice?Onceyou’vedoneyourmortgageapplication, alwaystalktoyourlenderbeforedoinganythingfinancialinnature.

5ReasonsYouNeedanAgent WhenBuyingaHome

Whenitcomestobuyingahome,expertadvicefromatrustedrealestateagentispriceless, nowmorethanever.Andhere’swhy.Anagentdoesalotmorethanyoumayrealize.

Youragentisthepersonwhowillguideyouthrougheverystepwhenbuyingahomeandlook outforyourbestinterestsalongtheway.Theysmoothoutacomplexprocessandtakeawaythe bulkofthestressofwhat’slikelyyourlargestpurchaseever.Andthat’sexactlywhatyouwant anddeserve.

ThisisatleastpartofthereasonwhyasurveyfromBrightMLSfoundanoverwhelmingmajority ofpeopleagreeanagentisakeypartofthehomebuyingprocess(seevisualbelow):

Ofrespondentsagree"Itwouldbe

Ofrespondentsbelieve "Arealestateagentorbroker isanessential,trusted advisorforahomebuyer."

1.DeliverIndustryExpertise:Therightagent–theprofessional–willcoachyou througheverythingfromstarttofinish.Withprofessionaltrainingandexpertise,agents knowtheinsandoutsofthebuyingprocess.Andintoday’scomplexmarket,thewayreal estatetransactionsareexecutedisconstantlychanging,sohavingexpertadviceonyour sideisessential.

2.ProvideExpertLocalKnowledge:Inaworldthat’spoweredbydata,agreat agentcanclarifywhatitallmeans,separatefactfromfiction,andhelpyouunderstand howcurrentmarkettrendsapplytoyouruniquesearch.Fromhowquicklyhomesare sellingtothelatestlistingsyoudon’twanttomiss,theycanexplainwhat’shappeningin yourspecificlocalmarketsoyoucanmakeaconfidentdecision.

3.ExplainPricingandMarketValue:Agentshelpyouunderstandthelatestpricing trendsinyourarea.What’sahomevaluedatinyourmarket?Whatshouldyouthink aboutwhenyou’remakinganoffer?Isthisahousethatmighthaveissuesyoucan’tsee onthesurface?Noonewantstooverpay,sohavinganexpertwhoreallygetstruemarket valueforindividualneighborhoodsispriceless.Anofferthat’sbothfairandcompetitive intoday’shousingmarketisessential,andalocalexpertknowshowtohelpyouhitthe mark.

4.ReviewContractsandFinePrint:Inafast-movingandheavilyregulatedprocess, agentshelpyoumakesenseofthenecessarydisclosuresanddocuments,soyouknow whatyou’resigning.Havingaprofessionalthat’strainedtoexplainthedetailscouldmake orbreakyourtransactionandiscertainlysomethingyoudon’twanttotrytofigureouton yourown.

5.BringNegotiationExpertise:Fromoffertocounterofferandinspectiontoclosing, therearealotofstakeholdersinvolvedinarealestatetransaction.Havingsomeoneon yoursidewhoknowsyouandtheprocessmakesaworldofdifference.Anagentwill advocateforyouastheyworkwitheachparty.It’sabigdeal,andyouneedapartnerat everyturntolandthebestpossibleoutcome.

Bottom73%fasterLine

Realestateagentsarespecialists,educators,andnegotiators.Theyadjusttomarket changesandkeepyouinformed.Andkeepinmind,everytimeyoumakeabigdecisionin yourlife,especiallyafinancialone,youneedanexpertonyourside.Expertadvicefroma trustedprofessionalispriceless.