Brandon Miller, CEO, NMLS# 1129696

A fixed loan you can afford in every scenario is the safer default.

Freddie Mac’s survey put the 30-year fixed at 7.03% for the week of September 24. The old summer checklist ends with paperwork and school districts.

Home Inspection Process In September 2026 — Buyers have more room to negotiate after an inspection than they have had in years.

Mistakes After Pre-Approval This September — The costliest one is leaving your rate unlocked while the market climbs.

FHA Loan PMI Versus Conventional PMI — An FHA loan does not carry private mortgage insurance at all.

Buying A Home In A Seller’s Market Gone Soft — As of September 28, 2026, buyers have more room to negotiate than they have had in years.

The Fed raised rates on September 16, and Freddie Mac’s 30-year average has now risen four weeks in a row. Refinance demand is far below last year’s.

The Fed raised its target range on September 16, and Freddie Mac’s 30-year average has now risen five weeks in a row.

Floating into a rising trend is a bet, not a strategy. If your file is tight on debt-to-income, this is not the month to take that bet.

Freddie Mac’s survey put the 30-year fixed at 7.03% for the week of September 24, 2026, the first print above 7% since spring 2025.

Debt-to-income limits don’t move when rates do, which means the same income now buys less house. As of September 26, 2026, that gap is the story.

Buyers weighing “wait and see” are watching that math work against them in real time. Here’s why this matters right now, not in the abstract.

My answer, as of September 26, 2026: stop collecting quotes and lock. The cost of waiting has already outrun the savings most buyers were chasing.

The Fed raised its target rate on September 16, 2026, its first hike since 2023, and signaled more tightening ahead.

Inventory is up, which gives buyers leverage on price. It does nothing to soften the note you sign at the closing table.