Santa Barbara Real Estate

The State of Mortgage Rates and Decoding the Real Estate Market

ABC News Chief Business Correspondent Rebecca Jarvis examines if now is the time to buy, refinance or wait to buy a home.

MORTGAGE RATES SOAR TO 7.22% AFTER STRONG ECONOMIC DATA

The average rate on the popular 30-year fixed mortgage hit 7.22% on Thursday, according to Mortgage News Daily. That’s the highest point since early November.

For a homebuyer taking out a $400,000 mortgage, the monthly payment of principal and interest rose to $2,720 from $2,637 in just one week.

For sellers, higher mortgage rates have created a so-called golden handcuff effect. The vast majority of homeowners today have mortgages with interest rates below 4% or even below 3%.

“Recent data indicated that nearly 82% of home shoppers reported feeling locked-in by their existing low-rate mortgage, while around 1 in 7 homeowners without a selling plan cited their current low rate as their reason for remaining on the sidelines,” said Jiayi Xu, an economist at Realtor.com.

Because of that, there is currently a critical shortage of homes for sale, with year-to-date new listings now 20% behind last year’s pace.

The Real Estate Scene
Share this:
Mark Danforth Lomas

Recent Posts

Market Update October 2026

Why House Prices Should Be On Your Radar Lately, macro headlines have been giving local…

2 days ago

Open House Guide for October 3rd and October 4th

Your ultimate guide to this weeks Open Houses for October 3rd & 4th.. Click Read…

3 weeks ago

Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts

After a decades-long journey, millions of dollars in vision, and a staggering $1 billion investment…

1 month ago

Market Pulse and Statistics

As we push past the midway point of the year, the Southern Santa Barbara housing…

1 month ago

Viva la Fiesta! Santa Barbara’s 103rd Celebration Returns!

¡Viva la Fiesta! Santa Barbara’s 103rd Annual Celebration Returns August 5–9, 2026The spirit of Santa…

2 months ago

Market Update: A Snapshot of June 2026

The June 2026 real estate data for Southern Santa Barbara County offers a fascinating look…

2 months ago