According to a recent report from Realtor.com, the best time to buy a home is the week of Oct. 12-18, as it presents a rare opportunity with a unique combination of higher inventory, lower prices and less competition on the market. The report noted that October tends to bring a period of price cuts on home prices, with around 5.5% price reductions and 15.7% more listings, providing buyers with more options. With 30.6% less competition and potential savings of $15,000, you don’t want to miss out on that we ...

Core Insights - The share of below-3% mortgages has declined to 20.4% in Q2, the smallest since Q2 2021, indicating a slow exit from the "lock-in effect" for homeowners and investors [1][8] - The share of 3%-3.99% mortgages decreased by 30 basis points to 32.1%, the lowest since Q3 2019, reflecting a broader trend of rising mortgage rates [1][8] - The overall mortgage landscape is characterized by a significant decline in ultra-low-rate mortgages, with the share of 4.0%-4.99% mortgages dropping to 17.9%, the lowest since 2013 [8][11] Mortgage Rate Trends - The ultra-low mortgage rates that emerged in early 2020 led to a surge in refinancing, with 65% of all mortgages outstanding having rates of 3.99% or below by Q1 2022 [2][5] - The share of mortgages with rates of 6% or higher rose to 19.7% in Q2, the highest since Q4 2015, as home sales and refinancing activities have significantly declined [11][12] - The share of mortgages in the 5.0%-5.99% range has remained stable at around 9.9% in Q2, indicating a balance between new originations and payoffs [12][13] Economic Context - The ultra-low-rate mortgages were a result of the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing (QE) policies, which began in 2009 and intensified in 2020, leading to historically low mortgage rates [15][16] - The Fed has since initiated quantitative tightening (QT), shedding $2.36 trillion in assets to address the inflation and housing market distortions caused by previous policies [16][18] - The period of negative "real" mortgage rates, where mortgage rates were below inflation, peaked with rates below 3% and CPI inflation exceeding 7%, creating unsustainable conditions in the housing market [18]