The best week to buy starts Sunday. Rates just hit 7%.
Realtor.com named September 27 through October 3 the best week to buy a home in 2026, projecting 13.3% more active listings than an average week. That week starts Sunday. It lands three days after Freddie Mac’s 30-year fixed average crossed 7%, printing at 7.03% on Thursday, up from 6.95% the week before and 6.30% a year ago. Your buyers are about to get more homes to choose from and less budget to spend on them, and the agents who win the next seven days will have their buyers’ numbers ready and their showing calendar covered before Sunday.
THIS WEEK'S PRO TIP:
GET YOUR BUYERS READY FOR 7% BEFORE SUNDAY
Re-run every active buyer’s payment at today’s rate and send it to them in writing. On a $416,000 home, the median Realtor.com used for its best-week math, with 20% down, principal and interest at 7.03% runs about $2,221 a month, roughly $161 more than the same loan at last year’s 6.30%. That’s real money, but it’s a lot smaller than “rates hit 7%” sounds on the news, and seeing it on paper is what keeps a nervous buyer moving. A pre-approval written this summer was likely priced off a lower rate, so call the lender today, refresh the letter, and reset the price ceiling before your buyer falls for a house they can no longer carry.
Then plan the week around leverage. Realtor.com expects homes to sit about 13 days longer this week than at the peak pace, with list prices around 3.5% below the seasonal high and fresh listings running 20% above the start of the year. That’s room to negotiate and plenty of new inventory to see first. Ask your lender to run a seller credit toward a rate buydown next to a straight price cut, and show your buyer the monthly difference before you write. Set alerts for new listings, book showings early in the week, and group them by neighborhood so one afternoon covers four homes instead of two.
When you're busy: Seven days of fresh inventory, re-priced buyers and offer negotiations will not fit on one calendar. Post the showings, open houses and lockbox runs you can’t reach on KeyPleaz® so you can stay on the phone with lenders and at the table on offers.
When you're available: The best week to buy is shaping up as the busiest showing week of the fall, and plenty of agents will be double-booked. Open KeyPleaz® and claim showings and open house coverage in your area this weekend, while the agents around you need the extra hands.
MARKET NEWS PULSE
Rates are doing the heavy lifting this fall, and not in buyers’ favor. The Fed raised its benchmark a quarter point to 3.75% to 4.00% on September 16, its first hike since 2023, and the 10-year Treasury yield reached 5.12% this week, its highest since July 2007. MBA’s 30-year contract rate hit 7.12%, the highest since May 2024, and purchase applications ran 11% below a year ago for the week ending September 18. Redfin counted pending sales down 5.4% year over year in the four weeks ending September 13, the lowest level in nearly three years. Supply keeps building anyway, with NAR putting August at 4.9 months, the highest reading in more than a decade. Fewer buyers, more homes and pricier money make every serious buyer this fall worth answering the same hour they call.
QUICK STAT OF THE WEEK
Buyer views per listing are projected to run 30.1% below the annual peak during the best week to buy, per Realtor.com. Less competition per listing gives your buyer more time to decide and more leverage when they do. Sellers are reading the same numbers, so the offer that arrives clean, pre-approved at today’s rate with a clear ask, is the one that gets taken seriously.
Open the app to get your buy week covered.
