If you’re on the fence about buying a home right now, I completely understand.

Maybe you’ve been watching interest rates. Maybe you’ve been telling yourself, “I’m going to wait until rates come down.” Maybe you’re worried that if you buy today, you’ll regret it if rates drop six months from now.

But here’s something I want you to think about:

What if waiting for the perfect mortgage rate is keeping you from finding the right home?

A recent article from Keeping Current Matters takes a deeper look at why mortgage rates are where they are today—and there’s an important takeaway for buyers who have been sitting on the sidelines.

Rates Are Better Than They Could Be

Mortgage rates don’t simply move up and down on their own. They are influenced heavily by the 10-year Treasury yield and something called the spread, which is essentially the gap between the two.

According to Keeping Current Matters, that spread has improved considerably from where it was a few years ago. In 2023, the spread reached as high as 3.19 percentage points. Today, it is around 2.01 percentage points, much closer to its long-term average of 1.76. (Keeping Current Matters⁠)

Why does that matter to you as a buyer?

Because if that spread were still as high as it was in 2023, mortgage rates could be pushing close to 8% today.

Instead, the article points to rates around 6.69%.

That doesn’t mean 6.69% is where everyone wants rates to be.

But it does mean something important:

The market has already experienced a significant improvement.

And there may not be as much room for mortgage rates to fall dramatically as many buyers are hoping. (Keeping Current Matters⁠)

So, Should You Wait?

This is where I want to make something very clear.

I’m not telling you to rush out and buy a house simply because rates may not drop.

Buying a home should make sense for your life, your finances and your long-term goals.

But if you are financially ready, you’ve been pre-approved, you’ve found yourself looking at homes every weekend, and the only thing holding you back is the hope that rates will suddenly fall significantly…

It may be time to have a different conversation.

Instead of asking:

“What if rates drop?”

Start asking:

“What happens if I find the right home and I continue waiting?”

Because while you are waiting, homes are still being bought. Sellers are still negotiating. Inventory is changing. And the property you love today may not be available when you finally decide you’re ready.

Remember: Your Home and Your Interest Rate Are Two Different Things

One of the biggest mistakes buyers can make is believing that the interest rate they get today has to be the interest rate they have forever.

It doesn’t.

Your home is the long-term decision.

Your mortgage rate is a financial instrument that can potentially change in the future if market conditions and your circumstances make refinancing beneficial.

But you can’t refinance a house you never bought.

That doesn’t mean you should buy something you can’t comfortably afford. Never stretch yourself just to become a homeowner.

It means that if the payment works for you today, the home checks the boxes, and you’re financially prepared, don’t automatically walk away because the rate isn’t the rate you dreamed about.

Let’s Stop Chasing Headlines and Start Looking at Your Numbers

Every buyer’s situation is different.

A rate that works for one family may not work for another. Your down payment, credit profile, income, loan program, property taxes, insurance and other factors all matter.

That’s why I don’t want you making your decision based on a headline that says rates are going up or down.

Let’s look at your actual numbers.

What would your payment be?

What programs do you qualify for?

Are there down payment assistance opportunities?

Could the seller contribute toward closing costs?

Could we negotiate credits that help reduce your upfront expenses?

Would a different price point make more sense?

These are the conversations that can turn “I don’t think I can buy right now” into “Wait…maybe I actually can.”

You Don’t Have to Be 100% Sure to Take the First Step

If you’ve been waiting on the sidelines, here’s my challenge to you:

Don’t commit to buying a house today. Just commit to finding out what your options are.

Get pre-approved.

Talk to a lender.

Look at your numbers.

Start touring homes.

See what’s actually available within your budget.

And then make a decision based on facts—not fear.

Because sometimes the hardest part isn’t buying the house.

It’s taking that first step.

Your First Home Doesn’t Have to Be Your Forever Home

I also want to remind first-time buyers of something we sometimes forget:

Your first home doesn’t have to be your dream home.

It can be your first step toward building wealth.

Over time, you may build equity. You may move up. You may eventually turn that first property into an investment. You may sell it and use the proceeds toward your next home.

The goal isn’t necessarily to find the perfect house.

The goal is to make a smart move that puts you in a better financial position than where you started.

The Bottom Line

If you’re waiting for mortgage rates to return to the unusually low levels we saw several years ago, you could be waiting longer than you expect.

The latest analysis from Keeping Current Matters suggests that much of the improvement from the narrowing mortgage spread has already happened, meaning there may be less room for rates to fall dramatically in the near term. (Keeping Current Matters⁠)

So if you’ve been sitting on the fence, maybe the question isn’t:

“Should I buy while rates are still around 6%?”

Maybe the better question is:

“Can I afford the home I want today, and does buying today make sense for my long-term goals?”

If the answer is yes, let’s talk.

You don’t have to figure everything out by yourself. My job isn’t to pressure you into buying a home. My job is to educate you, help you understand your options, negotiate on your behalf, and help you make the decision that is right for you and your family.

If you’ve been thinking about buying but you’ve been waiting on the sidelines because of mortgage rates, reach out.

Let’s run the numbers.

Let’s see what’s possible.

And let’s figure out whether your time to buy might be closer than you think.

Your future home—and potentially your future wealth—could start with one conversation.