The meals you cook naturally shift with the seasons. As the weather warms up, slow-braised dishes and hearty stews give way to grilled cuts, while roasted veggies turn into fresh, crisp salads.
It only makes sense that your kitchen follows suit. A refresh doesn’t have to mean a full gut renovation—in fact, designers say that some of the most impactful changes come from just tweaking how the space looks, feels, and functions.
Read the four tips…
Existing-home sales increased by 0.2% in April 2026. Month-over-month sales increased in the Midwest and South, were unchanged in the Northeast and declined in the West. On a year-over-year basis, sales rose in the South, were flat in the West, and fell in both the Northeast and Midwest.
“Despite mixed macroeconomic signals—including a record-high stock market and historically low consumer confidence—home sales were modestly boosted by the continued improvement in housing affordability,” said NAR Chief Economist Dr. Lawrence Yun. “Mortgage rates are lower from a year ago, and average income growth is outpacing home price gains.”
Yun continued, “Inventory still remains tight. Multiple offers, though not as intense as a few years ago, are still occurring. At the same time, days on market are lengthening on average, implying that consumers are taking their time before making decisions.”
Read more details, including regional data, here…
Source: National Association of REALTORS® 5/11/26
Myth #1: You need a high credit score to qualify — Buyers can qualify for government-backed mortgages and other conventional loan programs with credit scores around 620 — and in some situations, there is no set minimum. The higher the credit score, the more options a buyer has to get a lower interest rate.
Myth #2: A 20% down payment is mandatory — Many loans can require as little as 3% down for first-time buyers, while some VA and USDA loans don’t have any down payment requirement.
Myth #3: Mortgage rates are the worst they’ve ever been — The peak was actually in October 1981, when 30-year rates hit 18.6%. Rates have bounced around the 7% range in recent years and are currently in the 6.4% range after dipping briefly below 6% in late February.
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Housing supply continued to expand across the NWMLS service area in April, with active listings rising 28.4% year over year and increasing more than 23% from March as the spring market gained momentum. While inventory expanded, market activity remained mixed: closed sales declined 3.7% year over year, even as showings and keybox accesses increased from both March and April 2025. The median sales price remained unchanged from a year ago at $650,000, reflecting a market with more choices for buyers but continued affordability constraints.
Mortgage rates remained elevated in April, with average rates slightly higher than in March, and the Federal Reserve held short-term rates steady, citing ongoing inflation pressures, including rising energy costs. Ongoing global uncertainty, including the war in Iran, continued to put upward pressure on interest rates and weigh on housing demand.
Steven Bourassa, director of the Washington Center for Real Estate Research at the University of Washington, said, “We are continuing to see relatively weak demand in the NWMLS market area (as elsewhere in the U.S.), with listings substantially higher than a year earlier, transactions down almost 4%, and median prices unchanged. At the moment, it is difficult to see any improvement on the horizon with the Iran war stuck in a stalemate.”
Active Listings
Closed Sales
Median Sales Price
Source: NWMLS 5/5/26
First impressions matter, especially when you’re selling a home. Long before buyers step inside, they’re forming opinions based on your lawn, your entryway and the overall look from the street. The good news is that you don’t need months of landscaping projects or a big budget to make your home stand out. With just two weekends of focused effort, you can refresh your exterior and create the kind of impact that makes buyers stop and take notice.
Read the details…
For years, open floor plans have been the gold standard in residential real estate. Home buyers have long been drawn to the airy feel, openness and sunlight-filled spaces.
Yet, in recent years, with the rise of working from home, multigenerational households and a general greater emphasis on privacy, home buyers are beginning to reconsider knocking down the walls of their home.
We talk a lot about how hard it is to save for a down payment. The age of first-time homebuyers has been rising, and the ripple effects are real: delayed homeownership means delayed wealth-building, which means the gap between those who own and those who rent widens.
But, like almost everything in real estate, it’s not the same everywhere. In some markets, the “down payment clock” moves quickly. In others, it moves slowly. And understanding which clock you are on might be one of the most practical insights for buyers.
With sales of existing single-family houses and condos sputtering in the first three months of the year, experts now expect a modest improvement in the housing market for the remainder of 2026 rather than a robust one. The National Association of Realtors cut its 2026 forecast for existing‑home purchases from a 14% jump to a 4% rise after sales fell in March.
Existing-home sales decreased by 3.6% month-over-month in March, according to the National Association of REALTORS® Existing-Home Sales Report. The report provides the real estate ecosystem—including agents, homebuyers and sellers—with data on the level of home sales, price, and inventory.
“March home sales remained sluggish and below last year’s pace,” said NAR Chief Economist Dr. Lawrence Yun. “Lower consumer confidence and softer job growth continue to hold back buyers.”
Month-over-month sales fell in all four regions. Year-over-year sales rose in the South and West and fell in the Northeast and Midwest.
“Inventory remains a major constraint on the market,” Yun said. “The inventory-to-sales ratio, or supply-to-demand ratio, is below historical norms. An additional 300,000 to 500,000 homes for sale would help bring the market closer to normal conditions and allow consumers to make purchase decisions without feeling rushed.”
“Because inventory remains limited, the median home price rose to a new record high for the month of March,” Yun added. “That price growth has helped the typical homeowner accumulate $128,100 in housing wealth over the past six years.”
NAR also revised its 2026 housing forecast. Due to the upward trajectory of mortgage rates, NAR now expects existing-home sales to increase 4% this year, down from the previous projection. New-home sales are now expected to remain flat, a downward revision from the prior forecast of a 5% gain. The median home price forecast remains unchanged, with prices still projected to rise 4% in 2026.
“Mortgage rates have been rising, and that has led us to trim our home sales outlook for the year,” said Yun. “Even with a more modest pace of sales growth, home prices continue to steadily increase due to minimal inventory growth.”
Read more details, including regional data, here…
Source: National Association of REALTORS® 4/13/26
The median age of first-time homebuyers hit a record high of 40 last year, according to data from the National Association of Realtors. Low inventory and rising prices have pushed homeownership out of reach for many.
To make housing more affordable, some people are embracing a nontraditional path to owning a home: co-buying with a friend.
Co-buying is a great way for buyers to boost borrowing power, but there are pitfalls. Check out these tips…
Managing The Real Estate Details 