Your Daily Real Estate Briefing

Existing Home Sales See Modest September Uptick as Mortgage Rates Climb, Commercial Valuations Face Pressure

• Existing home sales in September rose 1.5% month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.99 million, yet remained 2.2% lower than a year ago, marking the two slowest months for sales this year. This occurred as 30-year mortgage rates climbed to 7.5% following a hotter-than-expected inflation report, with rates anticipated to stay above 7% for the remainder of the year.

  RealestatenewsNar RealtorRealestatenews

• Wells Fargo CFO Mike Santomassimo cautioned that higher interest rates will inevitably lead to lower commercial real estate valuations, emphasizing that "It's just math." This comes as commercial property owners face refinancing at significantly higher rates than five years ago during the pandemic.

  Bizjournals

• In a notable demographic shift, Hispanic households were responsible for all net U.S. homeownership growth in 2025, according to a report by NAHREP and the Hispanic Wealth Project. Meanwhile, AGNT CEO Leo Pareja suggested the "housing market collapse already happened" in transaction count, with annual sales hovering around 4 million since 2023 despite substantial U.S. population growth.

  RealestateramaGlobenewswire