Federal Reserve Chairman and Mortgage Rates: Should Buyers Wait in 2026?

Didn’t expect closing costs and insurance to be so much—those estimates online are always low.

Yeah, I ran into the same thing. The “closing costs” sticker shock is real, especially when you add up all the random fees. I kept thinking, am I getting nickel-and-dimed here or is this just how it works everywhere? Also, totally agree on the buffer for repairs. I figured I could just wing it for a few months, but even small fixes add up fast.

What’s tripping me up is this idea of waiting for rates to drop versus jumping in now. On paper, waiting seems smart if rates drop next year, but in my area prices have gone up faster than rates have come down. Makes me wonder if we’re all just chasing a moving target. Is anyone actually seeing lower prices when rates go up, or is that just wishful thinking at this point?