Belinda Desmond Real Estate

According to NAR's 2026 forecast — existing home sales are projected to jump 14%, mortgage rates are expected to decline toward 6%, and home prices are forecast to rise by about 4%. All three of those things are projected to happen at the same time.

That's not a headline I'd scroll past if I were thinking about buying or selling.

The buyers who tend to do well in a shifting market aren't the ones who timed it perfectly. They're the ones who had the right information early enough to make a confident decision. That's what this post is for.

If you've been sitting on the sidelines waiting for the right moment to have the conversation — this might be it.

DM me. Let's talk about what NAR's 2026 forecast actually means for your specific situation.

Source: nar.realtor/newsroom/national-association-of-realtors-unveils-top-10-homebuying-hot-spots-for-2026

Real estate math is buying the vacation home because the rental income covers the mortgage so it basically pays for itself.

And the fixer upper is basically free if you don't count your sanity.

And the bigger house makes sense because price per square foot.

Real estate math is not like regular math. But somehow it always ends up in the same place — a home you love and a decision that made complete sense at the time.

I've helped a lot of people do this math. DM me and let's run the numbers.

The commute that adds an hour to your day or gives it back. The school that shapes the next twelve years. The street where you either know your neighbors or you don't. The Saturday morning that becomes a ritual or just an errand.

None of that shows up in the listing.

I've watched buyers choose the bigger house in the wrong neighborhood and spend years quietly wishing they'd chosen differently. I've watched buyers choose the smaller house on the right street and never look back once.

The house you can change. The neighborhood you live with.
That's the conversation I have with every client before we look at a single listing. Not because I have to. Because it changes everything about what we're actually looking for.

If you want someone who thinks about it this way — DM me.

The part of this job nobody sees is usually the part that matters most.

The listing I talked a client out of before they got attached. The disclosure clause we caught before it became their problem. The offer deadline I'd already seen used as a tactic by that same listing agent twice before.
None of that shows up in a highlight reel. It just shows up in the outcome.

If you're buying a home and you want someone who's already thinking ahead before you think to ask — my DMs are open.