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Following a brief May rebound , homebuilder sentiment slid in June as elevated mortgage rates , persistent affordability headwinds, and rising material costs continue to squeeze the industry. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes registered at 35 in June, two points down from previous month, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released Monday. The index rates builder confidence on a scale of 0 to 100. Any reading below 50 reflects negative sentiment about the market. June marks the 14th consecutive month that sentiment has remained below 40, a streak not seen the foreclosure crisis of 2011-2012. "With the nation short about 1.2 million homes, builder sentiment will remain soft until barriers are eased and conditions improve for home building," says NAHB Chairman Bill Owens . "Congress can help by passing the major housing package now before the Senate, along with the CONSTRUCTS Act to address the construction labor shortage and the Energy Choice Act to prevent state and local bans on natural gas in new homes." Owens is referring to the 21st Century Road to Housing Act , a sweeping housing reform package that contains several provisions aimed at cutting through red tape and reducing the costs of home construction. Meanwhile, the CONSTRUCTS Act, which stands for "Creating Opportunities for New Skills Training at Rural and Underserved Colleges and Trade Schools Act," is a bipartisan legislation aimed at increasing the pool of skilled residential construction workers. The builder survey's index measuring current sales conditions decreased two points to 38 month over month, while the indexes tracking traffic of prospective buyers and sales expectations for the next six months held steady at 25 and 45, respectively. Meanwhile, 35% of builders reported slashing prices in June, up from 32% in May. The average price cut was 6% in June, the same rate as the previous month. The use of sales incentives was slightly more common in June than in May, ticking up from 61% to 62%., This marks the 15th straight month this share has reached 60% or higher. "Costly and inefficient regulatory policy is clearly impeding the ability of builders to increase the housing supply," says NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz . "According to a new NAHB study, government regulation, taxes, fees and other costs add more than 26% to the price of an average single-family home." All of this is playing out against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East that has been putting upward pressure on interest rates and fueling uncertainty in the housing market. "Easing geopolitical tensions may allow mortgage rates to start falling again, further unlocking sidelined buyers who have been waiting to enter the new and existing home markets," Stephen Kates , a financial analyst at BankRate, tells Realtor.com®. (Realtor.com) According to Dietz, easing permitting bottlenecks, density limits and what he describes as inefficient zoning rules would help slash building costs and support the sorely needed housing growth. Builder confidence varies significantly by region, with the Northeast housing index seeing the biggest month-over-month increase, climbing from 44 to 50 points. The Midwest and the West kept steady at 45 and 27, respectively, while the South stood out as the only region to experience a downturn, with the local index dropping from 36 to 29 on the 100-point scale. "The housing market’s strength depends heavily on location right now," notes Kates. "Metropolitan areas that continued building throughout the 2020s have rising inventories and flat or falling home prices. Strong post-pandemic buyer demand has waned under high mortgage rates and economic uncertainty." #AdamsCameron #Since1963

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Whether you’re dreaming about buying your first home or wondering if it’s time to move on from the one you’re in, affordability is probably weighing on your mind. Home prices are still high in many markets, and even though things have improved a bit over the past year, making the numbers work can still feel like a stretch.

But the people finding ways to move right now usually have one thing in common. They didn’t wait for affordability to come to them. They went looking for it.

According to PODS, 61% of people across all generations say affordability is the biggest factor when deciding where to move. And it’s led a growing number of people to do one thing – broaden their search to include more affordable areas they hadn’t seriously considered before. As PODS, put it:

“. . . moving is increasingly driven by affordability, connection, and quality of life. As economic pressures persist, Americans are taking a more intentional, values-driven approach to where they choose to live.”

It’s Not Just the Home Price – It’s the Whole Cost of Living

Here’s where it gets really interesting. When people talk about moving for affordability, they’re not just talking about finding a cheaper house. They’re thinking about the full picture. What does it actually cost to live somewhere?

WalletHub looked at exactly this, measuring housing costs as a share of median monthly household income across every state (see map below).

Take a look at where you live on that map. The lighter the blue, the more affordable it generally is to live there. The darker the blue? Just the opposite.

a map of the united states

If your state is showing up on the darker blue end of the scale, the cost of living may be putting a real pinch on your wallet, and it may be worth exploring what a lighter-blue area could mean for your finances.

Because if you’re less financially stretched, imagine how that could change things. Less stress. Less worry. More freedom and peace of mind.

You Don’t Have To Move to Another State To Find a Better Deal

But finding more affordable homeownership doesn’t have to mean a cross-country move. It doesn’t even have to mean leaving your state, your family, or your favorite coffee shop behind.

Every market has more affordable pockets that most buyers never think to explore – neighborhoods, towns, and communities where home prices are lower, property taxes are more manageable, and the overall cost of living just works better.

A great local real estate agent knows exactly where those places are.

And if you work remotely, or have any flexibility in where you’re based, your options open up even further. Remote work has already changed the way millions of people think about where to live, and that trend isn’t going away.

When location stops being tied to a daily commute, a more affordable area that’s a bit farther out suddenly becomes a very real option.

Bottom Line

Affordability is a real challenge, but it's not an unsolvable one. The key is being open to places you might not have considered before. A local real estate agent can help you find them.

Ready to find out which areas have the best affordability right now? Reach out today.

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#AdamsCameron #Since1963

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If you’re considering a micro-renovation this summer—like a kitchen refresh, flooring upgrade, or lighting overhaul—you have options on how you can fund it. Popular options include a 0% APR credit card or tapping into your home equity. Both financing solutions are worth exploring for smaller projects in the $5,000 range, but they’re not created equal. “You might be able to quickly save the $5,000 and cash flow the project. But if financing is needed, both a 0% APR credit card and home equity can make sense depending on your situation,” says Ashley Morgan , owner and bankruptcy lawyer at Ashley F Morgan Law, PC in Chantilly, VA . By knowing how each one works and weighing their pros and cons, you can home in on the ideal route for your unique situation. How they work A 0% APR credit card lets you make purchases without paying interest for an introductory period. While the intro period varies by credit card company and card, it’s usually between 12 to 21 months. As soon as it’s up, the standard APR will apply to any balances you don’t pay off at the end of the billing cycle. If you decide to tap into your home equity, on the other hand, you may do so through a home equity loan or a home equity line of credit (HELOC). To leverage these products, most lenders require at least 20% equity in your home (your home value minus what you owe on your mortgage). A home equity loan gives you a lump sum of cash upfront. You’ll pay back what you borrow plus interest through fixed monthly payments over a specific term. In most cases, terms range from five to 30 years. With a HELOC, you get a revolving credit line you can borrow funds from as needed, up to a set credit limit. The draw period—typically lasting 10 years—is when you can access the money and only pay interest on the amount you withdrew. Once the repayment period kicks in, you’ll need to make both interest and principal payments. The repayment period is much longer than the draw period and usually goes up to 20 years. Sweat equity is also something to consider when it comes to "funding" your renovation. (Getty Images) Pros and cons of each option The most notable benefit of a 0% APR card for a $5,000 reno is that you can borrow money without owing interest. “If you have a strong credit score and can realistically pay off the balance during the promotional period, a 0% card can be one of the cheapest and quickest forms of financing available,” says Morgan. A 0% APR card is also simple. You don’t have to worry about an appraisal, closing process, or lien documents. If you qualify, you can often get the funds immediately. “For a $5,000 project, that convenience can be very appealing. It means you can start right away,” Morgan explains. The main drawback of a 0% APR card is that the repayment timeline is often much shorter than people realize. 12 to 21 months might seem like a long time, but it’s not. “If you put $5,000 on a card with an 18-month promo period, for example, you need to pay approximately $278 per month to have the balance paid off before the promotion expires. If you don't, the interest rate afterward can be extremely expensive. I often see clients with rates nearing 30%,” says Morgan. Home equity financing has a different set of advantages. If you have substantial equity in your home, a HELOC or home equity loan can often provide a lower interest rate than a traditional credit card. Also, the repayment period is usually much longer, which can make the monthly payments more manageable. However, for a project as small as $5,000, Morgan questions whether home equity financing is worth the effort and cost. “Between the appraisal, origination, and closing costs, you could be looking at $300 to $1,000 paid upfront on a $5,000 loan,” explains Eric Croak , accredited wealth management advisor and president of Croak Capital in Toledo, OH . You may end up spending a meaningful percentage of the project’s budget to simply access the home equity financing. Additionally, home equity loans are tied to your home. If you miss payments on them, the lender may put it into foreclosure. “No, $5,000 isn’t a lot of money and can be easy to repay but once you have a HELOC, it’s easy to continue tapping into it and overspending on home improvements or other expenses. A $5,000 project can quickly turn into a $15,000 project,” adds Morgan. How to choose the right one According to Morgan, a 0% APR credit card is almost always the best option, as long as you have strong credit and can realistically pay your balance off before the promo period ends. Croak agrees. “If you can pay back the $5,000 within the 0% APR period then you come out ahead by using a card,” explains Croak. A home equity loan or HELOC may be a better move if you don’t qualify for a 0% APR card or need to stretch out your repayments. Croak also recommends a HELOC if the $5,000 is part of a much larger project. For example, if you’re redoing your kitchen in phases and will actually need $40,000 in total. At the end of the day, your focus should be on whether you have a plan to pay back what you borrow. “Homeowners often worry about where the money is coming from, not what happens after the project is over. Financing a renovation is pretty simple. Paying for the renovations after the fact is where people get into trouble,” explains Morgan. Before taking on any debt, take a close look at your budget, understand the repayment timeline, and make sure the project actually fits within your long-term financial plan. #AdamsCameron #Since1963

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For months, if not years, homebuyers have been waiting for mortgage rates to fall —perhaps not to COVID-era levels, but at least somewhere in that range. But as inflation persists and economic uncertainty continues, the average 30-year fixed home loan rate hit a nine-month high of 6.53% last week, before decreasing only slightly to 6.48% on June 4 . That means home loans with an interest rate above 6% may be the new normal for the foreseeable future. If you’re a prospective first-time homebuyer , or a homeowner looking to make a change, you’re likely asking: now what? The short answer: Get comfortable with these interest rates, and learn to buy anyway—if you can find a way to do so. Experts have some insight into how to understand the current market, as well as how to lessen the blow of buying today. What 6%+ actually does to your buying power A 6% interest rate—or more—on a home loan isn’t a reason not to buy a home. But it is worth understanding how even a couple of percentage points are changing the math for homebuyers. “At a 4% rate on a $300,000 loan, your principal and interest payment is around $1,432 a month. At 6%, that same loan runs about $1,799. That's $367 more a month for the exact same house,” explains Ashley Harris , director of homebuyer education at Neighbors Bank. “Flip it around: If your budget is $1,800 a month, a 4% rate gets you into roughly a $378,000 loan. At 6%, that same payment only supports about $300,000. You've lost nearly $80,000 in purchasing power without your income changing at all. That's why people feel squeezed right now,” she adds. The case for buying anyway Going into the market with tens of thousands of dollars less in buying power isn't ideal. But there are real reasons why many experts are still encouraging buyers to act rather than wait. "We believe that the impact of owning versus renting has been documented to make a meaningful difference in net worth over the long haul. If you can buy now and are qualified, you probably should," says Craig Garcia , president at Capital Partners Mortgage. That’s because waiting carries its own risks. If inflation persists, rates may not come down enough to make refinancing worthwhile—meaning, buyers who hold out could end up locking in a higher rate later than the one they passed on today. And in an inflationary environment, owning has a built-in advantage: The value of your home and your income tend to rise over time, while your fixed principal and interest payment stay exactly the same. There's also a tactical argument for buying now, says Garcia. In today's market, sellers are often willing to negotiate—on closing costs, on concessions, even on rate buydowns. That leverage disappears the moment rates drop and a wave of sidelined buyers floods back in. "If you wait for rates to hit a sweet spot, there will be a lot more buyers in the market, and this negotiating power may go away," Garcia says. "Buyers who wait could find themselves in multiple-offer situations and fighting to get a home instead of being able to negotiate a good deal." Mortgage rates for the week ending May 28 ticked up to 6.53%. Tactics for buying more affordably It's one thing to accept that high rates are here to stay. It's another to figure out how to work within them. Here are three strategies worth understanding. Rate buydowns A 2/1 buydown temporarily lowers your interest rate for the first two years of the loan. If your actual rate is 6%, you'd pay 4% in year one, 5% in year two, and settle into 6% from year three forward. On a $300,000 loan, that first-year payment drops from roughly $1,799 to around $1,432—the same monthly outlay as a 4% loan. What makes a buydown especially powerful, says Harris, is the timing. “If you know that a big expense in your life could end in a couple of years, something like daycare, this is a serious advantage. In two years, your situation looks completely different. The temporary lower payment lines up with the period you need the breathing room most, and by the time the rate steps up to the [higher] rate, your budget looks different each month,” she says. A buydown on a $300,000 loan typically costs about 2% to 3% of the loan amount, which you may be able to negotiate as a seller concession. Adjustable-rate mortgages ARMs have a reputation problem left over from the 2008 housing crisis, and Harris notes that they “aren't ideal in an unpredictable rate environment.” A 5/1 ARM gives you a fixed rate for the first five years, then adjusts annually after that. If you know you're only going to be in the home for three to five years, that fixed period covers your entire stay and you walk away having paid a lower rate the whole time. There are caps on how much the rate can move each year and over the life of the loan, so your payment can't suddenly spike without warning. Because ARMs aren't for everyone, they’re not utilized as often as other loan products. So if an ARM feels right for your situation, make sure you're working with a lender who does them regularly. Assumable mortgages Assumable mortgages get a lot of attention right now, and for good reason. If a seller has an FHA or VA loan from 2020 or 2021 when rates were in the 2% to 3% range, a qualified buyer may be able to take over that loan at the original rate—a significant advantage when today's rates are more than double that. The main hurdle is the equity gap. If the seller's remaining loan balance is $210,000 but the home is worth $350,000, you need to cover the $140,000 difference in cash or with a second loan. But even with that, the combined payment is often still lower than financing the full purchase price at today's rates. "When the math works, it really works," Harris says. Most good buyer's agents are already asking their clients whether a given listing has an assumable mortgage, so if you're working with a seasoned agent, they're likely already flagging this. When waiting might still make sense—and what would have to happen Buying at 6%+ isn't the right move for everyone. If your emergency fund is thin, your job situation is uncertain, or you're likely to move within two or three years, the math might not pencil out regardless of what rates are doing. A higher rate amplifies the cost of a short hold, and the transaction costs of buying and selling take time to recoup. But if you're waiting specifically for rates to fall, it's worth understanding what would actually need to happen for that to occur. "Oil prices would need to come down, inflation would need to remain tame, and the jobs market would need to soften meaningfully. All of the above—two out of three likely won't cut it," predicts Garcia. In other words, the conditions that would bring rates down are the same conditions that tend to rattle the broader economy—which means there truly may be no “perfect” time to buy a home, at least in the near future. With that in mind, Harris’ perspective might resonate with buyers on the fence. “The goal isn't always to find the perfect rate. Sometimes it's just getting in the door and starting to build something,” she says. #AdamsCameron #Since1963

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The cruelest part of the Great Wealth Transfer may be its timing. An estimated $124 trillion will pass between generations through 2048. But by then, even the youngest millennials—one of the generations expected to inherit the most—will be 52. The oldest will be 67. That may be early enough to cushion retirement, but decades too late to really change a person’s financial trajectory. Recent research from Realtor.com® found that buying a first home by age 30 can compound into a 22.5% higher net worth by age 50 than waiting just 10 years to buy. By 52 or 67, that compounding advantage has closed entirely. Even the youngest Gen Zers will be past this window by 2048. “An early transfer doesn’t pay one dividend; it changes which financial decisions a family is even able to make for the rest of their lives,” explains Barry E. Janay , principal and owner of The Law Office of Barry E. Janay . Some families appear to be acting on that reality. A recent survey found that 59% of parents have provided or plan to provide financial assistance to their children, including down payment contributions, cash gifts, and closing-cost help. And that timing is becoming one of the most consequential divides in today’s economy. In a stagnant, high-cost era, early family transfers are helping some Americans buy homes, avoid debt, stay employed, and build wealth decades before a traditional inheritance would arrive—deepening the divide between those who receive wealth in time to use it and those who inherit too late. Early inheritances are helping fill gaps in a stagnant economy None of this is happening in a vacuum, to be sure. Younger adults are entering prime earning, family-forming, and homebuying years in an economy where many of the basic entry costs of adulthood remain stubbornly high. The unemployment rate for workers aged 16 to 24 was 9.5% in April 2026 , more than double the overall unemployment rate. At the same time, Bank of America found that 42% of Gen Z adults live paycheck to paycheck , while nearly half cite the high cost of living as a top barrier to financial success. All of that is putting pressure on older generations and their assets. “There seems to be immense pressure felt by many grandparents who are in the upper middle class in particular to help the younger generations maintain higher standards of living and social access in these various ways,” says Jennifer Kirby , managing partner and co-founder at Talisman Wealth Advisors . “There is a real palpable fear of loss of status after decades of building what they have.” Writing in a blog post for Bocconi University’s Institute for European Policymaking, Arnstein Aassve , a professor of demography, dubbed this the “King Charles Syndrome”—a reference to the British monarch, who inherited the throne at 73 after spending decades as heir apparent. The point he makes is about timing: Charles inherited the crown, but not the tenure to shape a reign. Heirs to the Great Wealth Transfer may face a similar problem—they may inherit money, but not the runway to change their lives. And amid a backdrop of economic anxiety and high costs, that can make all the difference. “Young adults struggling with housing affordability or precarious employment may see little benefit if inheritance arrives decades too late,” says Aassve. “Families with substantial housing wealth pass on significant assets; those without remain excluded.” Housing, childcare, and debt show where family money is already propping things up Aassve’s timing problem is already visible in the housing market, and that could spell trouble for the economy overall. “Inter vivos transfers, so to speak, have always been going on, but they can’t be what keeps first-time homeownership afloat,” says Jake Krimmel , senior economist at Realtor.com. “That’s not healthy or sustainable for the housing market or the broader economy.” (Realtor.com) His point is that homeownership is not only a private milestone. It's also one of the country’s biggest engines of middle-class wealth, and residential real estate has historically accounted for 15% to 18% of gross domestic product, according to the National Association of Home Builders . But housing builds wealth only when people can get in early enough for the benefits to compound. “It certainly feels like there’s a K-shaped economy when it comes to younger families,” Krimmel says, pointing to the contrast between first-time buyers who purchased before or during the COVID-19 pandemic and those who have spent the past four years on the sidelines, “locked out of homeownership in the midst of their prime earning years.” He’s referring to a trend in which growth splits in two directions, with some households, businesses, or sectors continuing to gain ground while others fall further behind. Family money can widen that split. A 2026 Journal of Financial Economics study found that parental co-signing can relax borrowing constraints, allowing first-time buyers to qualify for larger mortgages, buy more expensive homes, and enter the market earlier. Buyers who purchase early accumulate a higher net worth in middle age, our Generational Wealth study has found. (Realtor.com) But housing is only the most visible example. The same dynamic is showing up in childcare, education, and debt. Kirby says she sees parents helping adult children with down payments, home expansions, childcare costs, subsidized rent, direct distributions, and education—often to help them avoid debt. But childcare, she says, may be the clearest example after housing because it allows parents to keep working, earning, and saving. In some cases, grandparents are contributing “upward of $40,000 to $60,000 a year” to help cover those costs, she says. The payoff may compound for decades That kind of support may not look like a traditional inheritance, but it can function like one—or even better than one if it arrives at the right time. Homeowners are 1.3 times more likely than renters to expect to leave assets to the next generation, and children raised in homeowner households are 18.4 percentage points more likely to become homeowners by age 35. That is how timing becomes an inheritance in its own right. A late inheritance still matters, to be sure. But it may not restore the years when family money could have helped someone buy earlier, borrow less, keep working, save more, or build equity while those gains still had time to multiply. The Great Wealth Transfer is still coming, but the transfer shaping American life is already underway. #AdamsCameron #Since1963

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