Published November 1, 2026 in Market Update

More homes are moving in the Primary market, even with rates above 7%

By Christal Allen-Harrahill

Real estate, Primary market

Are buyers still out there? That is a good question, and it is the right one to ask. The emotional answer is yes, maybe more than you expected. The numbers answer is that demand showed up all the way to the contract stage, not just the open house.

Freddie Mac put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.24% as of October 29, 2026. Rates above 7% slow some buyers down. They did not stop the Primary market.

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 1,636 homes sold across the Primary market in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 14% from the same months of 2025. Sold homes are the exciting part. The unglamorous part, the contract, tells the real story. Pending sales came in at 1,635, up 6.7%. Buyers were still making decisions and signing on the line.

The Real Estate Data Aggregator also counted 2,231 homes for sale in the Primary market over that same period, down 3.4% from a year before. Fewer choices for buyers, more signed contracts. That combination kept sellers in a reasonable position even with rates where they are.

New listings held steady too

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 2,074 new listings in the Primary market, up 1.8% from a year before. Supply ticked up a little. Demand ticked up more. That gap is what kept the market moving.

The national picture adds context

The National Association of Realtors reported existing-home sales reached 3.99 million units in September 2026. Prices were up 1.3% nationally that same month. The Primary market moved in the same direction, with more sales and more contracts signed.

Realtor.com reported that mortgage rates surged nearly 40 basis points in September 2026. That kind of move can shake buyer confidence. The pending sales number in this market says many buyers kept going anyway.

How each ZIP code looked

The market-wide numbers are one story. Each ZIP code has its own. Some moved faster, some slower. Prices went up in a few and dipped in others. That matters when you are thinking about your own home.

ZIP 89134 saw 228 homes sold, up 46.2% from a year before, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. That is the strongest year-over-year sales jump in the Primary market. Pending sales there rose 30.4% too. Maybe your home is in 89134 and that surprises you. Maybe it does not. Either way, it is CLARITY worth having.

ZIP 89135 had a median sale price of $877,500, up 11.1% from a year before, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. That is the highest median price in the Primary market for this period. Days on market were 65, which was 17 days longer than the year before. Prices can rise and homes can still take longer. Both things are true at once.

ZIP 89145 had the fastest contract pace. The Real Estate Data Aggregator found that 35.3% of homes there went under contract within two weeks of listing, up 10.8 points from a year before. Median days on market were 49, the lowest in the Primary market. Speed is not guaranteed anywhere, but 89145 showed the most of it.

A few ZIPs saw median prices dip. ZIP 89178 was down 12.4% and ZIP 89129 was down 10.9%, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Prices dipped, but sales volumes rose in both. Maybe buyers found value and moved. Maybe sellers adjusted their numbers and deals got done. The contracts say demand was there.

What the contract stage tells you

The tour is the part everyone talks about. The contract is the part that counts. Across the Primary market, 1,635 pending sales in the three months ending August 31, 2026 says buyers kept making decisions. That is the NUMBER that matters most if you are thinking about selling, now or six to nine months from now.

One street can read very differently from the whole ZIP code. The numbers above are a starting point, not the whole answer for your home. If you want to know where your specific block stands, I am happy to look.