Living desks

Signals that move

Start with the first-time homebuyer checklist (and other posts) for the action plan. Then use these four living desks — dated, cited, and updated when the underlying signal moves — to track rates, the local market, insurance costs, and Fed policy. FACT vs ESTIMATE is labeled on purpose.

1 · Mortgage rates — national average vs your personal quote.
2 · Local market — prices & inventory where you are shopping (live figures coming soon).
3 · Insurance costs — premiums and filings that move cash-to-close and the monthly payment.
4 · Fed & policy — what the Fed sets (and what it does not set for your APR).

Mortgage rates

as of 2026-09-17

Freddie Mac’s weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) is a national average used for headlines and planning. As of September 17, 2026, the 30-year fixed averaged 6.95% (up from 6.76% the prior week) and the 15-year averaged 6.26% (up from 6.09%). That national average is not the rate a Tampa lender will quote you.

Why here: Orients your payment range before you stretch a budget.

Watch · Next weekly Freddie Mac PMMS print — it shows whether the national average moved, which often shifts how buyers and sellers talk about affordability.

Full desk →

Local market

Coming soon

as of 2026-09-13

This desk will track list versus sale prices, inventory, and days on market (DOM) so first-time buyers can read the local picture — not only national headlines. Live dollar medians and listing counts are not published here yet (Coming soon), so we do not invent numbers.

Why here: Shows competition and timing where you are actually shopping.

Watch · When this desk goes live: list-versus-sale gap — it tells you whether buyers are paying close to asking or negotiating room exists.

Full desk →

Insurance costs

Coming soon

as of 2026-09-13

Insurance premiums, market averages, and rate filings change over time — and that can reshape cash-to-close (the money you bring to closing) and the monthly payment as much as the mortgage rate. (Homeowners insurance and flood coverage are usually separate policies.) Re-quote before you stretch a purchase price or write an offer.

Why here: Often moves cash-to-close (money you bring to closing) and the monthly payment as much as the rate.

Watch · OIR averages and rate-filing news that shift what buyers in your county are paying on paper — then verify with fresh written quotes.

Full desk →

Fed & policy

as of 2026-09-16

At its September 15–16, 2026 meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) raised the federal funds target range by 0.25 percentage points to 3.75–4.00% on a 12–0 vote. That overnight policy rate is not your mortgage rate. This desk records the decision and the next meeting so you can follow the news without confusing it with a personal quote.

Why here: Explains Fed headlines so you do not confuse them with your annual percentage rate (APR).

Watch · October 27–28, 2026 FOMC meeting (press conference October 28) — the next scheduled decision that can refresh the overnight target range.

Full desk →