Redfin economists say serious homebuyers have a window of opportunity to lock in a mortgage rate, as rates could fluctuate as more economic data is released in the coming weeks.
House hunters got some relief this week as the daily average mortgage rate dropped to its lowest level in nearly a year after a softer-than-expected jobs report. A homebuyer on a $3,000 monthly budget can afford a $458,750 home with a 6.55% mortgage rate, roughly the daily average on Wednesday; that buyer has gained roughly $20,000 in purchasing power since mortgage rates hit a recent peak of 7.08% in May.
There are a few other bright spots for house hunters this week:
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- Home-price growth is losing steam. The median U.S. asking price rose just 2.3% year over year during the four weeks ending August 3, one of the smallest increases in two years. Sellers have started pricing lower in response to the buyer’s market; Redfin economists predict sale prices will fall 1% by the end of the year. Additionally, just about one-quarter (26.6%) of homes are selling above asking price, down from 31% a year ago.
- There are more home sellers than buyers in the market. The total number of homes for sale is up 8.5% year over year, while pending sales are down 1.2%.
- Many sellers are willing to negotiate. Redfin agents in many parts of the country, including the Bay Area, Phoenix, Washington, D.C. and coastal Florida, report that a lot of sellers are open to negotiating with buyers. Some are accepting offers under asking price or providing freebies to sweeten the deal, like money for closing costs or repairs, to get their home offloaded.
House hunters should keep in mind that the window of opportunity for buyers could be short. New listings have lost steam, staying essentially flat year over year, as would-be sellers realize they may not get the price they want for their home. Additionally, lower mortgage rates could bring more buyers and more competition. Mortgage-purchase applications have already increased, rising 2% week over week.
“Serious homebuyers should consider taking this window of opportunity to act fast and lock in a mortgage rate at the lowest level we’ve seen since last October,” said Chen Zhao, Redfin’s head of economics research. “Last week’s soft jobs report ups the chances of the Fed cutting interest rates in September. The market’s anticipation of that cut has already pushed mortgage rates down, and there’s no guarantee they’ll fall further. There’s a chance mortgage rates could fluctuate when more economic data is released in the coming weeks.”
For Redfin economists’ takes on the housing market, please visit Redfin’s “From Our Economists” page.
Leading indicators
| Indicators of homebuying demand and activity | ||||
| Value (if applicable) | Recent change | Year-over-year change | Source | |
| Daily average 30-year fixed mortgage rate | 6.57% (Aug. 6) | 10-month low | Down from 6.86% | Mortgage News Daily |
| Weekly average 30-year fixed mortgage rate | 6.72% (week ending July 31) | Up slightly from a 3-month low of 6.67% hit 4 weeks earlier | Essentially unchanged | Freddie Mac |
| Mortgage-purchase applications (seasonally adjusted) | Up 2% from a week earlier (as of week ending Aug. 1) | Up 18% | Mortgage Bankers Association | |
| Redfin Homebuyer Demand Index | Up 3% from a month earlier (as of week ending Aug. 3) | Up 2% | A measure of tours and other homebuying services from Redfin agents | |
| Touring activity | Up 28% from the start of the year (as of Aug. 2) | At this time last year, it was up 13% from the start of 2024 | ShowingTime, a home touring technology company | |
Key housing-market data
| U.S. highlights: Four weeks ending Aug. 3, 2025
Redfin’s national metrics include data from 400+ U.S. metro areas, and are based on homes listed and/or sold during the period. Weekly housing-market data goes back through 2015. Subject to revision. |
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| Four weeks ending Aug. 3, 2025 | Year-over-year change | Notes | |
| Median sale price | $396,991 | 2.1% | Roughly $1,800 shy of all-time high |
| Median asking price | $400,850 | 2.3% | |
| Median monthly mortgage payment | $2,667 at a 6.72% mortgage rate | 4.4% | |
| Pending sales | 85,528 | -1.2% | |
| New listings | 95,571 | 0.4% | |
| Active listings | 1,159,790 | 8.5% | Smallest increase since February 2024 |
| Months of supply | 3.9 | +0.5 pts. | 4 to 5 months of supply is considered balanced, with a lower number indicating seller’s market conditions |
| Share of homes off market in two weeks | 32.3% | Down from 36% | |
| Median days on market | 40 | +6 days | |
| Share of homes sold above list price | 26.6% | Down from 30% | |
| Average sale-to-list price ratio | 98.8% |
Down from 99.4% |
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Metro-level highlights: Four weeks ending Aug. 3, 2025 Redfin’s metro-level data includes the 50 most populous U.S. metros. Select metros may be excluded from time to time to ensure data accuracy. |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Metros with biggest year-over-year increases | Metros with biggest year-over-year decreases |
Notes |
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| Median sale price |
Cleveland (13.2%) Detroit (9%) Montgomery County, PA (7.6%) Warren, MI (6.1%) Nassau County, NY (6.1%) |
Oakland, CA (-5%) Fort Worth, TX (-2.8%) Jacksonville, FL (-2.8%) Houston (-2.8%) Austin, TX (-1.6%) |
Declined in 11 metros |
| Pending sales | Phoenix (13%)
Virginia Beach, VA (8.6%) Austin, TX (7.5%) Pittsburgh (7.4%) Columbus, OH (6.6%) |
Miami (-15.9%)
Portland, OR (-13.5%) Tampa, FL (-11.8%) Las Vegas (-11.6%) Orlando, FL (-11.1%) |
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| New listings | Philadelphia (9.8%)
Cleveland (8.9%) Montgomery County, PA (8.7%) Milwaukee (7.6%) Washington, D.C. (5.8%) |
Portland, OR (-17%)
Tampa, FL (-15.4%) Orlando, FL (-12.6%) Indianapolis (-11.4%) Jacksonville, FL (-10.6%) |
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Refer to our metrics definition page for explanations of all the metrics used in this report.
