09/01/2026
Thinking about waiting for mortgage rates to fall before buying a home? There’s another number you should be watching: home prices.
The latest Fannie Mae Home Price Expectations Survey, which polls more than 100 housing experts, projects that U.S. home prices could rise about 15% over the next five years.
Think about what that could mean:
A $300,000 home today, with 15% appreciation, would be worth roughly $345,000 five years from now.
A $400,000 home → roughly $460,000
A $500,000 home → roughly $575,000
Could mortgage rates be lower in the future? Absolutely.
But if you're waiting solely for a lower rate, you could also be waiting while the price of the home you want continues to increase.
And there’s another factor: when mortgage rates fall, more buyers may come back into the market. That can mean more competition for the same homes.
That's why I encourage buyers to look at the entire financial picture, not just today's interest rate.
If the home, payment and financing make sense today, buying now can allow you to begin building equity — and if rates improve later, we can evaluate whether refinancing makes sense.
If you're considering buying a home in Bloomington, Monroe County, or anywhere in Indiana, I'd be happy to run a buy-now-vs.-wait analysis for you.
Dan Smith
Senior Loan Officer | Ruoff Mortgage
Bloomington, Indiana
NMLS #2784335
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