MetroTex released its September numbers: 7,228 closed sales, down 6.6 percent from last year, while the median price slipped just 1.6 percent. Sales cooled about four times harder than prices, listings tightened at the same time, and what that standoff means for buyers negotiating terms and sellers pricing to the comps.

The numbers from this episode:

• Closed sales: 7,228, down 6.6 percent from September 2025 (MetroTex)
• Active listings: 34,502, down 2.2 percent from a year ago (MetroTex)
• Median price: 379,990 dollars, down 1.6 percent year over year and about 10,000 dollars below the August median (MetroTex)
• Typical home sold in 95 days, one day faster than last September (MetroTex)
• 4.5 months of inventory, down from 4.8 months a year ago (MetroTex)

Sources:

• DFW Agent Magazine, "Closed home sales decline in DFW as median price recedes," October 13, 2026, reporting the MetroTex Association of REALTORS September 2026 release: https://dfwagentmagazine.com/2026/10/13/metrotex-housing-report-sept-26/

Kyler Hood, eXp Realty, TX license #828001. 469-434-2586. https://kylerhood.com

Freddie Mac's weekly survey held the 30-year fixed at 7.40 percent, unchanged and the highest print in 52 weeks. Why the Thursday headline is already stale by the time you hear it, what the survey actually measures, and why builder buydowns in the 4s and 5s mean nobody's real quote looks like the headline.

The numbers from this episode:

• 30-year fixed: 7.40 percent for the week ending October 15, unchanged from the week before, a 52-week high; a year ago it was 6.27 percent (Freddie Mac)
• 15-year fixed: 6.71 percent, down a tick from 6.73 percent (Freddie Mac)
• "The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage remained unchanged this week." (Sam Khater, Freddie Mac chief economist)
• Daily benchmark the same day: about 7.29 percent versus the weekly survey's 7.40 (Optimal Blue, via Mortgage Daily)
• The survey collects lender data Monday through Wednesday and publishes Thursday, so mid-week moves show up a week late
• The survey covers conventional, conforming purchase loans for borrowers with excellent credit putting 20 percent down

Sources:

• Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, week ending October 15, 2026: https://www.tradingview.com/news/globenewswire:d0807bceb094b:0-mortgage-rates-hold-steady-at-7-40/
• Mortgage Daily, Freddie Mac PMMS tracker (weekly vs daily): https://www.mortgagedaily.com/mortgage-rates/freddie-mac-pmms/
• Builder incentive tracker: https://kylerhood.com/#incentives

Kyler Hood, eXp Realty, TX license #828001. 469-434-2586. https://kylerhood.com

HOA dues, plainly. What they are, what they usually cover in new construction, why dues vary so much between communities, and the four things to check before you buy: dues history, what's covered, whether there's a master association on top, and any planned special assessments. Plus the builder-to-homeowner handoff wrinkle and how to compare dues honestly between two communities.

The numbers from this episode:

• Dues figures in this episode are illustrative of the range across new communities, not quotes for any specific HOA

Sources:

• Texas Tax Trap Calculator (includes HOA where sampled): https://kylerhood.com/tax-trap-calculator/

Kyler Hood, eXp Realty, TX license #828001. 469-434-2586. https://kylerhood.com

A buyer tactic for quick move-in homes: how to compare two of them without getting fooled by the sticker price. Five steps — read the price history, separate the price cut from the incentive, check the build date and the community, confirm what's included, and get an outside lender quote before you commit. Plus the tradeoff between a quick move-in and a to-be-built home.

The numbers from this episode:

• All dollar figures in this episode are illustrative comparisons, not claims about any specific home or builder
• Incentive terms are as of this recording; confirm with the builder's sales office before writing anything

Sources:

• Builder incentive tracker: https://kylerhood.com/#incentives
• Run your real monthly payment: https://kylerhood.com/payment/

Kyler Hood, eXp Realty, TX license #828001. 469-434-2586. https://kylerhood.com

The suburb spotlight this week is the number that quietly decides how far your budget goes: the property tax rate. Same 450,000 dollar new build, very different monthly tax bill depending on the city. Why you should shop the monthly payment instead of the sticker price, and the two caveats that can move the number at a specific address.

The numbers from this episode:

• A 450,000 dollar build in Forney runs about 209 dollars a month more in property taxes than the same build in Rockwall
• The same build in McLendon-Chisholm runs about 260 dollars a month more than in Forney
• A 450,000 dollar build in McKinney runs about 131 dollars a month more than the same build in Celina (McKinney ISD has a school tax vote November 3; re-verify if it passes)
• For context: the 260 dollar McLendon-Chisholm to Forney gap is bigger than the payment jump from 7.03 to 7.28 percent on a 400,000 dollar loan, about 68 dollars a month
• All gaps use adopted 2026 city rates, verified September 25, 2026; neighborhood MUD or PID assessments can move specific addresses

Sources:

• Kyler's tax homework sheet, built from adopted 2026 city, county, school district, and college district rates, verified September 25, 2026
• Texas Tax Trap Calculator: https://kylerhood.com/tax-trap-calculator/

Kyler Hood, eXp Realty, TX license #828001. 469-434-2586. https://kylerhood.com

The demand side, from the Mortgage Bankers Association's weekly survey. Purchase applications are down 15 percent from a year ago, refinances just hit their lowest since 2025, and the MBA's own 30-year rate measure printed 7.49 percent. Why fewer competing buyers means more leverage but sharper math, and why the thinnest budgets are stepping back first.

The numbers from this episode:

• Purchase applications: down 2 percent on the week, down 15 percent from a year ago (MBA)
• Refinance applications: down 8 percent on the week, down 56 percent from a year ago, lowest since 2025
• MBA average 30-year rate: 7.49 percent, highest in about 3 years (MBA's own survey measure, not Freddie Mac's)
• FHA purchase applications fell 6 percent on the week (Joel Kan, MBA)
• Refinances were 37.0 percent of all applications, down from 38.3 percent the week before
• ARM share: 10.3 percent of applications

Sources:

• Mortgage Bankers Association Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey, week ending October 2, 2026, released October 7, 2026
• Run your real monthly payment: https://kylerhood.com/payment/

Kyler Hood, eXp Realty, TX license #828001. 469-434-2586. https://kylerhood.com

Realtor.com's September data for DFW: list prices, inventory, days on market, and how many listings carried a price cut. The standout is inventory — nationally listings rose, in DFW they fell, which kept the market tighter than the country as a whole. Plus what list-side data can and can't tell you, and why new-construction incentives live in the sales office, not on listing sites.

The numbers from this episode:

• DFW median list price: 422,000 dollars in September, down 0.6 percent from a year ago (Realtor.com)
• Active listings: 29,364, down 2.3 percent from last September; nationally, active listings rose 5.4 percent
• Median days on market: 62, about 1.6 percent faster than a year ago
• Share of listings with a price cut: 27 percent, about the same as last September

Sources:

• Realtor.com, "Dallas-Fort Worth Inventory Tightens as Prices Hold Near National Average," published about October 2, 2026
• Run your real monthly payment: https://kylerhood.com/payment/

Kyler Hood, eXp Realty, TX license #828001. 469-434-2586. https://kylerhood.com

The 30-year fixed hit 7.40 percent, the highest Freddie Mac's survey has printed in 52 weeks, and the second weekly jump in a row. What that costs in real dollars on a 400,000 dollar loan, how much buying power a 2,500 dollar monthly budget just lost versus a year ago, and why builder buydowns matter more with every uptick.

The numbers from this episode:

• 30-year fixed: 7.40 percent for the week ending October 8, up from 7.28 percent the week before and 6.30 percent a year ago (Freddie Mac)
• 400,000 dollar loan at 7.40 percent: about 2,770 dollars a month, principal and interest
• Same loan at 7.28 percent: about 2,737 dollars a month, 33 dollars less
• Same loan a year ago at 6.30 percent: about 2,476 dollars a month, 294 dollars less
• A 2,500 dollar monthly budget buys about 361,000 dollars of house at 7.40 percent; a year ago it bought about 404,000 dollars, roughly 43,000 dollars less house
• The Fed raised its target rate to 3.75 to 4.00 percent on September 16, its first rate hike since 2023 (MetroTex)

Sources:

• Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, via Mortgage Daily News, week ending October 8, 2026
• MetroTex, "Mortgage Rates Near 7% as North Texas Sales Slow," September 17, 2026
• Builder incentive tracker: https://kylerhood.com/#incentives

Kyler Hood, eXp Realty, TX license #828001. 469-434-2586. https://kylerhood.com