Published October 12, 2026 in Market Update

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

By Leatha Eaves

Real estate, Primary market

Here is the one thing every homeowner should see right now. Freddie Mac put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.40% as of October 8, 2026. Rates that high usually make people pause. But the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 2,130 homes sold and 2,447 pending sales across Primary market in the three months ending August 31, 2026. Buyers are still moving. That means your timing and your price still matter.

"But aren't rates killing demand?" Fair question. Honestly. Rates are high. The pipeline tells a different story, though. Nearly 2,500 homes were under contract at the end of August. That is not a frozen market.

The rate picture, as of October 12, 2026

Rates are real. Freddie Mac confirmed the 30-year average at 7.40% on October 8, 2026. That is the context every seller and buyer is working inside right now. And yet, the Real Estate Data Aggregator shows 2,837 new listings came to market in Primary market in the same three-month window. Sellers are listing. Buyers are responding.

What the market looked like, ZIP by ZIP

Not every ZIP code tells the same story. Some moved faster. Some sat longer. A few saw prices dip a little. That is normal in a market this size.

ZIP 37343 had a median of 33 days on market, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. That was 10 days shorter than the same period in 2025. ZIP 37302 sat at 69 days, but that was actually 24 days shorter than a year before. Progress looks different depending on where you start.

Where prices landed

Some prices moved up. ZIP 37341 saw its median climb to $359,500, up 8.1% from a year before, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. ZIP 37406 held at $220,000, up 1.8%. Not every ZIP gained, though. ZIP 37302 dipped 17% to $437,500. ZIP 37405 slipped 8.4% to $497,000. Small admissions, real ones. Price still drives the outcome.

Speed: who went under contract fast

The Real Estate Data Aggregator tracked the share of homes that went under contract within two weeks of listing. In ZIP 37406, that share was 38.8%, up 21.6 points from a year before. In ZIP 37411, it was 31%. In ZIP 37343, it was 30.1%. Not every home sold fast, but well-priced homes in the right ZIP codes moved quickly.

What buyers are paying versus list price

The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows ZIP 37419 averaged 100.5% of list price. That means sellers there got more than they asked, on average. ZIP 37363 came in at 98.8%. ZIP 37312 was the softest at 96.1%, down 2.1 points from a year before. Pricing to the market still determines what you walk away with.

The national picture adds context

The National Association of Realtors reported months of supply at 4.9 months nationally, the highest in over ten years. Primary market ZIPs ranged from 2.7 months in ZIP 37343 and ZIP 37410 to 6.2 months in ZIP 37406, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. More supply means buyers have choices. It also means sellers need a sharper price. The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. house prices rose 0.3% from the prior month in July, seasonally adjusted. Realtor.com noted active listings were up 6.7% from a year ago as of October 8, 2026. The broader trend and the local count are pointing the same direction: more homes, more competition, and pricing matters more than ever.

The honest summary

One more thing worth knowing. The story for your specific street may look nothing like the ZIP code average. A block with newer builds, a cul-de-sac with less traffic, a neighborhood with a strong school zone: all of these shift the numbers. The ZIP is the starting point, not the final word.