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Why So Many Sellers Are Still Pricing Like It’s 2021

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Why So Many Sellers Are Still Pricing Like It’s 2021 (and What Happens Next) The housing market of 2021 left a deep psychological imprint on homeowners. Multiple offers, waived inspections, bidding wars, and rapid appreciation became the norm almost overnight. For many sellers, that period reset their expectations of what their home should be worth. Fast forward to today, and while the market has clearly shifted, a surprising number of sellers are still pricing their homes as if those conditions never ended. This disconnect between reality and expectations is one of the defining forces shaping today’s real estate market. The Psychology Behind Pandemic Pricing At the heart of this issue is something economists call anchoring bias . Sellers anchor their expectations to the highest value they’ve seen—often the neighbor’s sale from 2021 or their own peak Zestimate screenshot. Even if market fundamentals have changed, that anchor remains powerful. Add in loss aversion—the idea that people ...
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The Lock-In Effect

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The Lock-In Effect: How Low Mortgage Rates from 2020–2022 Are Freezing Housing Inventory The U.S. housing market isn’t short on demand—it’s short on movement. One of the biggest forces shaping today’s real estate landscape is the lock-in effect , a phenomenon created by historically low mortgage rates from 2020 through 2022. Millions of homeowners secured rates well below today’s levels, and that single fact is now freezing housing inventory across much of the country. The result is a market where buyers want to buy, sellers could sell, but very few people are willing to give up what they already have. Mortgage Rate Lock-In: Payment Comparison This table shows why homeowners are reluctant to sell and rebuy. Loan AmountInterest RateMonthly P&IAnnual Difference$400,0003.00% (2020–2022)~$1,686—$400,0006.75% (Current)~$2,594+$10,896/year$500,0003.00%~$2,108—$500,0006.75%~$3,242+$13,608/year Key takeaway: Even homeowners with equity face major payment shock, making selling financially ...
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Home Buyers Backing Out at Fastest Pace in Decades

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A Record-Breaking Wave of Deal Cancellations The real estate industry is facing a troubling trend that has accelerated sharply into 2026: buyers are backing out of signed purchase agreements at the fastest pace in nearly a decade. For real estate agents on both sides of the transaction, this surge in contract cancellations is more than a statistical curiosity. It represents lost commissions, frustrated clients, wasted marketing dollars, and an urgent need to adapt strategies. According to a January 2026 report from Redfin, more than 40,000 home purchase agreements were canceled in December 2025 alone, representing 16.3% of all homes that went under contract that month. That marks the highest December cancellation rate since Redfin began tracking the metric in 2017. To put that in perspective, the December 2024 cancellation rate was 14.9%. Just six months earlier, in July 2025, the rate hit 15.3% with roughly 58,000 agreements falling through, also a record for that month. The traject...
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How to Sell Your Home This Year

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How to Sell Your Home: It's Actually Doable! Selling your home can feel like a lot—pricing, cleaning, strangers walking through, and a pile of paperwork at the end. But it’s not as mysterious as it looks. Once you know the steps, it’s basically a repeatable process (and you can avoid the common “oops” moments). Here’s how to sell your home in a way that’s organized, realistic, and geared toward a great result. Quick Answer: How to Sell Your Home To sell your home, you’ll usually: choose how you’re selling (agent, FSBO, or instant offer), price it using recent sold homes (comps), prep it so it shows well, list it with great photos and a clear description, host showings, negotiate the best offer (price + terms), work through inspection and appraisal, and then close and move out. Biggest win for most sellers: price it right and make it look easy to say “yes” to. Step 1: Pick Your Selling Route (Agent vs FSBO vs Instant Offer) Before you do anything else, decide how you want to sell...
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How Long Does It Take to Sell a Home? Fastest and Slowest Real Estate Markets 2026

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How Long Does It Take to Sell a Home? A Timeline Based on Real Market Data If you're planning to sell your home in 2026, one of your biggest questions is probably: "How long will this take?" The answer depends entirely on where you're selling. In Hartford, Connecticut, homes are selling in an average of just 7 days . In Austin, Texas, that same home could sit on the market for 106 days —more than three months. That's a 15x difference between the fastest and slowest major markets in the United States. This comprehensive guide analyzes real February 2026 market data from Redfin, Zillow, Realtor.com, and HousingWire to answer the question every seller wants to know: How long does it take to sell a home right now? We'll cover: - National average days on market - The 10 hottest (fastest-selling) markets - The 10 slowest (longest days on market) markets - What's driving these differences - How to estimate your selling timeline - Strategies to sell faster regardl...
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Is It Still a Good Idea to Buy Miami Beachfront Condos in 2026

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Buying Miami Beachfront Condos in 2026: Is It Still a Good Idea? Owning a beachfront condo in Miami has long been a status symbol, lifestyle dream, and investment play rolled into one. The image is seductive: waking up to ocean views, stepping directly onto white sand beaches, enjoying world-class dining and nightlife, and owning a piece of one of America's most glamorous coastal cities. But 2026 buyers are asking smarter questions. Rising insurance costs, stricter condo regulations, climate concerns, and shifting buyer demand have fundamentally changed the math. What worked in 2015 or even 2020 doesn't necessarily work today. The Miami beachfront condo market has matured, and with that maturity comes complexity. Buying a Miami beachfront condo can still be a great move — but only for the right buyer, in the right building, at the right price. This comprehensive guide breaks down everything you need to know: the real costs, the hidden risks, the regulatory changes, and most imp...
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Is It Still a Good Idea to Buy Miami Beachfront Condos in 2026

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Buying Miami Beachfront Condos in 2026: Is It Still a Good Idea? Owning a beachfront condo in Miami has long been a status symbol, lifestyle dream, and investment play rolled into one. The image is seductive: waking up to ocean views, stepping directly onto white sand beaches, enjoying world-class dining and nightlife, and owning a piece of one of America's most glamorous coastal cities. But 2026 buyers are asking smarter questions. Rising insurance costs, stricter condo regulations, climate concerns, and shifting buyer demand have fundamentally changed the math. What worked in 2015 or even 2020 doesn't necessarily work today. The Miami beachfront condo market has matured, and with that maturity comes complexity. Buying a Miami beachfront condo can still be a great move — but only for the right buyer, in the right building, at the right price. This comprehensive guide breaks down everything you need to know: the real costs, the hidden risks, the regulatory changes, and most imp...
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