Does buying a home still make sense in 2026? The housing market looks completely different than it did just four years ago. Mortgage rates are higher, home prices have increased, affordability is stretched, and in many markets renting is considerably cheaper than owning.

In this episode of The Educated HomeBuyer, we take a step back from the monthly payment and look at the bigger picture. We break down how homeownership builds wealth over time through principal paydown, appreciation, leverage, and the ability to lock in a large portion of your housing costs with a fixed-rate mortgage.

We also discuss the real renting vs. buying calculation in today's housing market, why time is such an important part of the equation, and why buying a home doesn't make sense for everyone. If you're a first-time home buyer trying to decide whether you should buy now, keep renting, or wait for mortgage rates and affordability to improve, this episode will help you think through that decision.

Start Here 👇🏻

✅ Are you Ready To Become A Homeowner:
https://www.buyrightborrowsmart.com/quiz

✅ Start your stress-free journey today:
theeducatedhomebuyer.com/start

Whether you're preparing to buy your first home or simply trying to understand if homeownership still makes financial sense in today's market, the goal isn't to convince you to buy. It's to help you understand the numbers, know where you stand, and make the decision that's right for you.

Buy Right. Borrow Smart. Build Wealth.

Mortgage rates are staying higher than many buyers expected, and the Fed may not be the only reason why. With U.S. national debt now topping $40 trillion, rising Treasury yields could be putting additional pressure on mortgage rates and housing affordability. In this episode, we break down what’s really driving rates, what it means for the housing market, and whether buyers should expect meaningful relief anytime soon.

Start Here 👇🏻

✅ Not sure if you're ready to buy? Take the free 2-minute quiz and find out where you actually stand:
https://buyrightborrowsmart.com/quiz

✅ Already know you're ready? Get 15 minutes of real clarity: what you can actually afford, what it costs to close, and exactly what to do next:
http://www.buyrightborrowsmart.com/start

✅ Article discussed at the top of the show:
Uncle Sam’s $40 Trillion Tab Is Living Rent-Free in Your Mortgage Payment

Watch This Next 👇🏻

➡️ The 2026 Housing Market Has PEAKED! Where Do We Go From Here?

📩 info@theeducatedhomebuyer.com
💻 www.buyrightborrowsmart.com

Connect with me 👇

Jeb Smith
DRE 01407449
Real Broker

Buying in a market you don't fully understand is stressful. Jeb walks you through it in plain language, so you know exactly what you're getting into before you make an offer.

Josh Lewis
Certified Mortgage Consultant | NMLS 234220
United American Mortgage Corp

Nobody wants to be surprised at closing. Josh gets you real numbers up front, tells you what you actually qualify for, and helps you avoid the mistakes that cost buyers thousands.

M: 714-916-5727

#HousingMarket #InterestRates #LIVE

Buying your first home can feel overwhelming, especially when you're trying to understand mortgage rates, loan options, down payment requirements, closing costs, and how much home you can actually afford. The goal of The Educated HomeBuyer is to help first-time home buyers cut through the noise, understand the mortgage and real estate process, and make smarter decisions before buying a house.

Whether you're just starting to save, getting ready for a mortgage pre-approval, comparing lenders, or actively shopping for a home, understanding the process can help you avoid expensive mistakes. We break down first-time home buyer programs, FHA loans, conventional loans, mortgage rates, home affordability, credit requirements, and the home buying process so you can buy with confidence.

✅ Are you Ready To Become A Homeowner?
Take the Homebuyer Readiness Quiz

✅ Start your stress-free journey today:
Connect with The Educated HomeBuyer Team

Our mission is simple: help you Buy Right. Borrow Smart. Build Wealth. If you're a first-time home buyer looking for straightforward advice on mortgages, real estate, and buying a home, you're in the right place.

Thinking about buying a condo? New lending rules from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could make getting a mortgage on certain condos more difficult, and first-time home buyers need to understand the risks before making an offer.

In this episode of The Educated HomeBuyer, Jeb Smith and Josh Lewis break down the major changes affecting condo financing, including stricter HOA financial reviews, reserve requirements, deferred maintenance, structural inspections, insurance requirements, and the elimination of the limited review for most condo projects. These changes are designed to uncover problems before you buy, but they could also cause more condo communities to become non-warrantable, potentially requiring a larger down payment, higher mortgage rate, or alternative financing.

We also explain what first-time home buyers should look for when reviewing HOA documents, including reserve studies, financial statements, meeting minutes, special assessments, litigation, and upcoming repairs. A condo may look great on the surface, but problems with the HOA or building can affect your ability to finance the property today and potentially make it harder to sell later.

Before buying a condo, you need to understand more than the monthly HOA payment. Knowing the financial and structural health of the community can help you avoid unexpected special assessments, financing problems, and expensive surprises after closing.

Whether you're buying your first condo, comparing a condo vs. single-family home, or trying to better understand the home buying process, this episode will help you know what questions to ask before writing an offer.

✅ Are you Ready To Become A Homeowner:
https://www.buyrightborrowsmart.com/quiz

✅ Start your stress-free journey today:
theeducatedhomebuyer.com/start

Topics Covered:
Condo financing requirements, buying a condo, first-time home buyer tips, Fannie Mae condo guidelines, Freddie Mac condo guidelines, HOA reserves, HOA financials, condo special assessments, non-warrantable condos, condo inspections, condo insurance, mortgage requirements, HOA documents, and the home buying process.

Buying a house before you’re truly ready could set you back financially for years. And the scary part is, you can have good credit, qualify for a mortgage, have your down payment saved and STILL not be ready to buy. In this episode, we break down five questions every first-time home buyer should be able to answer before making an offer on a home.

We discuss how to know whether you can actually afford to buy a house, why your maximum mortgage approval matters less than the payment you’re comfortable making, how much cash you should have left after closing, and why draining your savings just to become a homeowner can create unnecessary financial stress. We also explain why first-time buyers should think about staying in a home for at least five years instead of assuming they’ll build enough equity to move again in two or three years.

You’ll also learn why falling home prices shouldn’t automatically scare you if you’re buying for the long term, how to think about your home as a place to live instead of an investment you check every day, and why buying because of FOMO, pressure from family, or fear of being priced out can lead to the wrong decision. The goal isn’t simply to help you qualify for a mortgage. It’s to help you become a homeowner without putting yourself in a position where the payment, unexpected expenses, or changes in the housing market keep you up at night.

If you’re a first-time home buyer wondering whether now is a good time to buy a house, how much house you can afford, how much money you need to buy a home, or whether you should keep renting and save more money, this episode will help you figure out where you actually stand.

Start Here 👇🏻

✅ Take the "Am I Ready to Buy?" quiz:
https://buyrightborrowsmart.com/quiz

✅ Start your stress-free journey today:
http://www.buyrightborrowsmart.com/start

In this episode, we cover:
• How to know if you’re financially ready to buy a house
• The three mortgage numbers every first-time buyer should know
• Why qualifying for a mortgage doesn’t mean you can comfortably afford it
• How much money you should have left after buying a home
• Why using every dollar you have for your down payment and closing costs can be risky
• Why a five-year time horizon matters when buying real estate
• What happens if home values decline after you buy
• Why you shouldn’t depend on short-term appreciation to move into your next home
• How FOMO and outside pressure can lead to bad home-buying decisions
• How to determine whether buying a home makes sense for you right now

Buying your first home is about more than getting pre-approved, finding a house and making an offer. The right home-buying strategy starts with understanding your mortgage payment, closing costs, cash reserves, timeline and financial goals so you can buy right, borrow smart and build wealth.

#FirstTimeHomeBuyer #BuyingAHouse #HomeBuying #Mortgage #RealEstate #HomeBuyer #FirstTimeBuyer #HousingMarket #MortgageTips #HomeBuyingTips

Home affordability isn't going back to what it was, and waiting for the "perfect" time to buy could leave you even further behind. Morgan Stanley's latest housing report says the housing market has reset into a new normal, and it closely mirrors what we've been telling buyers for years. In this episode, we break down why buying a home has become more challenging, what this housing market reset means for first-time home buyers, and how to determine whether now is the right time to buy based on your financial situation, not the headlines.

If you're wondering whether you should buy a house now or wait, this video walks through the latest housing market trends, mortgage rates, inventory, affordability, and the long-term financial impact of homeownership. We explain why experts believe affordability is unlikely to return to pre-2020 levels, how higher mortgage rates have changed the market, and why waiting for a major correction may not deliver the opportunity many buyers are hoping for.

Whether you're a first-time home buyer, planning to purchase your first house, or simply trying to understand today's real estate market, you'll learn the strategies that can help you make a smarter decision with confidence. Our goal isn't to convince you to buy a home. It's to give you the information you need to decide if homeownership makes sense for your life and your finances.

Start Here 👇🏻

✅ Ready to Become a Homeowner? Start your stress-free journey today:
https://www.theeducatedhomebuyer.com/start

In This Video:

• Why Morgan Stanley says the housing market has entered a "new normal"
• Why home affordability may never return to previous levels
• Should you buy a house now or wait?
• The long-term benefits of homeownership
• Why mortgage rates alone shouldn't determine your decision
• The "flywheel" effect of building wealth through real estate
• How to know when you're financially ready to buy

If you found this video helpful, be sure to subscribe for weekly housing market updates, first-time home buyer tips, mortgage education, and practical real estate advice designed to help you Buy Right, Borrow Smart, and Build Wealth.

Will housing become more affordable, or is the market resetting at a higher barrier to entry?

According to Morgan Stanley, you shouldn’t wait for affordability to recover. Instead, you should consider buying when the right opportunity makes sense for your circumstances.

In this live housing market update, we’ll discuss why Morgan Stanley doesn’t believe buyers should wait for affordability to improve and why this housing market reset may actually mean a higher barrier to entry. We’ll also break down the latest housing data and answer your real estate and mortgage questions live.

Start Here 👇🏻

✅ Are You Ready to Become a Homeowner?

✅ Start Your Stress-Free Journey Today

✅ Read the Morgan Stanley Article Discussed in This Video

📩 info@theeducatedhomebuyer.com
💻 www.buyrightborrowsmart.com

Connect with Jeb 👇

Jeb Smith
DRE 01407449
Real Broker

Connect with Josh 👇

Josh Lewis, Certified Mortgage Consultant
NMLS 234220
United American Mortgage Corp
M: 714-916-5727

Mortgage rates just hit their highest level in over a year, and first-time home buyers everywhere are asking the same question: When will mortgage rates finally come down?

In this video, I'll explain what's really driving today's mortgage rates, why they've stayed higher for longer than many expected, and what has to happen before interest rates move lower. If you're thinking about buying a house in 2026, understanding how mortgage rates, inflation, and the economy work together can help you make a smarter home buying decision.

Whether you're a first-time home buyer, moving up to your next home, or wondering if you should buy now or wait, I'll break down what today's housing market means for you. I'll also show you why waiting for lower mortgage rates could end up costing you more than buying with today's interest rates.

👇 Ready to Take the Next Step Toward Homeownership?

✅ Are You Ready to Buy a Home?
Take my FREE Home Buyer Readiness Quiz:
http://www.buyrightborrowsmart.com/quiz

✅ Start Your Stress-Free Home Buying Journey Today
Learn exactly what to do before buying a house and avoid costly mistakes.
http://www.theeducatedhomebuyer.com/start

On this channel, you'll learn everything you need to know about buying a home, qualifying for a mortgage, understanding FHA loans, conventional loans, mortgage rates, down payments, credit scores, refinancing, and navigating today's real estate market with confidence.

If you found this video helpful, be sure to Like, Subscribe, and turn on notifications so you never miss future videos about mortgage rates, first-time home buyers, home loans, and the housing market.

#FirstTimeHomeBuyer #MortgageRates #HomeBuying #HousingMarket #InterestRates #BuyAHouse #Mortgage #RealEstate #HomeLoans #HomeBuyerTips