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📊 The Weekly Altos Market Report: August 31, 2026

Mortgage rates stay high but contained, and demand cools in an orderly way rather than breaking. Inventory keeps inching up and homes take longer to sell, pushing more sellers into price cuts.

📈 The National Data

The national market is cooling in a controlled way: rates are high enough to slow demand, but sellers are still showing up.

• Median list price: The median list price slipped to $440,000 from $442,500 week over week.
  
  

• Active inventory: Active inventory rose to 879,764 from 874,784, with inventory now up 2.21% year over year.
  
  

• Days on market: Median days on market jumped to 70 from 63 (+7 days, +11.1%).
  
  

• New listings & price reductions: New listings were 66,874 vs 63,762 a year ago, while 42.10% of listings have recent price reductions.

Bottom line: With supply building, market time stretching, and price cuts common, the best outcomes will come from realistic pricing, standout presentation, and proactive negotiation from day one.

💡Turn National Data into Local Context with Altos

Here’s how agents and teams can translate this week’s national story into local conversations that win listings and help buyers act decisively:

• Get ahead of the price-cut wave with local proof: With roughly 42.10% of listings showing reductions and the national median list price easing to ~$440,000, open the Price reduction chart to identify the ZIP codes where cuts are accelerating versus rare.

• Measure whether new supply is outpacing demand in your market: Even with demand cooling, new listings are still steady year-over-year, so use the New listings vs. listings absorbed chart to compare incoming inventory to what’s actually getting absorbed locally.

*Custom charts shown above available to users on the Altos Advanced plan.

📰 Market News & Policy Watch

Beyond the weekly numbers, several key developments are shaping the 2026 landscape:

• Point’s Matt Windsor on the push for regulatory clarity in the HEI space: Home equity investments are growing fast, but unclear licensing and disclosure rules are fueling lawsuits; Point says it’s proactively building compliance (licensed MLOs, counseling, tailored disclosures) while a Senate bill considers treating HEIs like residential mortgages. Track what the HEI rulebook could mean for homeowner options.
  
  

• Mounting ICE raids leave homebuilding’s frontlines frozen in fear: A surge in worksite enforcement is reportedly worsening construction labor shortages in some markets, driving up trade costs, delaying builds and adding uncertainty for buyers waiting to close. See how labor disruptions could ripple into new-home supply and pricing.
  
  

• Federal agencies scrap Biden-era SPCP guidance: Multiple federal agencies rescinded the 2022 interagency statement on Special Purpose Credit Programs, warning lenders not to rely on prior guidance tied to race-conscious program design under ECOA/Reg B. Understand what the SPCP rollback changes for lender programs.

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