{"id":102,"date":"2026-10-15T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lynnemercer.com\/blog\/?p=102"},"modified":"2026-10-15T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T12:00:00","slug":"u-s-builder-sentiment-hits-12-month-low","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lynnemercer.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/15\/u-s-builder-sentiment-hits-12-month-low\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Builder Sentiment Hits 12-Month Low"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"video-zmyer\">\n<div class=\"video-frame-zmyer\">\n        <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.roomvu.com\/agent\/embed\/lynne-mercer\/home-builder-sentiment-remotion-videos-f500\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><br \/>\n        <\/iframe>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"video-description-zmyer\">\n<p>The latest numbers on U.S. builder sentiment reflect some real shifts in the market. In late Q3, the builder-confidence index dropped by 3 points to 32, with current sales conditions at 35 and six-month sales expectations down to 37. Buyer traffic remained at 23\u2014a reminder of how sensitive the market is to broader economic pressures. Notably, 38% of builders nationwide have reduced prices, and two-thirds are now offering incentives, up from 63% in mid-Q3. On the financing front, mortgage applications for new-home purchases have declined for the fifth consecutive month as average 30-year rates stayed in the high-6% range. Many larger builders are responding by offering builder-paid rate buydowns, which help buyers secure below-market mortgages and keep things moving without relying solely on price cuts. With 30-year rates near 7% as of late Q3, two leading housing forecasters expect rates to remain in this high-6% or higher territory through 2027.<\/p>\n<p>As someone who\u2019s helped buyers and sellers navigate changing markets for over 46 years on the mid-Peninsula, I know that understanding these trends\u2014and how they affect your real estate journey\u2014is key. My approach has always been to put my clients first, ensuring you have the insights and support you need to make confident decisions, no matter the market climate.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The latest numbers on U.S. builder sentiment reflect some real shifts in the market. In late Q3, the builder-confidence index dropped by 3 points to 32, with current sales conditions at 35 and six-month sales expectations down to 37. Buyer traffic remained at 23\u2014a reminder of how sensitive the market is to broader economic pressures. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":235,"featured_media":103,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-posts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnemercer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnemercer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnemercer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnemercer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/235"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnemercer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnemercer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104,"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnemercer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102\/revisions\/104"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnemercer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnemercer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnemercer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnemercer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}