Yury Shraybman, founder and team lead at Innovative Mortgage Brokers in Philadelphia, told Mortgage Professional America that some buyers have grown more cautious as rates climbed, particularly those already stretched on the monthly payment.
“I tell my clients to focus on the overall payment rather than just the rate, so we are looking at different ways to structure the loan, including seller concessions, temporary or permanent buydowns, and ARMs when they actually make sense for that particular buyer,” he said.
Unlike boomers, today’s buyers cannot count on a refinance to fix the payment later, he cautioned. “If rates improve later, refinancing may be an option, but you cannot obviously refinance the purchase price you paid for the home,” he said.
He also sees pent-up demand. “Getting consistently below 7% would probably get people’s attention, and moving closer to the mid-6% range could bring a meaningful number of buyers back into the market,” Shraybman said.
First American’s Real House Price Index showed real prices down 1.3% year over year in August 2026, even as rates rose.
