Whatever the Fed decides today, your buyers will ask the same question: "What does this mean for my payment?"
Give them a plan, not a prediction.
The Fed doesn't set mortgage rates. They follow the bond market, including the 10-year Treasury, and they often move before the Fed does. Freddie Mac's 30-year average climbed from 6.65% in August to 7.32% on October 22.
Here's the part Charlotte buyers should pay attention to.
In the City of Charlotte in September:
Homes for sale were up 15.5% from a year ago
Homes took 49 days to sell
Sellers received 95.5% of their original asking price
More choices mean more room to negotiate. The question is what to ask for.
Take a $420,000 home and $10,000 from the seller:
→ As a price reduction: about $55 less per month
→ As a seller-paid permanent rate buydown: about $167 less per month
Same $10,000. About three times the monthly savings.
But it isn't automatic. A price reduction also lowers the down payment and the loan balance. In this example, the buydown comes out ahead only if the buyer keeps the loan longer than about five years. If they sell or refinance sooner, the price reduction wins. That's why the lender should run it both ways.
Three questions to ask every buyer this week:
Does your pre-approval still work at today's rate?
Have you compared loan estimates from at least two lenders?
Has your lender priced a buydown side by side with a price reduction?
The best negotiation isn't always the biggest price cut. It's the one that leaves your buyer in the strongest position.
No one can promise where rates go next. Our job is to know the numbers.
Agents and team leaders: are your buyers asking for price reductions or rate buydowns right now?
Sources: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, Oct. 22, 2026; Canopy MLS, September 2026, City of Charlotte. The example is for illustration only and isn't a loan offer. It assumes 20% down, a 30-year fixed loan, principal and interest only, and about 0.25% off the rate per discount point. Actual pricing varies by lender.
