Mortgage Rates Hit 3.5-Year Low as Rents and Prices Soften

The Realtor.com® economics team video update gives you the relevant economic and real estate information you need to know each week every Friday to navigate the housing market as a homebuyer, home seller, or industry professional. For the week ending February 20, Realtor.com® Chief Economist Danielle Hale discusses what we learned from the January 2026 Rental Trends report and the renter-friendliness of the 50-largest markets. She shares the latest new construction data, and what it means for buyers, sellers, and renters. She then covers recent housing data including pending home sales and improving seller engagement amid softer price trends in the Realtor.com weekly housing data. The softer price theme is welcome news for buyers and coincides with another market development that will benefit both buyers and sellers–a 3.5-year low in mortgage rates. Danielle discusses how much this drop boosts buyer purchasing power. Find all the details including full reports and our housing data for download at realtor.com/research. You can also follow us on X (formerly twitter) for real time updates. And Instagram @realtordotcomecon for graphics. ********* Reports and articles referenced: This week’s video https://www.realtor.com/research/video-economic-and-housing-market-update-february-20-2026/ Realtor.com January 2026 Rental Trends Report https://www.realtor.com/research/january-2026-rent/ Realtor.com Weekly Housing Market Trends – Week of February 14 https://www.realtor.com/research/weekly-housing-trends-view-data-week-february-14-2026/ Commentary on December 2025 New Construction https://www.realtor.com/research/new-home-construction-december-2025/ Commentary on January 2026 Pending Home Sales https://www.realtor.com/research/pending-home-sales-january-2026/ Commentary on Mortgage Rates - February 19, 2026 https://www.realtor.com/research/freddie-mac-mortgage-rates-february-19-2026/ Find detailed reports at https://www.realtor.com/research/ Find free housing data for download at https://www.realtor.com/research/data ********* Find your home on https://www.realtor.com ********* Download our mobile app: https://www.realtor.com/mobile ********* Follow us on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realtor.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realtordotcom TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realtor.com Threads: https://www.threads.net/@realtordotcom X: https://www.twitter.com/realtordotcom Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/realtordotcom -~-~~-~~~-~~-~- Learn More about the home buying process: "Home Buying 101: How Do I Get Started?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqZI4ZvjcRM -~-~~-~~~-~~-~- #realtor #realestate