Published October 11, 2026 in Market Update

More homes sold in Primary market even with mortgage rates above 7%

Freddie Mac put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.40% as of October 8, 2026. That is a real cost. But buyers here kept moving anyway.

Sales were up 10.8% from the same three months in 2025. That is a real jump, not a rounding error. Demand did not freeze.

The National Association of Realtors reported existing-home sales fell 2.0% month over month in August 2026 nationally. Primary market went the other way. That gap matters if you are deciding when to list.

The Real Estate Data Aggregator also counted 1,575 pending sales across Primary market. Pending means buyers signed contracts but have not yet closed. That pipeline points to more closings ahead.

Rates are high. So why are people still buying?

Freddie Mac also reported the 15-year fixed rate averaged 6.73% as of October 8, 2026. Neither rate is low. But the Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. house prices rose 0.3% from June to July 2026. Waiting has a cost too.

Realtor.com reported active listings nationally were up 6.7% from a year ago as of October 8, 2026. Primary market inventory was up only 1.7% by the Real Estate Data Aggregator count. More choice nationally, tighter supply here.

Not every ZIP told the same story

Prices moved in both directions across the 15 ZIP codes. Some rose sharply. Some dipped. Here is how the ZIPs compare on median sale price for the three months ending August 31, 2026.

ZIP 85251 saw the median sale price rise 17.8% year over year, to $630,000, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. ZIP 85257 rose 15.5%, to $595,000. Those are real gains in a high-rate year.

On the other side, ZIP 85013 saw the median fall 13.4%, to $485,000. ZIP 85014 fell 9.1%, to $485,500. More sales happened in both, but at lower prices. That is not a disaster. It is a signal to price carefully.

Speed: how fast did homes go under contract?

Realtor.com reported homes nationally spent one fewer day on the market than a year ago as of October 8, 2026. In Primary market, the picture varied by ZIP.

ZIP 85028 stood out. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 34.7% of homes going under contract within two weeks of listing. Median days on market there was just 55 days. That is one of the fastest ZIP codes in the market.

ZIP 85007 also moved quickly, with 28.2% of homes under contract within two weeks. Yet median days on market there was 79 days, up 28 days from a year earlier. Quick sales and slow ones can sit in the same ZIP.

Where supply is tightest and where it has grown

The National Association of Realtors reported the national months-of-supply figure at 4.9 months, the highest in over ten years. Most Primary market ZIPs sit below that line. Tighter supply here than the national average.

ZIP 85006 had 6.7 months of supply. That gives buyers more room to negotiate there. ZIP 85028 had just 3.4 months. Sellers there have less competition.

Sale price versus list price: how close did sellers get?

ZIP 85032 had 14.4% of homes sell above list price. That was the highest share of any ZIP in the data. Median days on market there was 52 days, the shortest of the four shown. Sellers who priced well did not wait long.

ZIP 85007 had a sale-to-list ratio of 94.1%, down 2 points from a year ago. Buyers there had more room to negotiate. Sellers need to know that going in.

The big mover: ZIP 85257

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 125 homes sold in ZIP 85257, up 43.7% from a year earlier. That was the biggest sales jump of any ZIP in the market.

More sales, a higher price and fewer days on market. That combination in a 7%-plus rate environment is worth noting.

One note of caution

Not every ZIP gained. ZIP 85028 saw homes sold fall 12.8% year over year, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Prices there also dipped 8.2%. Fewer sellers listed, and fewer buyers closed. That is a quieter pocket in an otherwise active market.

CNBC reported mortgage rates hit above 7.5% earlier in October 2026. Higher rates do slow some buyers. The honest read: the market is moving, but not every home or every street moves at the same pace.