Daily market intelligence
Know what changed.
Understand what it means.
Current mortgage benchmarks and practical housing-market context for buyers, sellers, and investors across Metro Atlanta, North Georgia, and Birmingham.
Updated with market information available September 13, 2026. General educational information only. Mortgage rates and market conditions can change without notice.
Today’s perspective · September 13, 2026
Friday’s elevated mortgage averages remain the latest completed benchmarks.
Verified fact: Mortgage News Daily’s Friday averages increased across conventional, FHA, VA and jumbo programs. Rates were nearly unchanged for most of the day before several lenders raised pricing late Friday as an early bond-market improvement faded. Interpretation: the increase was modest for one day, but it extended a sharp weekly rise and kept affordability pressure elevated. No new national averages are published Sunday.
Mortgage rate snapshot
National averages.
Personal terms vary.
Friday figures are Mortgage News Daily national averages based on completed lender pricing. USDA’s latest reliable figure is Thursday’s Optimal Blue national rate-lock average published through FRED. These averages are market context, not lender quotes or commitments. These figures are not an advertisement, quote, approval, commitment to lend, or Loan Estimate.
Payment example$2,357 / month
$350,000 loan at 7.12%. Estimated monthly principal and interest for a 30 year fixed mortgage. Taxes, insurance, mortgage insurance, HOA fees, closing costs, points, and other expenses are not included.
What is moving the market
Facts first.
Then the decision.
Broad trends create context. Property type, condition, location, price range, financing, and timing determine the strategy.
01Mortgage market
Late-day repricing moved mortgage averages higher
Mortgage News Daily’s Friday averages rose to 7.12% for a 30 year conventional loan, 6.65% for a 15 year conventional loan, 6.68% for FHA, 6.70% for VA and 7.25% for jumbo. Friday’s move was modest until several lenders raised rates late in the day.
What it means
Buyers: Request a current lender quote and compare seller assistance, points and loan programs before changing your buying plan.
Sellers: Payment-sensitive buyers may still need closing-cost assistance or a financing concession to move forward.
Investors: Update debt-service assumptions before offering because small rate differences can change cash flow and coverage ratios.
Source: Mortgage News Daily02Metro Atlanta
More inventory is meeting weaker contract activity
August produced 28,427 active listings, up 3.6% from one year earlier. Properties placed under contract declined 26.6% annually, closed sales declined 4.0% and the median sales price decreased 1.3% to $390,000.
What it means
Buyers: More choices can create negotiating room, especially when a listing has been on the market longer.
Sellers: Accurate pricing, strong presentation and a clear value story matter from the first day on market.
Investors: More inventory can improve selection, but rent, repairs and carrying costs still need to support the numbers.
Source: Georgia MLS03Alabama
Sales and available inventory are both increasing
Alabama recorded 7,361 home sales in July, up 3.1% from June and 19.8% from one year earlier. Active listings reached 22,006, up 6.3% annually.
What it means
Buyers: Birmingham-area buyers may have more homes to compare without assuming every seller will negotiate.
Sellers: Growing inventory makes property condition, access and price positioning more important.
Investors: Study property-level cash flow and neighborhood demand instead of relying on broad market headlines.
Source: Alabama Association of REALTORS®Put the information to work
Different goals.
Different next moves.
Use the market as an input, not a substitute for property-specific research and professional advice.
Compare the complete opportunity
Do not evaluate a home by interest rate or price alone. Compare monthly payment, cash to close, concessions, property condition, location, and expected ownership timeline.
Compete with today’s alternatives
Your home is competing with more resale inventory and, in some areas, builder incentives. Pricing, presentation, access, and financing flexibility must work together.
Let the property support the decision
Use realistic rent, vacancy, maintenance, financing, insurance, taxes, reserves, and exit assumptions. Market momentum cannot rescue weak property economics.
Verification matters
Review the original sources.
LoveBot Realty interprets current information to help you prepare better questions. Important financial, legal, tax, appraisal, inspection, insurance, and lending decisions belong with the appropriate qualified professional.
Your decision is personal
Turn today’s information
into your strategy.
Speak with Jonathan about buying, selling, investing, relocating, or evaluating a specific opportunity.
Important disclosure: Rates shown are national averages drawn from third-party sources and may include different assumptions. Actual rates, APRs, points, credits, payments, and qualification vary by lender, borrower, credit, income, debt, down payment, loan size, program, occupancy, property type, location, lock period, and market conditions. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. LoveBot Realty and Jonathan Love are not acting as a mortgage lender, attorney, tax advisor, appraiser, inspector, or financial advisor through this page.