Found 4 blog entries tagged as mortgage rates.

Tri-Cities home prices are on track to remain near their current levels through the end of 2026. Sales and prices continue performing at record highs, but most of this year’s price growth occurred during the first half.

Inventory is increasing, giving buyers more options, but the number of available homes remains below pre-pandemic levels. That limited supply continues to support prices, even as high mortgage rates and more selective buyers restrict how much further they can climb.

The first half of the year did much of the market’s heavy lifting. The year-to-date median sale price in the Kingsport-Bristol metro area increased 2.04%, placing it close to most full-year forecasts. Zillow’s outlook calls for a 2.4% increase in Kingsport-Bristol…

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The Tri-Cities housing market ended the first half of 2026 on solid ground, but signs of a plateau are beginning to emerge. Demand remains strong, prices are still rising and inventory continues to favor sellers. However, affordability has limited further growth and pushed more buyers toward the middle and upper ends of the market.

Through June, the region recorded 4,115 home sales, an 8.3% increase from the same period last year. New listings rose 2.9%, while the median sales price increased approximately 3.5%.

Despite those gains, TCI’s Annualized Sales Tracker—a rolling 12-month measurement of closings—declined 0.1%. The small dip ended 12 consecutive months of growth. It does not signal a downturn, but it suggests the market is leveling off.

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Tri-Cities Mortgage Lending Grew in 2026, but Refinancing Tells the Real Story

At first glance, the Tri-Cities mortgage market looks strong. Total loan originations across the region rose 10.1% year over year in the first quarter of 2026, outperforming what many buyers and sellers might expect in a higher-rate environment. But a closer look at the data shows that this was not a surge driven by home purchases. Instead, the real growth came from refinancing activity, while purchase lending slipped and home equity borrowing also moved lower. That shift matters because it shows the local market is still feeling many of the same affordability pressures seen across the country, even if the headline numbers appear more positive.

Total Lending Increased,…

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Northeast Tennessee Housing Affordability Faces New Challenges in 2026

For many families across Northeast Tennessee, the path to homeownership has become far more difficult than it was just a few years ago. Since 2019, monthly housing costs have risen dramatically across the region’s three major metro areas, putting increasing pressure on household budgets. Recent affordability data shows that while homeownership remains a goal for many buyers, the financial reality has shifted in a major way. From Johnson City to Kingsport-Bristol to Greeneville, rising home prices, higher mortgage rates, and increased insurance costs are all contributing to a tighter housing market.

Johnson City Has Seen the Biggest Affordability Shift

Of the three metro areas…

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