REAL ESTATE MARKET 2026 - MAKE THE RIGHT TURNS ON YOUR ROAD WITH HOMEOWNERSHIP

REAL ESTATE MARKET 2026- MAKE THE RIGHT TURNS ON YOUR ROAD WITH HOMEOWNERSHIP

Jo Garner · REAL ESTATE MARKET 2026- MAKE THE RIGHT TURNS ON YOUR ROAD WITH HOMEOWNERSHIP

LET’S GET STARTED…(Jo) (Good morning, Memphis! Welcome to our internet listeners and podcast listeners across the 50 states! . Today is June 13^th, 2026. I’m your host, Jo Garner, Mortgage Loan Originator. You can connect with me at www.JoGarner.com. Our general topic is RIGHT ROADS TO TAKE IN TODAY’S REAL ESTATE MARKET 2026. Thank you to attorneys Shelley Rothman and Rob Draughon of Griffin, Clift, Everton and Maschmeyer Law Firm for sponsoring THIS episode of Real Estate Mortgage Shoppe. When you are ready to buy a home or refinance one, Shelley Rothman and Rob Draughon can help you will the title work and closing . (901) 752-1133.

Introducing Allen McCool, Appraiser with Stephenson and Associates

Allen McCool of Stephenson and Associates has several decades experience appraising residential homes in the MidSouth in Tennessee and Mississippi. He does appraisals for lenders, family estate settlements, divorce, cash buyers. As good as he is at appraising real estate, he is equally terrific at composing and performing his own music. We are playing one of Allen’s songs on our Did You Know segment with this show. Check out Allen’s music for yourself at www.allenmccool.com and you can buy it on Pixabay.

(Allen McCool has about a minute and a half to intro himself and talk about the services he offers his clients )

(Jo) In the 1976 comedy movie “Gumball Rally,” reckless Grand Prix champion Franco Bertollini reaches up and plucks the rear view mirror from the windshield of his Ferrari and tells his passenger, “What’s behind me is Not important.” Well, maybe looking in the rearview mirror occasionally is helpful. Just be aware of the traffic around you and what you see ahead through the windshield. The same wisdom applies to YOU when you are on the road to buying your first home, your second or third home or when you are refinancing a home you already own.

The Rearview Mirror- Based on historical data over the last 50 years, the average 30-year mortgage rate is 7.70%. Today, you can get a 30-year mortgage rate in the low to mid 6’s—which is actually a great deal.

Fifty years ago the average price of a home in the U.S. was $48,000. Today the average price of a home is $514k—a 972% increase which outpaces consumer inflation. Real estate is a protective hedge against inflation.

Allen gives his appraiser view point about The Appraiser’s Perspective (about 30 seconds) what he sees out in the field with home values in the MidSouth and factors that drive the home values.

Look around today—After spiking the the low 8 percent range in 2023, mortgage rates are back down around the low to mid 6’s. Home prices are still gradually moving up a little less than 2% nationwide, with cities in the Sunbelt and Mountain West have not done so well. In the Midsouth we are seeing increasing home values up 6.6% in May 2026 and about 3% year-over-year. Buyers have a better choice of homes for sale and more success negotiating sellers to pay closing costs and mortgage rate buydowns.

The motto for this current market is, “Marry the House. Date the Interest Rate. If and when mortgage rates go down again, you can always refinance to a lower rate. At least you have secured your home in your name before prices go up again.

Windshield View- Fannie Mae shared their Housing Expectations Survey last week and reported that 150 of the top real estate economists are forecasting home prices to continue to go up about 14% in the next 60 months. Fannie Mae and others predict mortgage rates are going to say in the 6’s for the next 12 months.

If you are a buyer, know your own comfort level on what you can comfortably pay on a house note. Know your limits on what you can pay down, always keeping your emergency enough money in you emergency fund. Lots a great down payment assistance programs can help you. There are some special programs with below-market interest rates too.

First-time homebuyer Jay-Ray had a dream: Tired of wasting money on rent. Wants to buy his first home. Challenge: Mortgage rates are making the payment too high to afford the house he wants. Solution: Special mortgage program for veterans and first-responders like Jay-Ray with ULTRA low interest rate. When regular 30-year mortgage rates were in the low 6’s, Jay-Ray got a rate in the high 5’s, making the house he wanted his using a special program.

(Jo) Allen McCool, our appraisal expert with Stephenson’s & Association, what are some observations you see? (Allen has about 3 minutes until break to launch his topics)

OUTRO: You’re on Real Estate Mortgage Shoppe. I’m your host, Jo Garner, Mortgage Loan Originator. What do YOU want to accomplish with YOUR mortgage? I can make the mortgage process EASY for you with the right mortgage. Connect with me at JoGarner.com When we come back, we will be hearing more from Ed Hill of Masters Roofing. Realtor, Pat Goldstein of Crye-Leike will also be joining us. See you back in just a moment.

2nd segment is after first break 8 minutes 50 seconds

( Waaka Waaka song in background ) COMIC QUERIES (you probably already know the answer, but we will ask anyway

(Allen) Riddle 3: Riddle: I am a sentence spoken by a driver that instantly causes a passenger to drop their map, grab the door handle, and pray to the heavens, even though it sounds completely reassuring. What sentence am I?

(Jo) Answer: “Don’t worry, I know a shortcut.”

(Jo) Riddle: I am a digital voice that claims to be a master of geography, yet on a simple trip, I will confidently tell you to make a sharp left turn directly into a brick wall because a developer built a subdivision there in 2024. What am I?

(Allen) Answer: A GPS navigation app.

(Jo) Today on Real Estate Mortgage Shoppe we are talking about REAL ESTATE MARKET 2026- MAKE THE RIGHT TURNS ON YOUR ROAD WITH HOMEOWNERSHIP

I’m your host, Jo Garner, Mortgage Loan Originator . For your home purchase or a mortgage refinance you can brag about,. We can find the right mortgage product and make the mortgage process EASY on a traditional mortgage, on special programs and outside-of-the-box mortgage programs too. Connect with me at JoGarner.com

Allen McCool, Appraiser with Stephenson & Associates 901 763-2100

TALKSHOPPE TIP

Pat Goldstein, Realtor with Crye-Leike in TN and North MS
(901) 606-2000

Talk Shoppe is one of our major sponsors on Real Estate Mortgage Shoppe. Talk Shoppe offers free networking and education to our local business community. If you join the Talk Shoppe Sponsor team, you can get a wide variety of marketing venues at a below-market price. www.TalkShoppe.com Pat Goldstein is a realtor with Crye-Leike Realtors working in Tennessee and North Mississippi contributes to our real estate community through her sponsorship at Talk Shoppe. Pat, you are known to your customers as the Gold Standard in Real Estate for helping home buyers and home sellers. You have several decades experience and know the markets and how to negotiate for your clients. What is our Talk Shoppe tip today, Pat?

Thank you, what is our Talk Shoppe Tip today?

Follow advise from your realtor, lender, appraiser, title pros when you are buying a home or getting a mortgage. Your friend or family member may tell you their own story and advise you differently. Share their ideas with your real estate professionals, but rely on the advise of your real estate professionals. You situation may be similar to the other person’s situation, but the market and regulations may have changed. You situation may be slightly different. Listen to your real estate professionals.

Talk Shoppe tip person shares tip (about 1 minute)

How do we contact you? 901 606-2000

____________________________________________________________

TOPICS BY ALLEN MCCOOL, APPRAISER WITH STEPHENSON & ASSOCIATES

There was a recent article in the Commercial Appeal / USA Today observing that real estate market conditions around the country are becoming less uniform and more distinctive to their locations.

Appraisers are in the business of analyzing market forces and interpreting trends within submarkets.

As a buyer, you would be at an advantage if you were to take a detailed look at your personal objectives in selecting a home, and then making comparisons to the prevailing motivations driving values in the locations you are considering.

Make a list of your priorities and rank them. Proximity to work, school, shopping, or other amenities may comprise your list. Perhaps proximity to members of your extended family or close friends.

Then look at what is driving the bulk of participants in the submarket you are comparing.

Historically and in a general sense, the submarkets with the most upward pressure on price over time have been those which cater to the growing family. Characteristics such as school districts, employment, security, recreation, and others tend to be sought-after. Other accelerators include special views or luxury accommodations.

If you know your needs, then you can pick what you want to pay for, to an extent, by determining what you rank highest in your objective list, and steering clear of the competition for amenities or locations that are priced higher for items you may not need or want.

On the other hand, you may want to buy in a rapidly-appreciating area, and enjoy owning a growing asset, whether or not a school district makes any personal difference to you, for example.

Buying a home, whether first-time, move-up, or downsizing, is a personal and often emotional process. Breaking down the components can help the decision-making process.

3^RD SEGMENT 12 minutes

( Small Victories song by Allen McCool playing in background)

For Did You Know today…(see if you can guess the answer before we do)

Question: What is the name of the famous “Highway to Nowhere” located in Memphis, TN?

Hint# 1: In the late 1950s, the federal government planned a massive transcontinental route for Interstate 40, extending over 2,500 miles from North Carolina to California. The problem? It was going to cut through the middle of Overton Park and the Memphis Zoo

Hint# 2: A grassroots group of local citizens (predominantly led by neighborhood women) sued the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to protect the park. It escalated to the Supreme Court who ruled to stop the road construction. Today this makes Memphis one of the only cities that has a major transcontinental interstate that just dead ends. What is the name of this roadway today?

Allen ANSWER: Sam Cooper Boulevard

(Jo) Today on Real Estate Mortgage Shoppe we are talking about REAL ESTATE MARKET 2026- MAKE THE RIGHT TURNS ON YOUR ROAD WITH HOMEOWNERSHIP

Allen McCool, Appraiser with Stephenson & Associates 901 763-2100
Pat Goldstein, Realtor with Crye-Leike 901 606-2000

TOPICS COVERED BY JO GARNER, LICENSED MORTGAGE OFFICER

More Examples of Right Turns People Are Making In Real Estate

As we checked the rear view mirror at our real estate market in the first part of this show, then we checked out where we are now and what is ahead of us, we now have some good ideas for where to make our next turns.

The shift toward higher inventory and longer days on market grants buyers renewed negotiating power, even with mortgage rates are in near mid 6’s.

Target Motivated Sellers and Long-Standing Listings

Identify Aged Listings: Target properties sitting on the market for over 45 to 60 days.
Negotiate Price Adjustments: Ask for price cuts or seller credits rather than entering bidding wars.
Ask for Contingencies: Include mandatory inspection, appraisal, and home-sale contingencies to protect your earnest money.

Structure Seller-Funded Interest Rate Buydowns

Request 2-1 Buydowns: Ask the seller to prepay a credit that lowers your mortgage rate by 2% in the first year and 1% in the second year.
Lower Initial Payments: This provides immediate financial relief while you wait for long-term macroeconomic rates to stabilize.
Maximize Cash Reserves: Keep your personal cash liquid for future principal paydowns instead of using it to buy points upfront.

In a real estate market that is giving buyers more choices and more opportunities to negotiate for sellers to help with paying some closing costs, here are some success stories:

Earlier in the show I shared the story of Jay-Ray, a first responder and first time homebuyer how got some down payment assistance and a much lower than market interest rate using a special bond program. It supplied him with the money needed to close and a more affordable payment.

The next story is about a customer who was getting started in her career in the Information Technology. Her income was going up and was projected to continue to increase over time. The problem for this lady was she was still at entry level pay and needed a lower than market interest rate to afford to buy the house she wanted to make her home.

The right turn for this lady, Seema, was using the FHA 5-1 Adjustable Rate mortgage with a low-down payment an interest rate over a full point lower than the market rate that would be fixed for the first five years. After the five-year period, the safety caps on the rate would still make the mortgage affordable for Seema for longer than five years.

Some homebuyers are like the Jasper’s. Like Seema, they found the exact house where they wanted to buy and move so they could be closer to family. Their hold back was, they wanted to wait and sell their current home after moving out so they could make some needed repairs and sell it for a higher price later.

When I asked them, the Jaspers said they were still working and could afford a higher note on the new place if they put a small amount down, but they did not want to have the large note after they retired in a couple of years. Since they had almost paid off their old home, they looked into getting an equity line of credit on it to use for making a larger down payment on the new home to keep the payment on that house low. But, the bank would only loan them up to 80% of the home’s value. The equity line would not give them enough of their equity and there would be extra costs involved.

The right turn for the Jaspers was to go ahead and put the very small amount down on the new home with the higher note. They would move out of their old home and have the repairs done. Once it sold for top price, they would take the large net profit of over $200,000 and pay down the balance on the new mortgage. I set the new loan up so that they could exercise a one-time RECAST option. The RECAST allowed the mortgage company to lower the Jasper’s payment by a couple thousand dollars per month once they made the $200k prepayment.

Once they sold the old house the payment on the new house dropped down from around $3,000 per month to under $1,000 a month. Using this strategy, the Jaspers were able to go ahead and buy the house where they wanted to live. They could take the extra time to fix up the old house and get top dollar. And, they could still enjoy the ultra low mortgage payment once they did the prepayment to principal and recast.

Real estate INVESTORs are getting back into real estate buying opportunities.

The special low documentation DSCR programs they are using have mortgage rates that tend to be lower than fully documented loans. These DSCR programs allow the investor to buy in their own name or in the name of their LLC. They are more flexible, allowing for investors to buy regular properties and also AirBNB properties. The focus is on getting the investor a positive cash flow.

Here are some right turns homeowners are making who need to refinance their homes.

REFINANCE STRATEGIES PEOPLE ARE USING IN THE 2026 REAL ESTATE MARKET

One of the best tools for making right turns for your real estate using a mortgage refinance when it makes sense.

#1. Cash out refinance to combine your low balance first mortgage and high balance, higher interest rate debt into one single digit, fixed rate mortgage. When you can save several hundred dollars a month on a cash out refinance, consider using the extra savings to pay the mortgage off early.

#2. Cash out refinance to buy an additional property

#3. Cash out refinance to modify your home to fit the way you want to live in your home.

#4. Cash from other sources

MAKE YOUR PLAN. LET’S WORK YOUR PLAN. IF THE DEAL WORKS FOR YOU TODAY, LET’S DO IT TODAY. I can make the mortgage process easy. Connect with me at www.JoGarner.com You can email me at Jo@JoGarner.com or call me at (901) 482-0354

4^th Segment 8 minutes and 50 seconds

(THE SONG UpBeat Inspirations PLAYING IN BACKGROUND ) INSIGHTS & INSPIRATIONS

Observation, Initiation-The Quickest Road to Success

This young lady spent her youth watching her uncle, a chemist, create skin creams in their kitchen. She dreamed of building her own beauty empire, selling skin care products in established department stores. But, she didn’t have any money, but she had time. She spent that time sitting around in New York hair salons watching women.

These women who were sitting under hair dryers were a captive audience. She brought in her uncle’s skin creams and they let her apply it to their faces while they waited for their hair to dry. This turned out to be a direct route to success, bypassing completely the expensive retail supply chain.

Next, this young lady targeted luxury department stores. But, she didn’t have a budget for a big marketing campaign. She took a different road. She announced that every customer buying her skin cream would get a free gift with the purchase. She tossed in free lipstick. Her customers were so pleased, they brought in more and more customers by their word of mouth. Before long this lady, Estee Lauder and her invention of the “Free Gift With Purchase” idea, became a standard marketing strategy around the country.

Do you have something in life you really want to do but you seem to hit dead ends? Stop, observe and try a different route. Taking a different road just might get you where you want to go quicker, and it might be a more scenic route.

(Jo) Today on Real Estate Mortgage Shoppe we are talking about REAL ESTATE MARKET 2026- MAKE THE RIGHT TURNS ON YOUR ROAD WITH HOMEOWNERSHIP

Allen McCool, Appraiser with Stephenson & Associates 901 763-2100
Pat Goldstein, Realtor with Crye-Leike 901 606-2000

REAL ESTATE TIP OF THE WEEK

Allen McCool’s Tip (about 1.5 minutes) Know your comfort level on a payment and move- in costs. Get preapproved with a lender and understand what your payments and costs will be before you make the offer.

Pat Goldstein’s Tip (1 minute) Write down your list of priorities on what you really need to have on the house you are shopping to buy. Also, write down a list in order of priority of things you do NOT want in a home. When you give your list to your realtor, both of you will save time and money because you can focus every time on only homes that meet your specifications.

Jo Garner’s tip :

If you are able to get some assistance from the home seller when you buying a home, a strategy that will get you 100% value on the seller’s concession is to have them pay your closing costs. When you simply try to get them to lower their price, it can take years to recapture the full value of the dollar amount they lower the price. However, based on the time-value-of-month formula, when they pay your closing costs, you realize 100% dollar for dollar on the day you buy the home.

Call or text me today at 901 482-0354 or go to www.JoGarner.com. I can show you this strategy and more…

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Talk Shoppe equips with education, engages by offering connection opportunities between business people and empowers businesses in a supportive community. Talk Shoppe meets every Wednesday 9A-10A CT at Independent Planning Group’s conference room 110 at Clark Tower 5100 Poplar Ave 1^st floor Memphis, TN

(Thank you Ben Hunter 901 660-2912 outstanding Financial Professional at Independent Planning Group for being Talk Shoppe’s location sponsor)

Talk Shoppe on Wednesday June 17th, 2026 9AM CT “Your Voice. Your Health Care Choices” Tonya Wales, LBSW Executive Administrator of Baptist Trinity Hospice

This is a Health Talk powered by Resource4Care.com, Sponsored by MidSouth Home Helpers for your loved ones needing non-medical assistance to stay happy and safe 901 414-9696, Sponsored by Talk Shoppe www.talkshoppe.com

Thank you for Christine Wood of Opus Senior Living for your support of the health community through your Talk Shoppe sponsorship. For Memory Care when a loved ones needs it, contact Christine Wood at 901-587-7100.

Join me as your mortgage expert and realtor Silvana Piadade of EXP Realty for homebuying zoominar Tuesday night 6pm CT to 6:45pm to get the latest strategies for buying a home in this market. Go to www.TalkShoppe.com and click on the Events tab You will see the area that asked you to sign in.

MAKE YOUR PLAN. LET’S WORK YOUR PLAN. IF THE DEAL WORKS FOR YOU TODAY, DO IT TODAY.

Subscribe for weekly Real Estate Mortgage Shoppe podcasts with show notes at www.JoGarner.com

SPECIAL NOTE: REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE SHOPPE DOES NOT ENDORSE 100% OF THE CONTENT ON THIS EPISODE. REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE SHOPPE RECOMMENDS THAT YOU CONSULT WITH A FINANCIAL, LEGAL OR OTHER CERTIFIED, LICENSED PROFESSIONAL BEFORE ACTING OR INVESTING ON ANYTHING YOU HEAR OR SEE FROM THE CONTENT ON THIS SHOW OR BLOG POSTS. THE INFORMATION WE SHARE ON REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE SHOPPE IS GENERAL IN NATURE MEANT FOR GENERAL EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, AND NOT AN OFFER TO LEND. EXAMPLES GIVEN FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES ON REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE SHOPPE AND MOST ARE BASED ON TRUE STORIES BUT WE USE FICTIONAL CHARACTERS AND DO NOT DIRECTLY REFLECT REAL PEOPLE OR EXACT DETAILS IN ANY OF THE SITUATIONS. JO GARNER IS A LICENSED MORTGAGE LOAN ORIGINATOR. (EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY) (The Auditory version of this disclosure is played during the show)

QUOTE CORNER : from “It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.” www.inspirational-picture-quotes.com

Anonymous “You can learn more about a person in an hour of travel than in a year of conversation.”

REJOINDERS:

Santa Claus -Chuck Bohannon, booking agent 901 619-6436
Tim Flesner, Home Helpers 901 414-9696
Stephanie Jones Bourland, Evernest Property Management 901 660-2812

Transitional Music: First Segment “WAAKA WAAKA” (PD) for Comic Queries; “Small Victories” by Allen McCool allenmccool.com for Did You Know segment; “Upbeat Inspiration” by Ikoliksaj for Insights and Inspiration segment.

INTRO AND OUTRO THEME MUSIC “Country Roads” by Sergie Pavkin

PICK UP YOUR COPY OF “CHOOSING THE BEST MORTGAGE-THE QUICKEST WAY TO THE LIFE YOU WANT” by: JO GARNER

An essential guide for real estate professionals and their customers.

On Amazon and Barnes and Noble

______________________________________________________________________________

ABOUT ALLEN MCCOOL, APPRAISER WITH STEPHENSON & ASSOCIATES

Allen McCool is a real estate appraiser with Stephenson and Associates. Holding the SRA designation from the Appraisal Institute, Allen has appraised residential property in Shelby County, TN for over 35 years, serving a variety of clients, including lenders, attorneys, and individuals. Allen applies a wealth of knowledge and analytical skill to each assignment, provides clarity in reporting results, and is a reliable provider of solutions to challenging real estate problems. 901 550-2100

ABOUT JO GARNER-MORTGAGE LOAN OFFICER:

www.JoGarner.com (901) 482 0354 jo@jogarner.com X @jogarner NMLS# 757308
(currently working with Everitt Financial dba Supreme Lending)

ONLINE LOAN APPLICATION : https://jogarner.supremelendingLO.com

“Whatever YOUR personal priorities are, my job is to help you get the mortgage terms that will give you bragging rights when you talk about it and help you score on hitting your goals .”

As a mortgage loan officer, my job is to help you get to the benefits you want from your financing terms. What is most important to you? I can help you find the financing terms that will help you get to what you want. What is your comfort level on a house payment? How much are you comfortable paying down,? What type of financing do you need to get the house you want to buy or refinance?

Different clients have different priorities in life—some are buying their first home with very little down payment funds. Some are recovering from medical challenges, divorces or preparing to send children to college and some are embarking on a long term goal of buying properties to build rental income.”

Jo Garner is a mortgage officer with extensive knowledge in helping her clients find the right mortgage program and making the refinance or home purchase mortgage process EASY. She offers conventional, FHA, VA or other loan programs for primary residences, second homes and investment properties.

Jo can help you look at rent vs buy, when it makes sense to refinance, how to get the best deal on your home purchase financing.

Jo Garner has been in the real estate/financing business for over 30 years. She grew up in West Tennessee and got her start in real estate in Portland, Maine where she first began her real estate career. She received her real estate education from the University of Southern Maine and was personally mentored in San Diego, California by Robert G. Allen, author of Nothing Down, Creating *Wealth and The Challenge.

On moving back to West Tennessee in 1987, she went into business buying and selling discounted owner-financed notes secured on real estate. In 1990 Jo went to work for a residential mortgage company and has been a mortgage loan officer for over 30 years.

In addition to her work in the mortgage field, Jo Garner is the primary sponsor and founder of Talk Shoppe in Memphis. www.TalkShoppe.com Jo Garner also host the radio show Real Estate Mortgage Shoppe airing on the Mighty 990 AM, 107.9 KWAM & streaming on the app https://mighty990.com/app with podcasts and show notes published on www.JoGarner.com Pick up Jo Garner’s book on Amazon or Barnes & Noble “Choosing the Best Mortgage-The Quickest Way to the Life You Want”

REAL ESTATE MARKET 2026 – MAKE THE RIGHT TURNS ON YOUR ROAD WITH HOMEOWNERSHIP

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