Spring 2026 Housing Market Forecast- Is It Time to Launch Your Home Purchase or Refinance?

“Spring 2026 Housing Market Forecast- Is It Time to Launch Your Home Purchase or Refinance?”

You want to feel good about your timing on purchasing a home or reorganizing your finances on a refinance. In this episode, we look at the strong and weaker points of the real estate and mortgage markets and share examples of scenarios of how others HAVE made a smart decision.

Host: Jo Garner, Mortgage Loan Officer NMLS# 757308 (901) 482-0354

Co-Host: Allen McCool, Real Estate Appraiser with Stephenson & Associates 901 763-2100

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

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LET’S GET STARTED…(Jo) (Good morning, Memphis! Welcome to our internet listeners and podcast listeners across the 50 states! . You’re on Real Estate Mortgage Shoppe. I’m your host, Jo Garner, Mortgage Loan Originator. You can connect with me at www.JoGarner.com. Our Spring 2026 Housing Market Forecast- Is It Time to Launch Your Home Purchase or Refinance? Thank you to real estate attorneys Shelley Rothman and Rob Draughon of Griffin, Clift, Everton and Maschmeyer Law Firm for sponsoring this episode of Real Estate Mortgage Shoppe. For the title work and closing on your home purchase or refinance, contact Rob and Shelley at 901 752-1133.

Today is April 4^th, 2026 and it is EASTER weekend AND the momentous launch of the Artemis II crew to fly around the moon.

Introducing Real Estate Appraiser Allen McCool of Stephenson Associates Appraisal Service

Real estate appraiser Allen McCool of Stephenson and Associates is back in the studio again. With the drastic up and down swings with mortgage rates the last couple of months, common questions from callers are, “ Should I buy a house now or wait?” and “When should I refinance?”

But, Allen McCool, you can bring steady clarity to the real estate transaction with a clear and concise appraisal value with defined conditions. McCool has about 1.5 Minutes introducing himself and talking about the services he offers)

(jo) Is this the season to spring forward with a refinance—or are you better off waiting for the perfect launch window?” Here is some advice, “The bad news is that time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” — Michael Altshuler (often attributed).

Are you wanting to buy your first home? Maybe you want to buy your next home but you aren’t sure if this is the right time? Do you want to start investing in real estate to build your wealth? Maybe you are tired of making a house payment and want your house to pay you. Stay tuned as we look at how OTHER people decided their launch times.

Launch Time Is When You Have Profitable Exit Strategies -Katherine’s Story

Katherine was in her late 20’s, out of college and just getting started in her career. She wanted freedom to eat out and have fun after work and on the weekends. She wanted to have that peace of mind that she could move when and where she needed to get farther in her career. She did not want to feel stuck.

But some of her friends had bought their homes. But Katherine did not want to feel hemmed in or stuck with a mortgage commitment. She felt like she could never get ahead with her rent going up each month year and surely there had to be some way to buy a house and still not feel stuck.

The realtor did some research on the neighborhoods that interested Katherine. Katherine could buy a house in a neighborhood that traditionally continued to go up in value year after year Her payment would still be less than she would be paying in rent for the same type house. The interest rate on the mortgage was fixed for 30 years, so no more rent increases every year.

For Katherine, it was all about having some profitable exit strategies—just in case she ever wanted to move and not be tied to the house. Katherine could see three possible exit strategies to use if she should ever decide to move.

The first exit strategy considered that the values had been steadily going up. She could probably sell at a profit even after only a short time.

The second possible exit strategy involved the FHA loan program Katherine used for her financing. The FHA program allows for the borrower to later allow a subsequent buyer to assume that mortgage if they can qualify with whichever bank will be servicing the loan at the time of the assumption. In a market of rising rates, having the ability to allow someone to take over her low interest loan, gave her a further advantage for selling.

The third possible exit strategy involved the neighborhood where Katherine purchased her property. It was in a market that would allow her to rent her house out one day for much higher than her payment, which would give her a third profitable exit strategy. No more feeling stuck! No more having to worry about how much the landlord would hike the rent either.

(Jo) Allen McCool, real estate appraiser with Stephenson and Associates- you have a lot of wisdom in the area of home values in the MidSouth. We have 3 or 4 minutes before we go to break. What are your observations on this topic today for us in the Mid South? (Allen has about 3-4 minutes before break to start sharing some of his topics)

-Investing in a home is a big decision, and many of the considerations are personal. However there are other factors that are to be found in the particular current market into which you may enter.

-It is important to get that launch pad ready, and try to head off as many potential issues as you can before liftoff.

-Generally speaking, real estate markets moves forward, or appreciate over time, assuming a long enough time line and prudent buying decisions.

-As Jo mentioned, a Realtor can help you explore options in locations that work for your needs, and also which have traditionally appreciated. An appraiser can also analyze median price changes in particular locations.

-In the next segment I will get into what I think are some relevant and interesting facts concerning the current environment.

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 Real Estate Appraiser Allen McCool with Stephenson and Associates. 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

Riddle #1:

How would you describe a rocket that is also programmed to tell jokes?

ANSWER: A blast to be around

Riddle # 2

“I travel far without leaving my seat,
I wear a suit but don’t go to work on the street,
I float instead of walk all day—
What is my profession?”

👉 Answer: An astronaut 👨‍🚀

(Jo’s comment- I would not be a good astronaut, because the minute it was announced that the toilet was broken on the Orion right before lift off on a 10-day journey around the moon, I would have hit the ABORT button.)

Today on Real Estate Mortgage Shoppe we are talking about Spring 2026 Housing Market Forecast- Is It Time to Launch Your Home Purchase or Refinance?

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

Real Estate Appraiser Allen McCool of Stephenson and Associates 901 763-2100

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TOPICS COVERED BY ALLEN MCCOOL OF STEPHENSON & ASSOCIATES

-Per Trelora Realty online, for buyers, mid-April provides the best balance of fresh inventory and pre-peak competition.

-The median age of first-time buyers is currently 40, per online research.

-Transactions I am currently observing have greatly increased instances of seller sales concessions, indicating sellers are addressing affordability.

-More than ever, sellers need to price correctly from day 1, with current comparable sales.

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3^RD SEGMENT 12 minutes

( Brighter Tomorrows Song playing in background)

For Did You Know today…(see if you can guess the answer before we do)
Question: Who am I?
Hints: Since its construction in 1936 by the Work Progress Administration during the Great Depression, this structure in Memphis has been a frequent site for community Easter sunrise services. It is historically significant as the place where Elvis Presley gave his first paid professional performance. Today, it is one of the only active Depression-era bandshells still standing in the U.S.
ANSWER: OVERTON PARK SHELL (FORMERLY LEVITT SHELL)

Today on Real Estate Mortgage Shoppe we are talking about Spring 2026 Housing Market Forecast- Is It Time to Launch Your Home Purchase or Refinance?

Real Estate Appraiser Allen McCool of Stephenson and Associates 901-763-2100

TOPICS COVERED BY JO GARNER, LICENSED MORTGAGE OFFICER

Thought: “Winning in this market isn’t about guessing rates—it’s about choosing the right trajectory.”

Earlier in the show we shared first-time homebuyer, Katherine’s story. What about people who already own their home but want to buy another one?

If your current home is ready to sell, you can sell your old home in the morning and close on your new home the same afternoon. (Have a backup plan just in case you hit a delay on one of the transactions. I have some ideas to share with you on that if you need it.)

If you CAN’T sell your current home right away, but you don’t want to miss buying your dream home that just came on the market, here are three common solutions for being able to put a large amount of money down on your new home so you can enjoy the low payment , even if you can’t sell your current home right now.

#1. Get a home equity line of credit on your current home “before you list it for sale. You can pull cash from this equity line of credit when you need to close on the new home, and now you can enjoy a low mortgage payment on the new home.

Once your current home is ready to sell perhaps a few months from now, you can take the large amount of equity and pay off your first mortgage on that house and the new equity line too. Now you only have one small note on the mortgage secured on your new house.

#2. Borrowing against your 401k or other asset to raise the large down payment and then pay that secured loan when you sell your house.

#3. Use a recast tool. If you don’t want the expense of having to get separate bridge financing and juggle multiple loans, you could try a recast.

That means, if you can’t sell your current home right away, but you don’t want a huge payment on the new home, you can just put a small amount down on the new home and pay the higher payment for a while until you sell your old home. They you can take the profit on the sale of your old house, when it sells and prepay your principal on the new home. If you got a loan for $300,000 on the new home, and prepaid the principal on this loan by your profit of $200,000 from the sale of the old home, you might see your payment reduced from around $3,000 to closer to $1,000 (depending on the market.) it is not a refinance, so your rate would not change, nor your number of years left—only the payment.

Borrowers Over 62-years old and are ready for the house to pay THEM

Alva is Tired of Making House Payments & Ready for Her House to Pay HER

Ms. Alva had been living her paid off home for over forty years. She called me excited because a friend told her about a small home in a low-maintenance, zero lot line community that was listed for sale in her neighborhood.

Alva told me, “I am so ready to sell my big, old home and move to a place where I don’t have to manage the cleaning and the yard upkeep. I’m in my 80’s, you know. I want a place I can live in even after I am 100.”

Since the small home she wanted was in a more upscale neighborhood, the price was a little higher than the price she would get selling her paid off home in the older neighborhood.

We looked at what her payment and down payment would be if she got a small mortgage, using the profit on the sale of her home. She had enough income to live with some left over to do things she loved to do.

Alva laughed. “That sounds like it would work, but I don’t have a mortgage payment now. The only thing I pay is my property taxes and insurance—and I don’t even want to have to pay THAT.”

The loan that appealed to Alva the most. The FHA Home Equity Conversion Mortgage reverse mortgage credit line.

This is a simple example for any of our listeners who want to now how the HECM works.

(this is not a rate quote, but a simple example to illustrate how the program works.)

Depending on the value of the home and the age of the homeowner, lets say the homeowner gets a credit line of around $200k. The rates vary yearly, but let’s say they never touched the credit line and earned 6% interest at the end of the year. (This is a reverse mortgage, so when the borrower doesn’t use the credit line, the interest on it gets added to the available credit line. In this case 6% of $200k is $12,000.

The homeowners can use the $12k or whatever earned interest is to pay property taxes, insurance, home improvements—whatever they want to do with it. They could use the credit line money, but if they never touch it, they can just use the interest income it earns to pay recurring debt every year. That is how the homeowner can pay no mortgage payment and no taxes and insurance or association fees on their home.

This loan is like a money tree growing in the backyard. Eat the fruit each year. Just don’t cut down the tree.

When does it make sense to launch into a refinance on your home?

Word to the Wise:

A. Recapturing your closing cost: If you are planning to refinance your existing mortgage, calculate how long your monthly cost savings on the payment will recapture the closing costs you paid or rolled into the loan to refinance. If you plan to owning the house for 5 years or more, you need to see recapture costs in less than 18 months.

B. If you have already paid down two thirds of your mortgage balance, lowering the rate may not be saving you any money, even though you are getting a lower rate. On an amortized mortgage the biggest part of the principal and interest payment is principal and NOT interest. You paid almost all of the interest when you were paying down the first two thirds of the mortgage balance.

Here are some common goals I hear from my clients want to achieve:

Refinancing a mortgage you already have to get a lower rate and a lower mortgage payment. In a lot of cases the main goal is to lower the payment. If the original loan amount was paid down significantly over time, the homeowner may not have to lower the rate by much to lower the payment significantly especially if they go back to a longer term that what is owed.
Refinancing to roll in other higher interest rate debt into one low, fixed rate mortgage. (Then let’s put together a simple method for you to make strategic prepayments to get rid of the mortgage sooner with the least money out of your pocket.) (short story of the self-employed borrower who added into a cash out mortgage the high interest rate credit card balances that had gradually build up over the years. He could refinance his mortgage and also pay off these high interest, variable rate debts to a lower, fixed rate mortgage. They turn around and set up a plan to pay the mortgage off early)
Cash out refinance to cash they used to do home improvements on the home. Investors use the cash out refinance programs to get recapture their investment on renovations on a rental property so they can use the money for down payment to purchase their next rental property.

COMMON MISTAKES (fast list)

Resetting to another 30-year without a plan
Refinancing too late (missing savings window)
Ignoring adjustable-rate opportunities
Not aligning mortgage with future plans

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

Right On Time:

This astronaut was known for near misses before becoming During his first mission on Gemini 8 in 1966, a thruster malfunctioned, causing a life-threatening spin that forced an emergency landing.Two years later, his Lunar Landing Research Vehicle failed and exploded. He ejected just seconds before impact. In July 1969, his timing aligned. NASA trusted him to manually pilot the Eagle lander past a boulder field with seconds of fuel remaining Neil Armstrong’s experience with “near-misses” was the training he needed to make the most important landing in history and become the first man to walk on the moon.

What is it in YOUR life that you want to launch, but you just aren’t sure of the timing? What is the WORST thing that can happen if you did it now? What is the BEST thing that can happen if you launched? What precautions can you take to avoid the worst outcome to give yourself a better chance of enjoying the BEST outcome?

There are reputable and experienced real estate professionals who can guide you around the pitfalls when you want to buy a home.

Let’s explore the right mortgage to help you get quicker to the life you want. For your home purchase mortgage or refinance, let me help make the process EASY for you.

Call or text me today at 901 482-0354. I can assist you with your mortgage.

Today on Real Estate Mortgage Shoppe we are talking about “Spring 2026 Housing Market Forecast- Is It Time to Launch Your Home Purchase or Refinance?”

Real Estate Appraiser Allen McCool of Stephenson and Associates 901 763-2100

REAL ESTATE TIP OF THE WEEK

ALLEN MCCOOL OF STEPHENSON & ASSOCIATES SHARES A TIP (901) 550-2100 : Look around and know your preferences and priorities on what you want in your neighborhood and in your home. When you start shopping, it will be easier and quicker to know that you made the right decision when you make it.

Jo Garner’s tip : Before launching your plan to buy a home or refinance, take a look at your budget. Determine for yourself the maximum you can comfortably pay per month on a house note. Determine for yourself the maximum you are comfortable paying as a down payment.

In the book Choosing the Best Mortgage-the Quickest Way to the Life You Want, I have a whole chapter on how to budget. There is a whole chapter on easy things you can implement to boost your credit scores higher. The higher your credit scores, the lower your borrowing costs. Check out the chapter on treasure hunting for funds to close. You can get this book today on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

What do you want to accomplish with YOUR mortgage? Whether you are buying a house or refinancing, let’s explore the best mortgage product that will get you quicker to the life you want. It might be a traditional government-backed mortgage, a special mortgage product or an outside-the-box, in-house mortgage.

Call or text me today at 901 482-0354 or go to www.JoGarner.com

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 April 8^th, 2026 9AM CT “Short-Term vs Long Term Planning: What Actually Matters” presented by Financial Professional, Ben Hunter of Independent Planning Group

Thank you to Zack Roberts, Digital Marketing with ZRCreations for your Talk Shoppe sponsorship. For saving you time and developing more profits streams for your business, contact Zack Roberts at ZRCreations.com

Thank you to retired US Navy Line Commander Peggy Lau. Would you want to take some of the profits you have made from your real estate purchase and make great memories with loved ones on a first-class vacation? Peggy Lau can show you how. Contact Peggy Lau with Viago Travel at 901 289-0747.

Let’s celebrate Easter Weekend! Prayers for a successful lunar mission for the Artemis II crew.

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)

QUOTE CORNER: “You may delay, but time will not.” — Benjamin Franklin”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND CREDITS

REJOINDERS:

Pat Goldstein, Realtor with Crye Leike in Tennessee and Mississippi 901 606-2000
Craig Jennings of Avalon Capital, Memphis, TN hard money investment lending 901 417-8427
Silvana Piadade, EXP Realtor in Tennessee and Mississippi 901 647-6661

Transitional Music: First Segment “WAAKA WAAKA” (PD) for Comic Queries; “Brighter Tomorrows” by Stocktunes 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, , 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”

Spring 2026 Housing Market Forecast- Is It Time to Launch Your Home Purchase or Refinance?

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