{"id":97,"date":"2026-10-14T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kathystockley.com\/blog\/?p=97"},"modified":"2026-10-14T15:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T15:00:00","slug":"u-s-builder-sentiment-hits-12-month-low","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kathystockley.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/14\/u-s-builder-sentiment-hits-12-month-low\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Builder Sentiment Hits 12-Month Low"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"video-zmyer\">\n<div class=\"video-frame-zmyer\">\n        <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.roomvu.com\/agent\/embed\/kathy-blevins-stockley\/home-builder-sentiment-remotion-videos-f500\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><br \/>\n        <\/iframe>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"video-description-zmyer\">\n<p>Builder confidence across the U.S. has reached its lowest point in a year, with the key builder-confidence index dropping 3 points to 32 in late Q3. Current sales conditions softened to 35, and the outlook for sales six months out slipped to 37. Even prospective buyer traffic stayed flat at 23. Notably, 38% of builders nationwide have reduced prices, and about two-thirds are offering incentives\u2014a rise from 63% just a few months earlier. Mortgage applications for new-home purchases have now declined for five consecutive months, with average 30-year rates still sitting in the high-6% range. In response, larger builders are turning to builder-paid rate buydowns, giving buyers an opportunity to lock in a lower mortgage rate without depending solely on more price cuts. With 30-year rates hovering close to 7% by late Q3, two major housing forecasters expect these rates to remain elevated through 2027.<\/p>\n<p>Having navigated many market cycles in my 35+ years assisting buyers and sellers in Oxford, Lapeer, Lake Orion, and beyond, I know how important it is to stay informed and adaptable. Even in a shifting market, there are creative ways to achieve your real estate goals\u2014whether you\u2019re considering new construction or exploring established neighborhoods. My approach is always honest, professional, and focused on making your experience as smooth as possible, keeping you updated every step of the way.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Builder confidence across the U.S. has reached its lowest point in a year, with the key builder-confidence index dropping 3 points to 32 in late Q3. Current sales conditions softened to 35, and the outlook for sales six months out slipped to 37. Even prospective buyer traffic stayed flat at 23. Notably, 38% of builders [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":205,"featured_media":98,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-97","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-posts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kathystockley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kathystockley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kathystockley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kathystockley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/205"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kathystockley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.kathystockley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":99,"href":"https:\/\/www.kathystockley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97\/revisions\/99"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kathystockley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kathystockley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kathystockley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kathystockley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}