Mortgage rates just logged their third straight week of declines, and if you're watching the market in Johnson County, Hood County, or anywhere else in the greater Fort Worth area, that's worth paying attention to. Here's where things stand heading into the second week of November, and what it actually means if you're buying or selling right now.
According to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey, the average 30 year fixed rate came in at 7.18% for the week of November 5, 2026, down from 7.24% the week before. The 15 year fixed rate eased too, landing at 6.57%. That's good news after a stretch where rates had been stubborn, but I want to be straightforward with you: a year ago at this same point, the 30 year rate averaged 6.22%. So while the recent trend is moving in the right direction, we're still working with meaningfully higher borrowing costs than buyers had in late 2025.
What that means in practice is simple. If you've been hoping rates would drop back toward 6%, that hasn't happened yet. But each small decline chips away at monthly payments, and a run of three consecutive weekly drops is the kind of momentum that tends to bring hesitant buyers back into the market.
Locally, the picture varies quite a bit depending on where you're looking. In Johnson County, the median sale price over the three months ending in September came in at $314,297, down 3.6% from a year earlier, and homes are moving faster too. Median time on market dropped to 73 days, compared to 84 days last year. Fewer homes sold overall, 220 versus 248 a year ago, but the ones that did sell moved quicker than the year before.
Over in Hood County, it's a different story. Over the three months ending in July, the median sale price rose 3.3% year over year to $361,440, but homes took longer to sell, a median of 83 days compared to 73 days last year, and overall sales volume slowed to 111 transactions, down from 129 a year earlier. That tells me Hood County sellers still have some pricing power, but they need to be patient and realistic about timelines.
Closer to the Fort Worth core, Tarrant County's September figures showed 11,737 active listings and an average of 51 days on market, with the average sales price at $468,136. That's a healthy amount of inventory for buyers to sort through, a real shift from the tight markets we saw a couple of years back.
So what does all of this add up to? If you're buying, you have more negotiating room and more options than you've had in a while, especially in Johnson County where prices have softened. Rates easing, even gradually, helps your monthly payment math, and I'd rather see you lock in a home you love now and refinance later if rates keep falling than wait on the sidelines for a number that may not arrive on your timeline. If you're selling, pricing matters more than ever. The Hood County data shows buyers will still pay up for the right property, but only if it's priced and presented well from day one.
Every one of these markets moves a little differently, and the figures above are county wide averages, not a forecast for your specific street or price point. If you want a clearer read on what's happening near you, or want to talk through what current rates mean for your budget, call or text me at (817) 240-1157, or grab a time on my calendar and we'll dig into it together.