Every Friday at 6 AM · Edition 27 · August 28, 2026
The Friday Rate Sheet
What happened this week and how to use it in your business.
There are probably five buyers sitting in your phone right now.
They liked a house. They talked about a payment. Then rates, prices, or life got in the way and everybody moved on.
This week gives you a good reason to call them back.
Rates barely changed. New home sales slowed down, inventory went up, and builders still have homes to sell. That does not make every house a deal. It does mean we may be able to put one together differently than we could a few months ago.
Here is the conversation
“Rates really did not move this week, but inventory did. Before you decide to keep waiting, let’s see what a seller or builder may be willing to help with.”
The rate sheet
Here is what actually happened
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Freddie Mac 30-year 6.66% Up 0.01 point from last week. Essentially steady. |
Daily rate index 6.75% Mortgage News Daily, flat Thursday afternoon. |
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$400K principal & interest ~$2,571 About $3 more per month than last week’s PMMS average. |
New-home supply 9.6 months July new-home sales fell 10.5% while inventory rose. |
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Here is my read. Money did not get any cheaper this week. The average 30-year rate moved by one hundredth of a percent. On a $400,000 loan, that is about three bucks a month.
The better story is on the other side of the deal. July new home sales dropped to a 607,000 annual pace. Inventory climbed to 488,000 homes, which is 9.6 months of supply. The median price also came down to $393,800.
Builders do not like sitting on finished homes. Some sellers are getting tired too. That is where closing cost help, price reductions, and seller-funded buydowns come into the conversation.
Inflation is still hanging around, so I am not going to tell you a big rate drop is right around the corner. I would rather work the deal we can control today.
Sources: Freddie Mac PMMS, Mortgage News Daily, U.S. Census Bureau/HUD New Residential Sales, and U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Data current August 27, 2026.
Your database
Pull these five people up in your phone
1 |
The buyer who stopped because of the payment Rates did not fall, so do not tell them they did. Let me show them what a concession, price change, or temporary buydown would do to the payment. |
2 |
The renter whose lease ends by February They have enough time to make a plan without rushing. We can check credit, cash, and payment comfort now so they know what needs to happen next. |
3 |
The buyer who never looked at new construction With 9.6 months of new home supply, it is worth comparing builder incentives with what we can negotiate on a resale. |
4 |
The preapproval from earlier this summer The buyer's income, debt, cash, or comfort level may have changed. Let me update the numbers before a house catches their attention. |
5 |
The person who talked about buying but never filled anything out They may not be ready today. That is fine. A simple plan gives them a date and a short list instead of leaving the idea floating around. |
Steal this
Here is exactly what I would send
The call opener
“Hey [name], I was looking at the housing numbers this morning and thought about you. Rates have not really changed, but there are more new homes sitting and builders still need to sell them. There may be some room to get help with the price, closing costs, or the rate. Let’s take 20 minutes next week and see if the numbers look any better for you. Would Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning work?”
The text
Hey [name], I saw the new housing numbers and thought about you. If a seller or builder helped with the price, closing costs, or the rate, would you want to see what the payment looks like now? Cole and I can run it with you next week. Would Monday or Tuesday be better?
Let’s work through them together
Bring me five names and we will build the follow-up.
If you have five people in mind, let’s sit down for 20 minutes. We will go through each one and figure out:
| 1. | What actually stopped them. |
| 2. | Whether the numbers give us another angle. |
| 3. | What you should say when you reach out. |
| 4. | What my team and I do after you make the introduction. |
Reply with FIVE. I will send you a couple of times. If one buyer already comes to mind, send me the basics and I will look at it before we meet.
Work Through My Five Buyers →AI Lunch & Leads
Thursday, September 3: ChatGPT Work
Next Thursday we are going through ChatGPT Work. I am going to show you how I use it to handle real work inside one place instead of opening a new chat every time and starting over.
We will build something live, go through how projects and context work, and talk about where it can actually save an agent time. Bring your laptop. Bring something from your business that you keep putting off. We will work through it together.
That is the cool part about being the teacher. I do not have to do the homework. I just assign it.
Save My Seat →Client-forward block
Copy, personalize, send
Rates barely changed this week, but the housing numbers gave buyers something worth looking at.
New home sales slowed and inventory went up. Some builders and sellers may be more willing to help with the price, closing costs, or a rate buydown.
That does not mean buying right now is automatically the right move. It means it may be worth running the numbers again. If you want, I can have Cole compare buying now with waiting based on your budget and timeline.
Coming up
What I am watching next week
Friday, September 4: The August jobs report. A materially weaker or stronger employment number can move bonds and mortgage pricing quickly.
Labor Day weekend: Summer is over and people start paying attention again. This is a good weekend to line up conversations for next week.
September 16: The next Federal Reserve decision. I am not building anybody's plan around a guess. We will use today's numbers and adjust if the market gives us something better.
That’s the Sheet
Pull up five people who got close and then went quiet.
Send me the scenarios. We will see if the numbers give us a reason to start the conversation again.
Cole Brantley
Mortgage Broker · AI Educator · Agent Growth Partner
(813) 579-8812 · [email protected] · NMLS# 1905939
Cole Brantley, Loan Officer, NMLS# 1905939. Mpire Financial, NMLS# 2108504. 189 S Orange Ave #2020, Orlando, FL 32801. Equal Housing Lender.
Mortgage rates shown are national survey averages for educational purposes and do not represent a personal rate quote, commitment to lend, or offer of credit. Payment illustration assumes a $400,000 loan, 30-year fixed term, principal and interest only, and excludes taxes, insurance, mortgage insurance, HOA dues, points, fees, and closing costs. Actual rate, APR, payment, and costs vary. Not all applicants will qualify. Client-forward content is general information, not financial advice or a personal rate quote. Verify licensing at NMLS Consumer Access.