The First-Time Home Buyer's Guide for 2026
What you need saved, what credit score actually matters, and the down payment assistance programs most buyers never hear about.
Danielle Brooks
Senior Buyer's Agent, Denver
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Homes just on the market
A sample of what partner agents listed this week.
$945,000
4410 Belle Meade Boulevard
Nashville, TN 37205
5 bd
4.5 ba
3,860 sqft
AHO-1045
View details
Market insights
Where the US housing market stands
Median sale price and year-over-year change for the metros our clients search most. Updated October 2026.
Austin, TX
-1.4% year over year
Denver, CO
+2.1% year over year
Phoenix, AZ
+3.4% year over year
Nashville, TN
+4.2% year over year
$419,200
US median sale price
+2.6%
Year-over-year change
41 days
Median days on market
6.18%
Avg. 30-year fixed rate
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Client reviews
What buyers and sellers tell us
“We relocated from Ohio to Austin with ninety days of notice. The agent they matched us with knew every neighborhood we asked about and talked us out of two houses that would have been mistakes. That honesty is worth more than any search tool.”
Rachel & Tom Bennett
Bought in Austin, TX
“I had been watching my neighborhood for a year and the market data here matched what my own appraiser said almost exactly. Listed in April, three offers in nine days, closed above asking.”
David Okonkwo
Sold in Atlanta, GA
“First-time buyer, no idea what I was doing. The mortgage calculator showed me PMI and escrow instead of just principal and interest, which completely changed the price range I was shopping in. I would have overextended without it.”
Megan Alvarez
Bought in Denver, CO
Average rating 4.8 / 5 across 3,412 verified client reviews collected after closing.
Guides & advice
Learn before you sign anything
How Mortgage Rates Quietly Reshape Your Buying Power
A single percentage point can move your maximum price by more than $50,000. Here is the arithmetic, and what to do about it.
Marcus Whitfield
Managing Broker, Austin
Pricing Your Home to Sell: The First Two Weeks Decide Everything
Overpricing costs more than any staging budget can recover. How to read comparable sales and price for the market you are in.
Andre Collins
Listing Specialist, Atlanta
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