What can we expect for real estate in 2026? Most economists and real estate experts are calling for a positive 2026. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) recently reported pending home sales were up 3.3% from October to November of 2025. NAR also reported that pending home sales were up 2.6% from a year ago. This positive sign and the widely expected lowering of mortgage rates as well as increasing listing inventory point to a promising 2026 for real estate. From NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun; "Lower mortgage rates and larger inventory will attract buyers back to the market in 2026."

Realtor.com reported that mortgage rates are forecasted to average 6.3% in 2026. This will assist in affordability for buyers, but many people are hoping for a more significant decrease. Widely criticized for not lowering interest rates more, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's term ends on May 15^th, 2026. Most economists and lenders view a new chairman as a positive for the real estate market. The hope is that the new chair will be more aggressive in lowering interest rates which will create a stronger real estate market.

For-Sale inventory is predicted to increase by 9% in 2026, giving home buyers more options, per Realtor.com. This would help things locally. New listings, in Coweta County, were down anywhere from 3 % to 6.5% year-over-year from August to November of 2025 per the Georgia Multiple Listing Service (GAMLS). Lower mortgage rates and an increase in choices for home buyers would jumpstart the local real estate economy.

Home prices are expected to increase by 2.2% in 2026 per Realtor.com. Locally, sales prices have stayed flat in 2025, without much change month-to-month. The average sales price each month ranged anywhere from $438,000 to $488,000 in Coweta County for 2025.

Personally, I am cautiously optimistic for 2026. 2025 was a very strong year for real estate during the spring and summer. The winter months were much slower with less buyer traffic and fewer listings. I would bet on this to be the case again in 2026. Coweta County is in the center of tremendous growth with all the development, new construction, data centers, 55 and up communities, etc. Real estate activity will stem from much of this growth.