Friday Pulse · June 19, 2026
Here's your 4-minute real estate rundown.
Busy week on the rate side — a few things worth flagging before you head into the weekend.
Rate Read
30-year fixed conventional is at 6.58% this week — flat heading into the weekend, but not after a roller coaster mid week moment after the Fed met this week and held rates steady and signaled that rate increases could come back later in 2026. That put upward pressure on mortgage rates mid-week. Then, a geopolitical development Thursday helped ease things.
What this means for you: Buying power held steady this week. But here's a number worth having for any buyer who's waiting for rates to drop: a 0.25% rate improvement over the next 90 days gains them roughly $8–10K in purchasing power. A 5% price increase on a $600K home costs them $30K. In a market with a ton of listings and real negotiating room, getting after price now often beats waiting on rate relief.
One Thing to Know This Weekend
Bend is running buyer-friendly: 714 active listings, 56-day median time on market, prices eased slightly from last month. Mid-range homes ($579K–$765K) still move when priced right. Above $800K, thin buyer pool plus the rate bump means the playbook is right price on day one — not three reductions from now.
⚠Agent note: If you have a question you'd like answered – email me and we will address it in an upcoming newsletter.
Loan Tip from Uncle Kip
"To credit or not to credit? That is the question."
And unlike most of Shakespeare's questions, this one actually has a clean answer.
When you are paying for your home inspection — and any other inspection fees that come up during the process — use your debit card. Not your credit card. Your DEBIT card.
Why does this matter? Depending on the investor behind the loan, if you need to be reimbursed for inspection costs because we have too much seller credit, a credit card transaction may not have fully cleared yet before the loan closes. Which means the reimbursement cannot be verified. Remember, in Seller Credit Land, "If You Don't Use It, You Lose It."
Kip's Oregon Pick — The Hidden Bottle Hunt
The Hidden Bottle Hunt is an annual celebration of the anniversary of Oregon's first-in-the-nation Bottle Bill. Commemorative bottles are hidden across the state in special places that the Bottle Bill helps keep litter-free. Participants solve clues that will lead them to each of the six hidden bottles' locations. The 1st Clue will be released June 25th. No matter where you are in Oregon, there's a bottle for you!
June 25th – 28th – Sign up to receive Clue Notifications by email and find the bottle in your region. (believe it or not, my clients wrote the clues for the Central Oregon area!)
CE Summer Camp for Realtors — Free Live Classes on Zoom
Six free 1-hour CE-credit classes this summer, all live on Zoom at 10:30 AM. Open to all real estate agents. Register once, join what fits your summer.
Jul 1 — Leveraging Seller Concessions
Jul 22 — Get Found in AI Search
Jul 29 — Optimizing Your Google Business Profile
Aug 5 — Claude AI Crash Course
Aug 19 — IG Reels for Real Estate
Aug 26 — Top 5 IG Reels & B-Roll
On Call This Weekend
Available Saturday + Sunday. Text or call 202-329-9187 to get pre-approved.
Send me anyone you're not sure about — I'll run numbers, no commitment.
On Instagram → @mortgageswithkip
Real talk on buying, owning, and building wealth in Bend.
Best of Luck this Weekend!
Kip