There are certain moments in the year that slow everything down just enough to remind you what actually matters. For me, the Fourth of July is one of them.
This week, as I sat down to write, I kept coming back to the same thought: so much of what makes life meaningful happens inside the walls of a home. The table where the family gathers. The backyard where kids chase each other around while fireworks go off in the distance. The quiet moments after everyone leaves, when you look around and realize how lucky you are to have a place that holds all of it.
Real estate is my profession, but moments like this week are a reminder of why the work feels the way it does. Buying or selling a home is never just a transaction. It is a transition. The beginning of a new chapter, or the closing of one that served you beautifully and is now ready to serve someone else.
What the Market Is Telling Us Right Now
While the holiday weekend gave us all a reason to pause, the market did not stop moving. And for buyers and sellers paying attention, there is some genuinely encouraging data worth knowing.
According to Freddie Mac's most recent survey, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate came in at 6.49%, and the 15-year fixed averaged 5.84%. Rates have held relatively steady over the past six weeks, which matters because stability is something buyers can plan around. What is even more meaningful is where rates stand compared to this time last year, when the 30-year average was sitting at 6.77%. That difference may sound small, but over the life of a loan it adds up to real money, and it represents a meaningfully improved picture for anyone who was waiting on the sidelines through last summer.
Refinance activity has also picked up recently, which tells us that homeowners who locked in rates at higher levels are now finding enough of a window to make the math work. If you have been holding off on refinancing, it is worth having that conversation with your lender.
Purchase activity has eased slightly, which in this market actually creates an opportunity for buyers. Less competition, more room to be thoughtful, and sellers who are more motivated to work with you than they were a year or two ago.
The Bigger Picture for Los Angeles
I want to be honest about something. Los Angeles real estate makes headlines for a lot of reasons, and not all of them are flattering right now. There are real challenges in certain segments of this market, and I have never believed in glossing over those realities for the sake of a rosier narrative.
But I also believe, deeply, in the long-term strength of this city and particularly of the neighborhoods where I work. Well-located homes in desirable areas of Los Angeles are still holding their value. Buyers who purchase thoughtfully today, with the right guidance and a realistic strategy, are making decisions they will feel good about for years. Sellers who price correctly and prepare their homes well are still achieving strong results.
The fundamentals here have not changed. People want to live in Los Angeles. They want to be close to the coast, close to culture, close to opportunity. That does not disappear because the market has shifted into a more balanced phase.
What Home Really Means
I will close with what I started with, because I think it matters more than any data point I can share.
Home is where you host the people you love. It is where your children grow up and where your family returns. It is where you feel safe, where you rest, and where the best memories of your life are made. Helping people find that place, or helping them move on to the next version of it, is a privilege I have never taken for granted.
This Fourth of July, I hope you had exactly that kind of day. And if thinking about your next home move is somewhere on your horizon, I would love to be part of that conversation.
Happy belated Fourth of July.
xx,
Keri
