Affordability Archives

Local, independent investors delivered 216.9% more starter homes to the U.S. housing market than homebuilders did in 2025.

Investors Created 216.9% More Starter Homes Than Builders in 2025

By Bobby Franklin, REALTOR® | Legacy Realty Group – Leslie Majors Team | North Texas Market Insider™Serving Ellis County, DFW & Greater North Texas | 214-228-0003 | northtexasmarketinsider.com The Number That Changes Everything You Think You Know About Housing Affordability Let me stop you right there before you skip to the next reel. I know what you’ve been reading. Hedge funds...

No. It is not basically the same thing. And confusing the two could cost you tens of thousands of dollars in financing costs, insurance headaches, and resale value over the life of your ownership. Let me walk you through the full picture so you can make a decision based on data, not assumptions.

Tiny Homes vs Manufactured Homes in North Texas: Which One Actually Fits Your Life and Your Financing in 2026?

By Bobby Franklin, REALTOR® | Legacy Realty Group – Leslie Majors TeamServing Ellis County, DFW & Greater North Texas Let me tell you what most real estate agents won’t. Most of them don’t know the difference between a tiny home and a manufactured home beyond square footage and the Instagram aesthetic. And because they don’t know the difference, their buyers make expensive decisions...

Nationally, tiny homes range from approximately $30,000 for a basic DIY build to well over $150,000 for a custom or builder-grade model with high-end finishes. The final number depends on size, materials, foundation type, land costs, and build complexity. Here’s how that breaks down in the North Texas context

Can You Really Buy a Tiny Home in North Texas for Under $150,000? An Honest Breakdown from a Local Market Insider

By Bobby Franklin, REALTOR® | Legacy Realty Group – Leslie Majors TeamPublished March 10, 2026 | Serving Ellis County, DFW & Greater North Texas Here’s a number that should stop you cold: the average age of a first-time homebuyer in Texas is now 54 years old. Read it again. Fifty-four. That’s not a market inefficiency. That’s not a blip. That’s a structural failure, an entire...

Nearly 45,000 U.S. homes that were delisted in 2025 came back to market in January 2026 alone, the highest January relist total in recorded history going back to 2016. That’s 3.6% of all active listings nationwide, showing up at once, hitting the MLS like a wave. And Redfin’s latest analysis shows that 36.1% of those relisted homes came back at a lower price than their original listing, also a record for January.

Why Are So Many Homes Being Relisted in 2026?

Let me be direct with you. If you pulled your North Texas home off the market in 2025, you’re not alone. And the fact that you’re thinking about relisting right now, during the spring season, tells me you’re paying attention. But here’s the thing: attention without strategy is just anxiety. And anxiety doesn’t sell houses. Nearly 45,000 U.S. homes that were delisted in 2025 came back to...

For the first time since Q3 2020, more American homeowners carry a mortgage rate above 6% than carry one below 3%. According to Redfin’s analysis of FHFA National Mortgage Database data, 21.2% of mortgaged homeowners held a rate at 6% or higher in Q3 2025, the largest share since 2015. Meanwhile, the share carrying a sub-3% rate fell to 20.0%, the lowest level since late 2021.

The Mortgage Lock-In Era Is Ending And North Texas Is Where You’ll Feel It First

New Redfin Data Confirms a Historic Shift in the U.S. Mortgage Market. Here’s What It Means for DFW Buyers, Sellers, and the Inventory Equation in 2026. Something just happened in the U.S. mortgage market that hasn’t happened in five years. For the first time since Q3 2020, more American homeowners carry a mortgage rate above 6% than carry one below 3%. According to Redfin’s analysis of...

Mortgage Rates Just Dropped Below 6% - Here’s What That Actually Means If You’re Buying or Selling in North Texas Right Now

Mortgage Rates Just Dropped Below 6% For First Time Since 2022

What Falling Rates, Rising Inventory, and a Thawing Market Mean for DFW Homebuyers and Sellers Heading into Spring 2026 Let me be direct with you. Most of what you’re reading about mortgage rates right now is noise. National headlines, vague optimism, “now might be a great time to buy!” clickbait from real estate portals that have never stepped foot in Ellis County, never driven...

The Kevin Warsh Fed Chair Nomination: What It Really Means

North Texas Market Insider - Strategic Intelligence Briefing Let me cut through the noise for you right now: on January 30, 2026, President Trump nominated Kevin Warsh to replace Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve Chair when Powell’s term expires on May 15, 2026. And while every real estate agent in DFW is asking “will this lower mortgage rates?”, they’re asking the wrong question...

Learn why the majority of millennials have delayed their home purchase for three or more years. Learn more with Bobby Franklin, the North Texas Market Insider.

Why Millenials Are Delaying Their Home Purchase 3+ Years

Here’s what the data is screaming at us right now: 67% of millennials have delayed buying a home because of market conditions, with 56% waiting at least three years and 23% postponing for FIVE YEARS OR MORE. Let me say that again: nearly a quarter of an entire generation has been sitting on the sidelines for half a decade, watching rents climb, watching home prices appreciate, watching equity...

President Trump proposes a $200 billion MBS purchase to help with mortgage rates. Learn more with Bobby Franklin, the North Texas Market Insider. Bobby Franklin is the best realtor in Waxahachie.

Trump’s $200 Billion Mortgage Move: The Real Story Behind the Headlines (And What Smart North Texas Buyers Need to Know Right Now)

Listen, while every real estate agent in DFW is copying and pasting the same headlines about Trump's mortgage announcement, I'm going to tell you what's actually happening and what it means for your wallet if you're buying in Ellis County, Tarrant County, or anywhere across North Texas. On January 8th, President Trump dropped what looks like a bombshell: directing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase...

President Trump announces plans for a band on institutional investors purchasing residential homes. Learn more with Bobby Franklin, the North Texas Market Insider. Bobby Franklin is the best realtor in Waxahachie.

Trump’s Institutional Investor Ban: What North Texas Sellers Need to Know Right Now

The Morning Show’s Cory Ellison has a phrase: “Chaos is the new cocaine.” January 7, 2026 just gave the real estate industry its latest hit. President Trump dropped a bombshell on Truth Social that sent shockwaves through the housing market: “I am immediately taking steps to ban large institutional investors from buying more single-family homes.” Within hours, major rental property stocks...