MarketWatch: Weekly Real Estate Update for Riverdale, Bronx – 9/14/2026 – 9/21/2026

Did You Know?

* Many home buyers never fully evaluate utility bills……gas, oil, electricity, water, sewer, cable, etc. They should! Always seek out who is paying what and how much the history of costs have been. Often, you can shop around for different utility suppliers and vendors.

* Goldman Sachs identified a potential culprit for sour consumer sentiment readings: A decline in happiness. The consumer sentiment index tracked by the University of Michigan hit record lows this year. The index fell 13% year over year in September, due to a drop of almost 8% from August alone. Economists have widely questioned why sentiment has remained depressed since the Covid pandemic, even as the economy hummed along on paper. Goldman economist Joseph Briggs told clients this week that the downward pressure may stem from broader pessimism in society. University of Chicago’s General Social Survey, illustrating how happiness never fully recovered from a drop during the pandemic. The share of respondents feeling “very happy” fell to 23% in 2024 from 31% in 2016, survey data shows. The percentage reporting responses of “not too happy” rose from 13% to 20% over the same period, per the data. (CNBC)

Mortgage Rate Updates:

The US 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.95% as of September 17th, 2026, rising for a fourth consecutive week and up from 6.76% in the previous week. The rate remains at its highest level since January 2025 and is inching closer to the 7% mark. A year ago, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.26%. Following the Federal Reserve’s hike in its benchmark rate, borrowing costs show little sign of easing, weighing on prospective homebuyers. Meanwhile, the 15-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.26%, also its highest level since January 2025, up from 6.09% last week and 5.41% a year earlier.

Source: Freddie Mac