Mortgage Rates Hit Their Highest Level Since January 2025 — What It Means for DFW Buyers and Sellers
Freddie Mac's September 17, 2026 survey pushed the 30-year fixed mortgage rate to 6.95%, the highest since January 2025 and above year-ago levels for the first time in over a year. Here's what the rate spike means for DFW buyers and sellers.
4 min read
Freddie Mac's September 17, 2026 survey put the 30-year fixed mortgage rate at 6.95%, up sharply from 6.76% the week before and 6.66% in late August — the highest level since January 2025. For the first time in over a year, today's rate now sits above where it stood 12 months ago (6.26%), a reversal from the "still below year-ago levels" framing that's held through every rate move so far this year.
6.95%
30-year fixed
-0.2%
DFW prices YoY
-4.3%
DFW inventory YoY
4.6 mo
DFW supply
The highest level since January 2025 — and now above year-ago levels.
The jump to 6.95% is more than a headline number. It changes the monthly-payment math for buyers, and it removes the psychological cushion of "rates are still below last year." That framing had helped many buyers absorb earlier increases this summer. This latest move is worth taking seriously — but it also needs to be read against what else is happening in the market, not in isolation.
The market backdrop is actually improving.
The rate spike comes even as DFW's underlying fundamentals keep improving. Fort Worth–Arlington has now posted a fourth consecutive month of year-over-year price gains, and DFW's overall price decline has eased to just 0.2% year-over-year. Inventory has also tightened — active listings are down 4.3% year-over-year with just 4.6 months of supply — a shift from the flatter, more balanced growth seen earlier this summer. Tighter inventory and improving price trends do not cancel out higher rates, but they do change the risk of waiting for a pullback.
Where this leaves you.
If you're buying
A rate this high changes the monthly-payment math and is worth taking seriously — but tightening inventory means waiting for a pullback carries its own cost in the form of less selection and less negotiating room. A rate buydown or lock strategy is worth discussing before assuming it's better to wait.
If you're selling
Despite the rate headline, DFW's price and inventory trends are the healthiest they've been in months — this isn't the same environment as earlier in the summer. Accurate pricing from day one still matters most in turning that improving backdrop into a fast, clean sale. For contrast, Michael's own listings continue to average a 9-day median list-to-pending time against a 63-day statewide average. Run a complimentary CMA — Price My Home.
Data sources: Freddie Mac PMMS as of September 17, 2026; Texas Real Estate Research Center through August 2026. Figures are directional; local street-level conditions vary.