--- title: Waiting for Home Prices to Drop? Here's the Question I'd Ask Instead. description: Should you buy a house now or wait for lower prices? Explore mortgage rates, inventory, down payments, and the real financial trade-offs of waiting. image: https://priscillaweston.com/hubfs/home%20price%20drop.png --- [![2025logo](https://priscillaweston.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2025logo.png?width=85&height=85&name=2025logo.png "2025logo")](https://www.priscillaweston.com) [![](https://priscillaweston.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2025logo.png?width=250&height=250&name=2025logo.png)](http://Priscilla%20Band%20Weston,%20Realtor) [![](https://priscillaweston.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2025logo.png?width=250&height=250&name=2025logo.png)](http://Priscilla%20Band%20Weston,%20Realtor) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. - [Home](https://priscillaweston.com) - [Listings](https://priscillaweston.com/listing) - [About](https://priscillaweston.com/about-us) - [Contact](https://priscillaweston.com/contact1) - [Blog](https://priscillaweston.com/blog) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. # Waiting for Home Prices to Drop? Here's the Question I'd Ask Instead. by [Priscilla Weston](https://priscillaweston.com/blog/author/priscilla-weston) | Jul 22, 2026 I spend a ridiculous amount of time watching economics videos. Seriously. My YouTube recommendations have become... questionable. One idea has really stuck with me lately: **Wealthy people don't usually get wealthier by buying more stuff. They buy assets.** Businesses, stocks, farmland, real estate. Owning assets that can appreciate or generate income has historically been one of the primary ways people build long-term wealth. Of course, not every asset is a good investment. And not every house is a smart purchase. But it got me thinking about a conversation I have with buyers all the time. *"I'm just going to wait until home prices come down."* Maybe they will. Maybe they won't. Nobody has a crystal ball. Not me, not your uncle who's been predicting a housing crash since 2018, and definitely not the guy yelling into a microphone on YouTube. But here's what I think often gets overlooked. ## The Housing Market Doesn't Exist in a Vacuum Here in New England, housing supply has been a persistent challenge. Inventory has improved in many areas, which is welcome news for buyers. But more homes on the market doesn't automatically mean we're headed for a dramatic decline in prices. There's also a broader economic picture worth considering. Our tax code has long included incentives for owning real estate, from certain homeowner deductions to tax advantages associated with investment properties. Those benefits aren't universal, and they certainly don't make every purchase worthwhile. But they're part of a larger system that has historically encouraged property ownership. Add in the simple fact that people need somewhere to live, and it's easy to understand why housing behaves differently from many other purchases. None of that means prices can't fall. They absolutely can, particularly in individual markets. It just means that waiting for a major correction isn't necessarily a financial strategy. Sometimes it's simply a prediction. ## So What Are You Actually Waiting For? ![home buying infographic](https://priscillaweston.com/hs-fs/hubfs/home%20buying%20infographic.jpg?width=1108&height=1813&name=home%20buying%20infographic.jpg) That's the question I'd rather ask. Because when someone tells me they're waiting to buy a house, there are usually several different things they might mean. And each one deserves a different conversation. ### Waiting for lower home prices? That's understandable. Nobody wants to feel like they bought at the top of the market. But prices can move differently from one town, neighborhood, or price range to another. A house that's overpriced today might be negotiable even if the broader market isn't declining. ### Waiting for lower interest rates? Also reasonable. A lower mortgage rate can make a meaningful difference in your monthly payment. But if rates fall and more buyers return to the market, some of that savings could be offset by increased competition or higher prices. And while refinancing may be an option later, it isn't guaranteed. ### Waiting for more inventory? This is one of my favorite reasons to wait. Sometimes the right house simply isn't available yet. Having more choices means you're less likely to compromise on something that matters to you, whether that's location, layout, condition, or the size of the backyard. ### Waiting for a bigger down payment? That can be an excellent financial decision. More savings might mean a smaller loan, lower monthly payments, or simply a more comfortable emergency fund after closing. There's real value in not stretching yourself too thin. ### Waiting until life feels more certain? Honestly? Sometimes this is the most important reason of all. A job change, a relationship, family needs, or simply not knowing where you want to be in five years can make renting or staying put the smarter choice. A home should support your life, not make it harder to live. ## There's Something to Be Said for Having Options One thing I appreciate about a market with more inventory is that buyers can sometimes enjoy something they haven't had much of in recent years. Time. Time to compare properties. Time to consider the numbers. Time to negotiate inspections, repairs, and other terms without feeling like every decision needs to happen in the next fifteen minutes. That's a healthier experience for buyers, even if home prices don't suddenly fall off a cliff. And I think it's worth paying attention to. ## The Best Time to Buy Isn't the Same for Everyone I believe real estate can be a wonderful long-term asset. I also believe that buying the wrong house, at the wrong price, under the wrong financial circumstances can be a very expensive mistake. Both things can be true. So rather than trying to predict exactly what the market will do next, I'd rather help someone understand what buying today would actually mean for their household. What would the monthly payment look like? How much cash would remain after closing? How long do they expect to stay? What happens if their circumstances change? And how does all of that compare with waiting another six months or a year? Sometimes the numbers say buy. Sometimes they say wait. And sometimes they say keep the house you already have and enjoy your life. **The goal isn't to buy real estate at any cost. It's to make a decision that puts you in a better position for whatever comes next.** And that's a much more useful question than trying to guess where home prices will be next spring. ✨ - Priscilla - - - - Recent posts [I Have Trust Issues With Freshly Painted Basements (And Other Things I Notice at House Showings)](https://priscillaweston.com/blog/i-have-trust-issues-with-freshly-painted-basements-and-other-things-i-notice-at-house-showings) [Apparently, This Is the Best Week of the Year to Buy a House](https://priscillaweston.com/blog/apparently-this-is-the-best-week-of-the-year-to-buy-a-house) [A Small House for Someone With Big Plans](https://priscillaweston.com/blog/a-small-house-for-someone-with-big-plans) [I Wish I Could Clone My Last Seller](https://priscillaweston.com/blog/i-wish-i-could-clone-my-last-seller) [The Best Homes Leave Room for Possibility](https://priscillaweston.com/blog/the-best-homes-leave-room-for-possibility) Keller Williams Coastal and Lakes & Mountains Realty 750 Lafayette Rd. #201 Portsmouth, NH 03801 [O: 603.610.8500](tel:317-234-5678) [C: 207.218.0240](tel:317-234-5678) FOLLOW ALONG [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/priscillabandweston) [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/priscillabandweston/) - HOME - [LISTINGS](https://priscillaweston.com/listings) - [ABOUT](https://priscillaweston.com/about) - [CONTACT](https://priscillaweston.com/contact) - SEARCH © 2024 Priscilla Band Weston, REALTOR |  Privacy Policy ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Priscilla Weston", "url" : "https://priscillaweston.com/blog/author/priscilla-weston" }, "dateModified" : "2026-10-08T00:17:03.759Z", "datePublished" : "2026-07-22T20:15:00.000Z", "headline" : "Waiting for Home Prices to Drop? Here's the Question I'd Ask Instead.", "image" : [ "https://priscillaweston.com/hubfs/home%20price%20drop.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://priscillaweston.com/blog/waiting-for-home-prices-to-drop-heres-the-question-id-ask-instead", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://priscillaweston.com/hubfs/2025logo.png" }, "name" : "Priscilla Band Weston, Realtor" } } ```