How To Buy A Home

Mortgage rates aren’t falling the way buyers expect—and this interview breaks down why “waiting for a crash” may backfire, plus what realistic first-time buyer strategies still work in today’s market. Zachary Foust explains why mortgage rates haven’t followed Fed cuts the way people assume, and how bond investors, inflation risk, and the mortgage-to-bond “spread” affect what buyers actually pay. He argues a 2008-style housing crash is unlikely without a major inventory surge, and that the kind of crash many buyers hope for would likely come with painful unemployment. The conversation shifts into practical “path of least resistance” moves—like using FHA/USDA/VA and state housing authority assistance, considering townhomes in secondary markets, and paying attention to new construction incentives—while also naming the emotional toll this market is taking on first-time buyers. “Townhomes aren’t sexy, but they’re affordable to build and they’re cheaper, especially if they’re on the outside of a primary m