Should I Buy a House Now or Wait Until 2027?

By Billy Howell, Broker/Owner, Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty – Home Sold Florida, LLC

As we move through 2026, I am hearing a version of the same question from buyers: Should I buy now, or would I be better off waiting until 2027?

It is a fair question. Mortgage rates matter. Home prices matter. So do insurance, HOA costs, inventory and the amount of competition you face.

The problem is that nobody knows with certainty what all of those variables will look like next year.

So I would not make the decision by trying to predict 2027. I would make it by comparing your position today with what would actually need to improve for waiting to benefit you.

REASON TO WAIT: THE PAYMENT DOES NOT WORK

This is the easiest one.

If buying today would stretch your budget, leave you without adequate reserves or require you to assume that rates will fall soon, waiting may be the better choice.

There is no prize for buying a home before you are financially ready.

Use the additional time to save money, reduce debt, improve credit or increase your buying power. Those are improvements you can control.

REASON TO BUY: YOU FIND THE RIGHT HOME AND THE NUMBERS WORK

If your income is stable, the payment is comfortable, you have adequate savings after closing and you expect to own the property for several years, buying can make sense even if market conditions are not “perfect.”

The right home is part of the equation too. Real estate is not a stock where every share is identical. The particular location, floor plan, lot, community or view you want may not be available when the market reaches whatever condition you are waiting for.

WHAT COULD BE DIFFERENT IN 2027?

Rates could be lower. They could be similar. Economic conditions could change.

Home prices could rise, fall or move sideways. Inventory could improve or tighten. Lower rates could bring additional buyers back into the market.

Any confident prediction that tells you exactly what all of those things will do should be treated cautiously.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT PALM BEACH COUNTY TODAY

One reason I prefer current data over forecasts is that we can actually measure today's market.

June 2026 data from MIAMI REALTORS® + RWorld showed 3.9 months of inventory for single-family homes in Palm Beach County and 7.2 months for existing condos.

That means the decision can look very different depending on what you are trying to buy.

Someone shopping for a single-family home in Jupiter may face a tighter selection than someone evaluating condos in Delray Beach or Boynton Beach.

WAITING FOR LOWER RATES HAS A TRADE-OFF

If mortgage rates fall, your borrowing cost may improve. But lower rates can also make homes affordable to more buyers.

NAR has estimated that a one-percentage-point rate decline from 7% to 6% could expand the pool of households financially able to buy by roughly 5.5 million nationwide.

That does not guarantee bidding wars or rising prices. It does mean you should not assume lower rates will occur in isolation.

THE FIVE-YEAR QUESTION

Instead of asking whether you will wish you waited six months, I often think a better question is how the purchase fits your next several years.

Do you expect to stay in the area?

Does the home fit your foreseeable needs?

Can you comfortably handle the total monthly housing cost?

Will you still have reserves after closing?

Would owning the property improve your life or financial plan even if the market moves slowly for a while?

Those questions are usually more useful than trying to guess next spring's mortgage rate.

BOTTOM LINE

Should you buy now or wait until 2027?

If you are not financially ready, waiting can be smart.

If you are ready, the payment works and the right opportunity is available, I would not automatically postpone the purchase simply because next year's market might be better.

The best decision is the one that still makes sense even if your prediction about the market turns out to be wrong.

If you are considering a move in Palm Beach County, my team can help you compare current inventory, recent sales and negotiating conditions so you can make that decision using local numbers rather than headlines.

ABOUT BILLY HOWELL

Billy Howell is the Broker/Owner of Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty – Home Sold Florida, LLC and leader of The Billy Howell Team. He has nearly two decades of real estate experience and serves on the 2026 JTHS-MIAMI Board of Governors.