Rates Tick Up Again, But Buyers Aren't Sitting on the Sidelines
Mortgage rates don't move in a straight line, and this week is a good reminder of that. After easing a little the week before, they climbed again. Here's where things stand and why plenty of buyers are still deciding now is their moment.
Where rates stand right now
For the week ending Thursday, the average 30-year fixed mortgage came in at 6.52%, according to Freddie Mac. The 15-year fixed averaged 5.84%. That 30-year number is the second highest weekly average we've seen so far in 2026, so yes, borrowing costs are on the higher side.
But here's the part that gets lost in the headlines. Both of those averages are actually lower than they were this same week a year ago. Daily numbers can run a bit above the weekly averages, with some trackers putting the 30-year closer to 6.67% midweek, but the bigger trend still has today's rates sitting below where they were twelve months back.
What's pushing rates up
A few things are keeping pressure on rates. The job market has stayed stronger than a lot of people expected, which tends to push rates higher. Inflation is holding steady, with the latest reading showing prices rising about as fast as the market figured they would. And ongoing uncertainty overseas is adding a layer of volatility that markets never react well to.
So why aren't rates climbing even faster? Because there are also signs the worst of the pressure may already be behind us. The inflation premium built into long-term rates has eased back toward where it was earlier this year. One economist summed it up well: that doesn't mean inflation is going away, but it does suggest investors aren't expecting things to get worse from here.
Why buyers are still moving
This is the part I find most encouraging. Even with rates where they are, mortgage demand jumped 10.8% in a single week, the biggest weekly increase since February, and it came from both new purchases and refinances.
That tells me buyers aren't waiting around for some perfect rate that may never show up. They're working with their lenders and agents to find a way into the market right now, and lenders are meeting them there with loan options that make the numbers work.
What this means for you
If you've been on the fence, the lesson isn't "rates are up, so wait." It's that buyers who understand their options tend to come out ahead. Your rate is only one piece of your monthly payment. Your price point, loan term, down payment, and the financing strategy your lender puts together all matter too.
The buyers who do best in a market like this are the ones who get their homework done before they start touring homes. They know their budget, they're pre-approved, and they have a plan. When the right house comes along, they're ready to move instead of scrambling.
Let's talk it through
I'd be happy to walk you through what these rates actually mean for your situation, using real numbers for the price range and neighborhoods you care about instead of the headline version. A quick buyer's consultation is a great place to start, and there's no pressure or obligation.
Reach out whenever you're ready and we'll find a time that works. The market is always moving, but with a solid plan, you don't have to chase it.
How the Ferry Changes the Workday
For most of my life I assumed a commute was simply the toll you paid for living somewhere worth living. It was time to be endured, not enjoyed. Then I began taking the ferry, and the whole equation quietly rearranged itself. The trip stopped being the cost of the day and became one of its quiet pleasures.
There is a particular stretch of the crossing I have come to love. The city falls away behind you, and the bay opens wide and unhurried ahead. The morning light moves across the water in a way it never quite does from land. Some days the fog is still lifting off the hills; other days it is clear straight across to the far shore. Whatever the weather, something in you loosens. By the time you step off at the Ferry Building, you have already been given a handful of minutes that belong to no one but you, before the day begins to make its requests.
The people I meet who work in technology tell me this is the part that caught them off guard. They expected to trade a punishing commute for quiet and open space, and they found it. What they did not anticipate was that the journey itself would become something they looked forward to. You can answer a few messages if you like. You can read. Or you can do nothing more demanding than watch the boats and let your thoughts drift, which has a way of clarifying the very things a desk never could.
On the days you do not need to be in the city at all, the bay is simply there, a wide and changing view just beyond the kitchen window. That, I think, is the rhythm so many people are quietly searching for now. A few mornings on the water and in the office, a few on the trails with a laptop and a good cup of coffee. A working life that bends around the shape of a real one, rather than the reverse.
There is a subtler gift in it as well. The ferry draws a clean line between the two halves of the day. When you board to come home, the city stays behind on the dock. You watch it grow smaller, and by the time you reach this side of the water you have already crossed into something gentler. The evening arrives as your own, in a way it rarely does when you drive home tense and depleted, still half tethered to the office in your mind.
I have lived here a long time, and the crossing still moves me. It is an unusual and rather wonderful kind of luxury, to sit so near one of the great cities of the world and feel a world away from it the moment the boat pulls from the dock.
If you have found yourself wondering what a life like this might actually feel like, the kind in which the way to work restores you rather than wears you down, I would be glad to talk it over whenever you like.
Tammy Riemer, eXp Realty
Inherited a Tiburon home?
I love Tiburon. The light off the bay in the late afternoon, the ferry easing in, the way people still say hello on Ark Row. So when a family calls me because they have inherited a parent's home here, I don't treat it like a transaction. It is somebody's whole life, and it deserves care.
If you have inherited a parent's home, or you can see that day coming, there is a piece of California law worth understanding. It is called Proposition 19, and it has been on the books for a few years now. The trouble is that most families never think about it until they are right in the middle of things, and for those of us with longtime homes in a place like ours, it quietly changed the math on passing a home down.
Here is the heart of it. For years, California kids could inherit a parent's home and keep that low, longtime property tax bill. Prop 19 made that much harder. To hold onto a reduced tax base now, an heir has to move in and make the home their primary residence soon after inheriting. A vacation home or a rental no longer qualifies, and even when you do move in, only part of the value is protected. The rest gets reassessed to today's market value, which can mean a property tax bill far higher than what your parents paid.
For a lot of heirs who live out of the area, or who have careers and kids somewhere else, moving into the family home just is not realistic. That is why so many families decide to sell.
And selling is often the easier path. A home inherited at a parent's passing is usually owned free and clear, so there is no mortgage pressure while you decide. It also tends to come with tax advantages that can keep what you owe on a sale surprisingly low. So while the property tax side got harder, the sale itself is often pretty clean.
The part I really care about is the human side. Carrying costs quietly pile up while an empty house waits. Siblings don't always agree. And the home holds memories, because it was never just a building. My job is to make the whole thing simple, well timed, and fair to every heir, so you can focus on your family instead of a long list of tasks.
If you are thinking through an inherited Tiburon home and want someone local to talk it over with, I am here. You can find me at talltammyinmarin.com.
Tammy Riemer, eXp Realty
Marin County Real Estate: Adjusting Not Retreating
April 2026 Market Report
WHAT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING IN MARIN RIGHT NOW
If you've been watching the Marin County market and wondering whether now is the right time to move, you're not alone. Spring 2026 is shaping up to be one of the more interesting windows in recent memory. Prices are softer than 2025's peaks, inventory has opened up, and buyers are gaining back leverage they haven't had in years.
The median sale price sits at approximately $1.4 million, down about 4.4% from a year ago. That may sound alarming, but context matters. Marin homes are still commanding $724 per square foot, and sales volume is actually UP. In February alone, 164 homes sold compared to just 125 the prior year. People are buying, just at more realistic prices.
Homes are taking a bit longer to sell, averaging 31 days versus 22 a year ago. That is not a market in crisis. That is a market finding its equilibrium. For sellers, it means the days of pricing high and expecting 12 offers in 72 hours are largely behind us. For buyers, it means you finally have time to be thoughtful and strategic.
⭐ BY THE NUMBERS ⭐
$1.4M Median Sale Price
Down 4.4% year over year
$724 Price per Square Foot
Down 2.9% year over year
31 Days Average Time on Market
Up from 22 days last year
164 Homes Sold in February
Up from 125 the year before
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU
👉 IF YOU ARE BUYING
This is your window. More inventory means more choices, and homes sitting 30+ days often have motivated sellers open to negotiation. Get pre-approved now and move decisively when you find the right property. Competition still exists for well-priced, move-in ready homes.
👉 IF YOU ARE SELLING
Presentation and pricing are everything right now. Homes that are priced accurately and show well are still receiving strong offers. Overpricing in this environment extends your time on market and often costs more than a realistic list price would.
👉 ON INVENTORY
Active listings are meaningfully higher than a year ago, giving buyers real options across Marin's diverse communities. More supply does not mean a crash. It means a healthier, more balanced market for everyone.
👉 ON THE FORECAST
Analysts expect gradual stabilization through mid-2026, with a potential uptick if mortgage rates decline. Marin's fundamentals include limited land, proximity to San Francisco, and exceptional schools and lifestyle that remain as strong as ever.
WHERE TO WATCH IN MARIN COUNTY
📍 Mill Valley
Sought-after schools, walkable downtown. High demand continues.
📍 Tiburon & Belvedere
Waterfront luxury, ultra-premium segment. Limited inventory keeps this market strong.
📍 San Anselmo & Fairfax
Lifestyle buyers, artsy community feel. Well-balanced market with good value.
📍 San Rafael
County hub, diverse price points, steady activity.
📍 Novato
Entry-point pricing with more supply available. Best value in the county right now.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Marin County is not crashing. It is recalibrating. And for both buyers and sellers who approach it with clear eyes and a smart strategy, there is real opportunity here.
Sales volume is up. Buyers are active. For the right property priced at market reality, strong offers are still happening.
Whether you are thinking about making a move this spring or just want to know what your home is worth today, I would love to have a real conversation. I cover Belvedere Tiburon, Mill Valley, SF, Marin County and the greater Bay Area and I bring real data, real strategy, and real results to every client.
Let's talk.
— Tammy Riemer | eXp Realty | DRE# 01712088
What This Land Knew Before We Arrived
The Coast Miwok chose this land with intention.
There is something about walking Mar East and Paradise Drive slowly, without an agenda, that changes how you understand a place.
The Coast Miwok trace their presence on this peninsula back at least 10,000 years. Their oral histories describe how their ancestors emerged from the land itself, and for millennia they were careful stewards of it. In return, the land took care of them.
The Huimen band of the Coast Miwok occupied what is now Tiburon, Belvedere, Mill Valley and Sausalito. They did not settle here randomly. Indigenous peoples understood land in ways we are only beginning to recover. They chose places where the water, the light, the air and the earth were in harmony.
Healing was woven into daily life. Plants like California Yerba Santa, Mugwort and Coastal Sagebrush were used for ceremony, protection and medicine. Mount Tamalpais, visible from much of this peninsula, was and remains a sacred site for the Coast Miwok.
Marin County is still one of the great wellness communities in the world. People come here to slow down, to breathe, to reconnect. That doesn't feel like a modern invention. It feels like a continuation of something very old.
When you stand on the shoreline in Old Tiburon and watch the fog lift off the bay, the history is still here. You just have to be quiet enough to notice it.
I have spent a lot of time on this particular stretch of Tiburon, and I believe a rare opportunity coming to this area soon will speak to someone who feels this place the way I do. Reach out before it hits the market.
Tammy Riemer | eXp Realty | 415.915.5271
Turn Intention Into Action
It All Begins Here