Where We’ve BeenOver the past few years, we went from a red-hot market (2020–2022) to a slowdown when rates jumped (2023–2024).In 2025, the market started stabilizing.Now in early 2026, we’re seeing the first real signs of recovery.What’s Happening Right NowMortgage rates have dropped to 5.98%, the lowest level since 2022.That matters.For every 1% drop in mortgage rates, roughly 14,000 more households in the Knoxville area can afford to buy a median-priced home.As a result:• Home sales are up 8.4% from last year• Pending listings are up 10%• Prices are rising modestly (about 1–2%)• Homes are taking longer to sell than last yearInventory is up compared to 2025, but only about 25% of homes are priced under $330,000 — which is considered affordable for the average household.So affordable homes still garner the most attention and tend to move quickly.

That level of detail is what matters.2) On properties in the seven-figure range, the first-year benefit exceeded the study cost several times over.

House is in a class C neighborhood, so its mainly being targeted by traditional blue collar workers, entry level white collar jobs (to give context). 

We’re still piecing everything together, but from what we understand, this partner was placing unqualified tenants in managed properties, neglecting basic repairs, promising housing subsidies that didn’t exist, and ultimately disappearing.We’ve since hired a new property manager after thoroughly checking their credentials at both the state and federal levels.

Scaling at this level usually requires strong operating history and professional management infrastructure.

There’s a difference between price data and behavior data.Price data lags.Behavior shows up first.Right now, behavior is flashing.Google searches for “can’t sell house” have surged to the highest level in over a decade.That’s not inventory talking.That’s frustration talking.Now stack that on top of the hard numbers.Nationally:– Pending home sales just printed an all-time low going back to 2021.– There are materially more sellers than buyers in the market. 600,000 more home sellers than buyers.

For context, I have a Carrot site and can follow instructions, but am a total novice when it comes to websites, and no nothing about code.Thank you in advance to anyone that took time to read my post and provide advice/feedback.I was only able to take SEO to a certain level. 2 years ago we hired outside help.  

Timing could also matter if income levels or tax rates change between years. 

He said he’d done structural and leveling work.

The average duration of unemployment has reached 25.7 weeks — the highest level in four years.Why this matters: A cooling labor market can slow economic growth and may eventually create pressure for lower interest rates.Private Hiring Looks Better — But Still UnevenSeparate data from ADP showed 63,000 private-sector jobs added in February, beating expectations.But the gains were concentrated in smaller companies.Small businesses added jobsMid-sized companies cut jobsLarge employers added only modestlyAnother signal: the pay increase workers get when switching jobs has narrowed to the smallest gap on record.Why this matters: Employers appear to be hiring more cautiously, another sign that the labor market is losing steam.Other Indicators Point to Cooling HiringSeveral additional labor market signals reinforce the same trend.Layoff announcements have surged early this year, with January and February layoffs among the highest for those months since 2009.At the same time, hiring plans have dropped sharply.