Latest Market Trends
Recent rate decline
- Nationally, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate has fallen. According to Freddie Mac, it reached its lowest level in over a year. Freddie Mac+CBS News
- For Florida specifically, the average 30-yr fixed recently dipped to around 6.59%, down from ~6.87% a few weeks previously. Florida Realtors
- Some quoted Florida rates (for certain lenders) show a 30-yr fixed as low as about 6.00% (for example, at Seacoast Bank on Oct 24, 2025) in local Florida listings. Seacoast Bank
- On a national level, the drop is even more pronounced: the average 30-yr fixed fell to ~6.13% in some reports. CBS News
New Construction
Builder incentives / rate buydowns
- In Florida, new‐construction houses have seen a larger share of mortgage‐rate buydowns (builder or affiliated lender funds subsidizing lower rate) — about 4% of new-builds versus ~1% of existing homes. Axios
- Such buydowns can shave 1–3 percentage points off the initial rate (or effectively reduce monthly payment) and thus significantly improve affordability.
- Builders are also offering money towards closing costs - decreasing out-of-pocket expenses.
Lower maintenance & repair risk
- New homes tend to have newer systems, warranties, fewer unknown deferred maintenance issues — reducing surprise costs and giving more predictable cash‐flow/operating cost if you hold as investment or live in.
Energy efficiency / newer building codes
- Potentially lower utilities/insurance/maintenance burden, again improving overall cost profile (though this is more incremental).