"At a Glance" Local Housing STATS and News 07/22/26

30-Year Fixed: 6.77%  |  15-Year Fixed: 6.23%

The daily 30-year fixed ticked up to 6.77% and the 15-year to 6.23%, both a hair firmer than yesterday as higher oil prices pressed on the inflation outlook.

Property taxes are heading to the ballot. Voters in 13 states will decide this November whether to cut them, since housing costs eat the biggest slice of most household budgets. Florida’s Amendment 3 alone could cost local governments $46 billion by 2032. The chart below shows why the pressure is real: New Jersey homeowners pay about $9,590 a year, the highest in the country, and the top five states all sit well above the roughly $2,500 national average.

Meanwhile, big landlords are heading for the exits. A new law blocking large investors from buying more single-family homes has Wall Street firms unloading rentals, and July listings from that crowd hit 9,447, more than double February’s 4,166. For buyers that could mean more inventory and a little price relief, though renters may find fewer homes to lease.

Today’s live board across our five focus cities shows 735 homes a buyer can actually pursue right now, including 51 brand new listings and 98 more coming soon. The full, always-updating ledger lives at harvrealtor.net/live-inventory.

Today’s Live Inventory (buyable now)

• Fremont: 285 available (216 active, 27 new, 39 coming soon)
• Hayward: 206 available (173 active, 14 new, 19 coming soon)
• Milpitas: 107 available (82 active, 1 new, 24 coming soon)
• Newark: 80 available (67 active, 4 new, 8 coming soon)
• Union City: 57 available (44 active, 5 new, 8 coming soon)

S&P 500: 7,509 ▲ 0.89%  |  DOW: 52,224 ▲ 0.74%  |  NASDAQ: 25,837 ▲ 1.29%

Stocks climbed to start the back half of the week, right in the thick of earnings season with Google, Tesla, and IBM all reporting today. GM jumped 4.91% on strong SUV sales and shrinking EV losses, and Ally beat estimates as auto loan originations rose 21% to $13.3 billion. On the other side, Halliburton slid 5.47% after warning that fracking revenue is going nowhere fast.

Apple is trying a fresh angle on the squeezed consumer: starting July 28 it will let you lease iPhones, Macs, and iPads through Klarna instead of buying outright, with terms up to 36 months. Overseas, China’s CSI 300 popped 3.06%, while Washington threatened sanctions on China over claims it used stolen U.S. technology to train its AI models.

US 10-Year: 4.62% ▬ 0.00%  |  Gold: $4,113 ▲ 1.3%  |  Silver: $59.80 ▲ 1.2%  |  Brent: $91.01 ▲ 2.40%

A record 9.5 million federal student loan borrowers are now in default. The pandemic payment pause ended in late 2024 and income-driven plans were trimmed, so the bill is coming due. Total student debt has more than tripled in a generation, from about $0.52 trillion in 2006 to $1.83 trillion in 2025, and roughly a third of it, near $675 billion, sits with borrowers aged 35 to 49, prime homebuying years.

Oil pushed higher: Brent crude rose 2.40% to $91.01 after Saudi Arabia set a record for oil shipped through the Red Sea to route around the closed Strait of Hormuz, only for a Yemeni group to threaten that lane too. The metals kept running, with gold pushing above $4,100 to $4,113 and silver up to $59.80 as investors leaned into inflation and Middle East risk. The 10-Year Treasury held at 4.62%.

Why a REALTOR® cares about student debt: every dollar going to a monthly loan payment is a dollar not going toward a down payment. It is one quiet reason first-time buyers keep getting pushed later, and why the entry level of our market stays so competitive the moment it opens up.

BTC: $66,236 ▲ 1.57%  |  ETH: $1,917 ▲ 0.71%  |  XRP: $1.14 ▲ 2.37%

Crypto had a green day across the board, with Bitcoin up 1.57% to $66,236, Ether up 0.71% to $1,917, and XRP leading at 2.37% to $1.14. Treasury Secretary Bessent said the Clarity Act, which would set clearer rules for the crypto market, is at the one yard line, and Coinbase surged as much as 12.6% on the news. Not everyone had a good day: the CEO of Twenty One Capital resigned after a three-way, Tether-backed merger fell apart, and the stock is now down 40% from its May high to $5.32.

Disclaimer: The market data, rates, and information provided are for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Always verify rates and data with your lender or financial advisor before making any decisions.