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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →The clearest reading of the available outlooks is that Cotality Chief Economist Selma Hepp’s earlier 2026 forecast put mortgage rates near 6%. A later report’s figure of rates potentially approaching 9% describes a severe Treasury-market disruption scenario—not her base-case forecast. Neither number is a current mortgage-rate reading.
How the near-6% outlook differs from the 9% scenario
Fast Company reported Hepp’s earlier 2026 outlook as expecting mortgage rates to settle near 6%. It also reported that Cotality expected home prices to rise about 2%–4%, with affordability and the number of homes for sale improving gradually. These were expectations reported at the time, not guarantees or measurements of what has happened since. Fast Company’s 2026 forecast roundup
By contrast, GlobeSt.com reported on October 2, 2026, that Hepp saw a severe disruption in the Treasury market as capable of pushing mortgage rates toward 9%. That is a conditional stress scenario, not the ordinary outlook. The available report excerpt does not establish the full assumptions, timing, mortgage term, or whether 9% refers to an average or a particular point in time. GlobeSt.com’s report on the scenario
Because the figures come from different reports and describe different conditions, they should not be treated as two equivalent forecasts. The information available does not support a more precise reconciliation of their horizons or assumptions.
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What Cotality says moves mortgage rates
In a September 2, 2026 discussion, Cotality identified inflation, long-term Treasury yields, and the returns investors demand for mortgage-backed securities as influences on 15- and 30-year mortgage rates. Cotality’s mortgage-rate discussion
That helps explain why a Federal Reserve policy-rate change alone does not determine a 30-year mortgage quote. Mortgage rates reflect longer-term borrowing costs and investor demand as well. Cotality’s discussion does not quantify how much each factor contributes, so there is no sound basis here for attaching a specific rate change to any one driver.
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- SPEAKS YOUR LANGUAGE: Keys clearly labeled in residential mortgage finance terms like Loan AMT, Int, Term, PMT. This industry-standard calculator is super easy to use on all realty financing matters from finding a loan that works for your client to considering trust deeds investments, or finding remaining balances or balloon payments and much more
- CONFIDENTLY AND EASILY SOLVES: All your clients' financial questions whether they are buyers, sellers, investors or renters. Increase your perceived professionalism as a new agent, experienced broker or seasoned loan officer. Close more home sales and impress your clients with fast, accurate answers to all their real estate finance questions
- DEDICATED BUYER QUALIFYING KEYS: Enter client's income, debt and expenses to pre-qualify them to only show properties they can afford. Include tax, insurance and mortgage insurance then compare loan options and payment solutions to give your client choices before they make an offer to buy
- FIGURE OUT THE RIGHT LOAN: At the press of a button for jumbo, conventional, FHA/VA, or even 80:10:10 or 80:15:5 combo loans; check to see if ARMs or bi-weekly loans, quarterly payments or if interest-only payments are the answer; giving your client more choices; easily perform what if loan or tvm calculations Find loan amount, term, interest or PITI or PI payments
- BECOME AN INVALUABLE RESOURCE: Reduce your clients' confusion and uncertainty; ensuring they are able to make a purchase offer; knowing they can afford the down payment; and determining which is the right loan for them. Date-math for listings and contracts too. Comes with a protective slide cover, quick reference guide, pocket User's Guide, and long-life batteries
What the reported outlook says about rates in 2026
Cotality says mortgage rates dipped below 6% earlier in 2026 and subsequently rose as inflation persisted. Its discussion does not give a precise current rate or a specific stabilization level. Cotality’s discussion of policy and housing
The earlier near-6% figure and the later toward-9% scenario therefore answer different questions: one describes a reported outlook, the other a possible outcome under severe market disruption. Neither tells you the rate a borrower can get today. The available Cotality material does not provide a dated, exact current average, so it cannot establish where rates stand now.
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- DEDICATED FUNCTION KEYS for Quick Financial Solutions: Clearly labeled function keys enable you to quickly and confidently provide financial answers and options for your clients, whether in the office, in the car or at an open house. Compare loan options and provide payment solutions to give your client choices
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How to use these forecasts when making a borrowing decision
Forecasts are conditional, and the details that make them comparable—such as the loan term, forecast horizon, and scenario assumptions—are not fully available for the reported 9% figure. Rather than treating either number as a promised threshold, compare actual loan offers and consider whether the monthly payment fits your budget. A forecast can frame uncertainty; it cannot tell you what rate an individual lender will offer.
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- SPEAKS YOUR LANGUAGE: Keys clearly labeled in residential mortgage finance terms like Loan Amt, Int, Term, Pmt; this industry-standard calculator is super easy to use on all realty financing matters from finding a loan that works for your client to considering trust deeds investments, or finding remaining balances or balloon payments and more
- CONFIDENTLY AND EASILY SOLVE: Clients' financial questions whether they're buyers, sellers, investors or renters. Increase your perceived professionalism as a new agent, experienced broker or seasoned loan officer. Close more home sales and impress your clients with fast, accurate answers to all their real estate finance questions from PITI Payments to IRR, NPV and Cashflows
- DEDICATED BUYER QUALIFYING KEYS: Enter client's income, debt and expenses to pre-qualify them to only show properties they can afford. Include tax, insurance and mortgage insurance then compare loan options and payment solutions to give your client choices before they make an offer to buy
- FIGURE OUT THE RIGHT LOAN: For your client at the press of a button for jumbo, conventional, FHA/VA, or even 80:10:10 or 80:15:5 combo loans; check to see if ARMs or bi-weekly loans, quarterly payments or if interest-only payments are the answer; giving your client more choices; easily perform what if loan or TVM calculations find loan amount, term, interest or PITI or PI payments
- BECOME AN INVALUABLE RESOURCE: To your clients by reducing their confusion and uncertainty; ensuring they are able to make a purchase offer; knowing they can afford the down payment; and determining which is the right loan for them. Date-math for listings and contracts too. Comes with a protective slide cover, quick reference guide, pocket user's guide, and long-life battery
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