Published November 1, 2026 in Market Update

Sales are up across the Primary market, even with rates above 7%

By Megan Wilson

Real estate, Primary market

Here is the one thing that changes how you should think right now. More homes are selling, not fewer, even with borrowing costs above 7%. That means demand is real, and it is showing up in the numbers.

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 1,647 homes sold across the Primary market in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 25% from the same three months in 2025. Freddie Mac put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.24% on October 29, 2026. Buyers are still moving, even with that rate shaping every budget.

More listings, more buyers

The Real Estate Data Aggregator also counted 1,939 new listings across the Primary market in the same period, up 12.9%. Sellers are coming to market. Buyers are following. Pending sales rose 16.1%, to 1,581. That pipeline points forward, not backward.

Rates are high. That is real.

Freddie Mac reported the 15-year fixed rate at 6.60% on October 29, 2026. Realtor.com noted rates climbed above 7% for the first time since January 2025. Higher rates do shape budgets and timing. Not every buyer can move as fast as they want to. That is worth saying plainly.

Nationally, the National Association of Realtors reported existing-home sales reached 3.99 million in September 2026. Realtor.com put the national median listing price at $414,000 for the week ending October 24, 2026. Our Primary market is moving alongside that national picture, not against it.

How each ZIP code looked

The story is not the same in every corner of the market. Some ZIP codes saw big jumps in sales. A few saw prices dip a little. Here is what the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted, ZIP by ZIP, for the three months ending August 31, 2026.

35749 in Harvest led the market in raw sales, with 242 homes sold, up 43.2%. 35756 in Madison was close behind with 261 sold and a 39.6% jump. 35824 in Huntsville saw a 41.7% rise in sales, with a median price of $369,000, up 3.2%. Not every ZIP moved the same way. 35806 in Huntsville was the one ZIP where sales dipped, down 5.6%, to 102 homes. Prices there slipped 1.7%, to $394,000. That is a real difference from the rest of the market.

Speed: some ZIP codes are moving fast

35824 in Huntsville had the shortest median time on market, at 40 days. That is 23 days shorter than the same period in 2025, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. 35758 in Madison was next at 43 days. On the other end, 35773 in Toney sat at 82 days, 17 days longer than a year before. More inventory there means buyers have more to choose from, and sellers may need more patience.

What buyers are paying versus list price

Sellers across the market are getting close to what they ask. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put 35824 in Huntsville at 99.4% of list price. Even the lowest, 35613 in Athens, came in at 98.5%. That tells you pricing is holding up, even with rates above 7%.

Homes going under contract fast

The share of homes going under contract within two weeks of listing rose in every ZIP code, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. 35758 in Madison led at 43.6%, up 23.7 points from a year before. 35806 in Huntsville saw a 19-point jump, to 35.2%. Even in slower ZIP codes, more homes are finding buyers quickly than they did in 2025.

Supply: enough room to choose, not enough to stall

Months of supply stayed under six months in most ZIP codes. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put 35758 in Madison at 2.8 months, the tightest in the market. 35773 in Toney was the highest at 6.1 months, up 1.6 months from a year before. More supply there gives buyers more time. It also means sellers in Toney need to price carefully.

One more thing worth knowing. A single street can read very differently from the whole ZIP code. The numbers above cover broad areas. Your block, your floor plan and your price point all shift the picture. That is where a closer look helps.