San Diego Market Update | March 18, 2026 - Blum Realty Group

This March 18, 2026 snapshot records the national mortgage surveys, housing figures and expectations available at that time. Use a current lender quote and property-specific review for a purchase today.

Mortgage Rates That Week

For the week ending March 13, 2026, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported a 6.30% average contract rate for conforming 30-year fixed mortgages at 80% loan-to-value, the highest since December 2025. Freddie Mac's separate March 12 survey reported 6.11% for 30-year fixed mortgages and 5.50% for 15-year fixed mortgages.

In that MBA survey, purchase applications increased 1% from the previous week and refinance applications were 69% above the same week a year earlier. Freddie Mac's 30-year average was 0.54 percentage points below its March 13, 2025 reading. MBA's March 18 forecast expected mortgage rates to range between 6% and 6.5% during 2026.

National Housing Overview

NAR’s data at the time showed existing-home sales rose 1.7% in February to a seasonally adjusted rate of 4.09 million, beating expectations. The national median home price hit $398,000, up 0.3% year-over-year, marking the 32nd consecutive month of annual price gains. Inventory nationally stood at 1.29 million units (3.8 months of supply), up nearly 5% from a year earlier. Affordability had improved for eight consecutive months.

What This Meant

The March 18 outlook combined improving affordability with expectations for later Federal Reserve cuts. When applying this historical snapshot to a purchase, compare those expectations with the loan terms and full property budget available for your own transaction.

If you were thinking about selling, pricing accurately from day one had never been more important — overpriced listings were sitting.