Mortgage Rates Tick to 6.71%—Tyler–Longview Sellers Should Price to Today's Buyers

The rate print just got a little less friendly

Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey for the week of September 3, 2026 put the average 30-year fixed at 6.71%, up from 6.66% the prior week and above the 6.50% reading from a year earlier. The 15-year averaged 6.04%. That is not a crisis rate—but it is the highest 30-year print in more than a year in some coverage, and it lands just as East Texas sellers head into the fall listing window.

Purchase demand has been described as relatively stable as buyers adapt, not as a freeze. Still, every eighth of a point changes payment math on a mid-$300k Tyler ask. Next Freddie Mac release is due around September 10—watch it, but do not list on hope that rates magically reverse before your first showing.

What Tyler and Longview numbers already say

Local market updates through the first half of 2026 put the Tyler metro median sale price near $323,440, essentially flat year over year (about -0.3%). Closed sales volume was actually higher—roughly 236 sales per month on average through June, up about 7.8%—while active listings ran near 1,737 and months of supply sat around 6.5. Median days on market stretched toward the low 70s in some cuts. Only about 1% of homes sold above original list.

That is a mild buyer's market: enough inventory for shoppers to negotiate, enough time for sellers to miss if they price like 2021. Broader East Texas commentary puts typical hub medians in a roughly $285k–$325k band, with Smith County price-per-square-foot often cited higher than Gregg County. Sale-to-list ratios in the mid-90s are common when buyers have choices.

Statewide Texas Real Estate Research Center work through summer 2026 also described price declines moderating even while year-over-year levels stayed soft in many metros. East Texas's story is less "crash" and more "normalize and negotiate."

Pricing and offer strategy for this week

Price to closed comps from the last 60–90 days, not to the neighbor's aspirational ask from spring. Overpricing in a 6.5-month-supply market just buys you stale days on market.

Expect concessions. Rate buydowns, closing-cost credits, and repair allowances are part of getting to contract when buyers feel 6.7% payments.

Fix the easy stuff before photos. Paint, curb appeal, and a clean inspection packet matter more when buyers can walk to the next listing.

Buyers: get fully underwritten. In a balanced-to-buyer market, a strong pre-approval still wins against vague "pre-qualified" letters when two offers land.

Sellers: track showing feedback weekly. If the first ten tours bounce on price, cut once and cleanly instead of three tiny reductions that signal distress.

onthemarkettexas.com covers Tyler, Longview, and East Texas home-value conversations for owners who want a realistic read—not a hype listing. Pull fresh comps, bake the 6.71% payment into your strategy, and price for the buyer who has to live with that note.

Takeaway: With the 30-year fixed at 6.71% as of Sept. 3 and Tyler carrying roughly 6.5 months of supply near a flat ~$323k median, East Texas sellers should price to today's buyers—not last year's rate fantasy.