Published October 2, 2026 in Market Update

Higher rates, but buyers are still writing contracts in the Rockwall area

By Jorge Avila

Real estate, Rockwall area

CNBC reported the average 30-year fixed rate hit 7.30% as of September 30, 2026. Realtor.com said rates topped 7% for the first time since January 2025. That is a real cost. On a $490,000 home, the difference between 6% and 7.30% is roughly $400 more per month. Buyers feel that. And yet, the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted pending sales rising in two of the three largest ZIP codes here during the three months ending July 31, 2026. Buyers are still writing contracts.

Pending sales: the number that tells you what is happening right now

Closed sales tell you what happened 30 to 60 days ago. Pending sales tell you what buyers decided this week. That is why I lead with them. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 282 pending sales in ZIP 75087 during the three months ending July 31, 2026. That is up 15.1% from the same period in 2025. In ZIP 75032, the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 226 pending sales, up 14.1% year over year. In ZIP 75189, pending sales were up only 0.3%, to 301. Buyers did not stop. They adjusted.

What the rates actually mean for your price

Higher rates shrink what a buyer can afford. That puts pressure on price. Nationally, Realtor.com reported that 20.8% of listings took a price cut in September 2026, up 0.9 points from a year before. Here in the Rockwall area, the picture is more mixed. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows the median sale price in ZIP 75032 rose 2.2% to $580,304. In ZIP 75087 it rose 4% to $490,000. In ZIP 75189 it edged down 0.2% to $339,490. Prices are not collapsing. But they are not all moving the same direction either.

How long are homes sitting?

This is where I want sellers to pay close attention. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows median days on market at 74 in ZIP 75032, 79 in ZIP 75087, and 78 in ZIP 75189. In ZIP 75032, that is 6 days longer than the same period in 2025. In ZIP 75189, it is 13 days longer. Days on market in ZIP 75087 held flat. Homes are taking longer to sell in most of the area. That does not mean yours will. It means pricing matters more than it did a year ago.

The homes that moved fast

Not every home sat. The Real Estate Data Aggregator found that 22.6% of homes in ZIP 75032 went under contract within two weeks of listing. That share is up 2.9 points from a year ago. In ZIP 75087, 19.5% went under contract within two weeks, up 0.3 points. In ZIP 75132, 20% did. In ZIP 75189, 12.6% did, nearly flat with last year. The homes that are priced right are still drawing quick attention. The ones that are not are sitting longer and pulling that median up.

Sellers are still getting close to list price

The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows the average sale price as a share of list price at 97.3% in both ZIP 75032 and ZIP 75087, and 97.7% in ZIP 75189. In ZIP 75132, it was 100.3%, though only 6 homes sold there so that number reflects a small sample. These figures have held steady or improved slightly from a year ago. Sellers are not giving homes away. But that 97% figure also means the typical seller left about 3% on the table from list price, so starting too high still costs you.

Inventory is tighter than it looks

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 390 homes for sale in ZIP 75087 during the three months ending July 31, 2026. That sounds like plenty. But it is down 21.1% from a year before. In ZIP 75032, inventory fell 8.4% to 371 homes. In ZIP 75189 it fell 8.2% to 579 homes. Fewer homes for sale means serious buyers have fewer choices. When a well-priced home comes on, it gets noticed. Months of supply dropped 1.8 months in ZIP 75087, to 4.8 months. That is the tightest of the three main ZIP codes here.

The national picture, and how it fits here

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. home prices rose 2.6% from July 2025 to July 2026. The S&P Case-Shiller index, as reported by CNBC, showed national prices up 1.9% in July compared with July 2025. The Rockwall area's two largest ZIP codes are running ahead of those national figures. ZIP 75087 is up 4% and ZIP 75032 is up 2.2%. ZIP 75189 is essentially flat, down 0.2%. These are not the same market. They are three different stories sitting next to each other.