Rooted in Gratitude
We're back! Is the Phoenix Housing Market Crashing? 2026 Mortgage Rates, Home Prices & Foreclosures with Lenders and Title
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Episode notes
Is the Phoenix housing market crashing, or is this the best time to buy a house in Phoenix in
years? Mortgage rates are back near 7%, home prices have been flat for four years, and sellers
are cutting prices. Arizona REALTOR® Rebecca Rei and her lender and title partners break
down what the data actually says.
Rebecca is joined by Anthony Penna of Navi Title, Tara Krieg of TK Team Lending, and Joe Smith
of Epic Mortgage, with more than 100 combined years in Arizona real estate. Together they
cover the 2026 Phoenix real estate market: why the median home price went from $444,000 in
August 2022 to $445,000 today, why rising foreclosure headlines look nothing like 2008, and
why buyers suddenly have real negotiating power.
In this episode:
context
- Is the Phoenix housing market going to crash? Foreclosures, short sales and price cuts in
- Mortgage rates in 2026: what is pushing them toward 7% and what could bring them down
- Should you buy a house now or wait? Why you can refinance the rate but never the price
- Temporary rate buydowns and seller concessions: when they help and when they backfire
- First-time home buyers in Arizona: gift of equity, gifted down payments and shared equity
with parents
- Where to find single-family homes in the $300s in Gilbert, Chandler, Queen Creek and
Maricopa
- Seller reality check: 76% of August sales closed under list price and 51% had price cuts
- Why Phoenix is shifting from boom market to steady 2–5% appreciation
- The most affordable U.S. cities to buy a home in 2026
Recorded September 14, 2026. Point-in-time market update, not financial advice.
GUESTS
Anthony Penna, Senior Vice President, Navi Title
B•Real Media | Rebecca Rei Podcast | Show Notes 1Title and escrow services for Arizona real estate transactions.
apenna@navititle.com | 602-510-8848
https://www.navititle.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-penna-04b55620
Tara Krieg, Founder & Senior Loan Officer, TK Team Lending
Mortgage planning, purchase and refinance loans, and credit education.
tkrieg@tkteam.us | 480-344-1951
https://www.tkteam.us/about/
Joe Smith, Mortgage Broker, Epic Mortgage LLC
Independent mortgage broker since 2002, comparing loan options across multiple lenders.
joe@myepicloan.com | 602-741-4121
https://myepicloan.com/joe-smith-2/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-smith-6027414121
Anthony, Tara and Joe are sponsors of the Rebecca Rei podcast.
ABOUT THE SHOW
Rebecca Rei Hidalgo is a Phoenix-area real estate agent with 33 years of experience. Every
week she breaks down the Arizona housing market, mortgage rates and home prices with the
lenders, title experts and agents who live it, plus real stories from inside the home. The show
helps fuel the Rooted in Gratitude Foundation, a nonprofit advocating for affordable housing in
Arizona.
Follow the show, leave a rating, and share this episode with anyone thinking about buying or
selling a home in Arizona.