North Metro Denver Market Update | September 25, 2026

Mortgage Rates Cross 7% in North Metro Denver

By Mike Gold | RE/MAX Alliance

Mortgage rates in North Metro Denver just crossed a line they hadn't crossed all fall. Freddie Mac's survey, released September 24, put the 30-year fixed at 7.03%, up from 6.95% the week before. That's the fourth straight weekly increase. Rates have climbed from 6.71% on September 3, to 6.76%, to 6.95%, to 7.03% now.

The part that changes the story this week isn't just the rate. North Metro corridor new listings fell 13.6% from the week before, the first weekly decline after a month of growth, and the pullback was sharper still in Broomfield, Lafayette, Louisville, Erie and Superior, down 35.5% combined. For a month, rising rates were offset by more homes to choose from. This week both of those moved against anyone still waiting.

The Short Answer

Rates have now risen for four consecutive weeks and just crossed 7% for the first time this run. At the same time, North Metro Denver new listings fell 13.6% week over week, and East Boulder County specifically (Broomfield, Lafayette, Louisville, Erie, Superior) saw new listings drop over a third. That's the first week in this series where both major signals moved against buyers who are waiting, rather than one offsetting the other. On a typical $500,000 purchase, this week's move alone adds roughly $21 a month to the payment, and the full four-week climb since September 3 adds about $86 a month, over $1,000 a year, for as long as the loan is held.

7.03%

30-year fixed, week ending Sept 24

-13.6%

North Metro new listings, week over week

-35.5%

East Boulder County new listings

+$86

Monthly payment since Sept 3 on $500K

What Happened to Mortgage Rates This Week?

According to Freddie Mac's weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey, the 30-year fixed averaged 7.03% for the week ending September 24, up from 6.95% the week before. The 15-year fixed rose too, to 6.42% from 6.26%. Compared to a year ago, the 30-year is up 0.73 percentage points from 6.30%, and the 15-year is up 0.93 points from 5.49%.

This is the fourth straight weekly increase, not a one-off. Rates have climbed from 6.71% on September 3, to 6.76% on September 10, to 6.95% on September 17, to 7.03% now, a 32 basis point move over four weeks. Freddie Mac's chief economist, Sam Khater, framed the broader backdrop rather than the rate move itself in this week's release.

"The housing market remains supported by a solid labor market and an economy that is growing at a healthy rate."

Sam Khater, Chief Economist, Freddie Mac

That's a steadier read than the rate trend alone suggests, but it doesn't change what buyers are paying today.

What's Happening to Housing Inventory in North Metro Denver Right Now?

I pulled this from this week's MLS activity across the North Metro corridor: Westminster, Broomfield, Brighton, Longmont, Frederick, Firestone, Erie, Lafayette, Louisville, Superior, Thornton, Northglenn, Commerce City, and Arvada. You can find every weekly update on my blog. For the week of September 18 through 24, 293 new listings hit the corridor, down from 339 the week before, a 13.6% drop. That's the first weekly decline in new listings after a month of growth in this series.

Arvada still led the corridor. The corridor-wide median list price on new listings came in at $615,000, up 2.7% from $599,000 the week before. That's a real move, not noise, and it's worth sitting with. Fewer new listings, priced higher, is a different signal than fewer listings at flat prices.

The pullback lands harder in my own home markets. Broomfield, Lafayette, Louisville, Erie and Superior combined for 60 new listings this week, down from 93 the week before, a 35.5% drop, roughly two and a half times the corridor-wide decline. Broomfield alone went from 38 new listings to 24. Lafayette went from 16 to 5. Superior went from 6 to 2. Louisville was essentially flat, 5 to 6, and Erie eased from 28 to 23.

That East Boulder County figure is built on a smaller sample than the corridor total, so I'd treat one week of it as a signal worth watching rather than a confirmed trend. But it's a real, sourced number, and it's moving the same direction as the corridor, just faster.

What Does DMAR's Latest Report Say About the Broader Denver Metro Market?

DMAR's Market Trends Report still reflects August 2026 data as of this writing. September's report hadn't been published yet, which typically happens in early October. With that caveat, August's numbers remain the most current broader-market read available.

Active listings across the 11-county Denver Metro area ended August at 13,080, down 0.27% month over month and up just 0.16% year over year, after peaking at 13,115 in July. Closed sales fell 18.99% from July and 17.35% from a year ago. The median close price landed at $594,495, down 1.74% from July but essentially flat year over year, and median days in MLS rose to 27, up from 21 in July. Year to date, closings are down 3.49% from 2025, while the year-to-date median price of $599,990 is up a slim 0.17%.

That's a market that was already digesting slower sales and longer time on market before this week's rate move even happened. September's DMAR report, whenever it lands, will be the first to actually reflect a month where rates spent real time above 7%.

Why Does It Matter That Rates Crossed 7% the Same Week Inventory Pulled Back?

Here's the cause and effect. For most of the past month, buyers had a real offsetting trade. Rates were rising, but so was the number of homes to choose from, which meant more room to negotiate and less pressure to overbid. That trade is what made "wait it out" a defensible strategy.

This week, both halves of it moved against anyone still waiting. Rates didn't drift. They crossed 7% for the first time in this stretch, on a fourth consecutive weekly increase. And the extra supply that had been buyers' main source of leverage reversed too, down 13.6% corridor-wide and down more than a third across my own five home markets.

One trend reversing on its own is worth watching. Two trends that had been pulling in opposite directions both flipping the same week is a different kind of signal, and it's the first time this series has shown that combination rather than a mixed picture. I'm not going to tell you this is the start of a sustained slide in inventory. One week isn't a trend, especially on the smaller East Boulder County sample. What I am telling you is that the specific argument for waiting, that more houses are still coming so a slightly higher rate doesn't matter, lost its footing this week.

What Does This Actually Cost You? The Math on a $500K Purchase

On a $400,000 loan, 80% financing on a $500,000 purchase, a 30-year fixed at 6.71% (where rates sat on September 3) works out to a monthly principal-and-interest payment of about $2,583.77. At this week's 7.03%, that same loan runs about $2,669.27 a month.

Sept 3 at 6.71%

$2,583.77

per month, P&I

Sept 24 at 7.03%

$2,669.27

per month, P&I

Cost of Waiting

+$85.51/mo

about $1,026 a year

That's an $85.51 monthly difference, or roughly $1,026 a year, and it's not a one-time cost. It's baked into the payment for as long as you hold that rate. This week's move alone, from 6.95% to 7.03%, adds about $21.48 a month on its own. You can run your own numbers with my mortgage calculator.

With inventory pulling back rather than growing, the negotiating room that's offset rate increases for the past month is thinner than it was two weeks ago. That doesn't mean seller-funded buydowns are off the table. DMAR's August data still shows 27 median days in MLS, which is real time on market. But get a current read on seller flexibility in the specific city and price band you're shopping rather than assuming last month's leverage still holds.

Should You Keep Waiting to Buy in North Metro Denver?

If your plan has been to wait for a better rate while more inventory builds, both assumptions took a hit this week. Rates crossed 7% on a fourth straight weekly climb. Inventory, corridor-wide and especially across Broomfield, Lafayette, Louisville, Erie and Superior, pulled back instead of growing.

I'm not going to tell you either trend is locked in. One week of falling listings is not a proven reversal, and rates have moved in both directions before over short spans this year. What I can tell you is that the specific case for patience, that more supply was coming to offset the rate, doesn't hold as cleanly today as it did two weeks ago. Get pre-approved so you're ready to move, and if a house works for your budget, treat this week's numbers as the real cost of waiting rather than a temporary blip.

So What Should Buyers Do Next?

Talk to me before you assume the wait is still free. If you want to see exactly what locking a rate this week does to your payment on a specific price point, or want a read on how much negotiating room is actually left in Broomfield, Lafayette, Louisville, Erie, or Superior specifically, reach out directly and I'll run the real numbers with you. And if you want to know where you stand financially before you start looking, check your buying power first.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are mortgage rates right now in North Metro Denver?

As of the week ending September 24, 2026, the 30-year fixed averaged 7.03% and the 15-year fixed averaged 6.42%, according to Freddie Mac's weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey. That's the fourth straight weekly increase, and the first time the 30-year has crossed 7% in this stretch.

Why did mortgage rates cross 7% this week?

Freddie Mac's release points to a solid labor market and healthy economic growth as the broader backdrop, without naming a single cause for the week's move. What matters for buyers is the pattern. This is the fourth consecutive weekly increase, from 6.71% on September 3 to 7.03% now.

Is North Metro Denver inventory still growing?

No, not this week. New listings across the 14-city North Metro corridor fell to 293 for the week of September 18 through 24, down 13.6% from 339 the week before, the first weekly decline after a month of growth. The drop was sharper in East Boulder County specifically, down 35.5%.

How much more does a house cost each month with rates at 7.03% versus three weeks ago?

On a $400,000 loan (80% financing on a $500,000 purchase), the monthly principal-and-interest payment rose from about $2,583.77 at 6.71% to about $2,669.27 at 7.03%, a difference of roughly $85.51 a month, or about $1,026 a year, for the life of the loan.

Should I wait for mortgage rates to drop before buying in North Metro Denver?

Based on this week's data, the case for waiting is weaker than it was two weeks ago. Rates have risen for four consecutive weeks and just crossed 7%, and the extra inventory buyers were counting on to offset that cost pulled back for the first time in a month.

Which North Metro Denver cities have the most new listings right now?

For the week of September 18 through 24, 2026, Arvada led with 63 new listings, followed by Thornton with 47, Longmont with 45, Westminster with 29, Brighton with 25, Broomfield with 24, and Erie with 23, based on MLS data across the North Metro corridor.

Mike Gold | RE/MAX Alliance

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Sources

Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, September 24, 2026 (7.03%) and September 17, 2026 (6.95%). DMAR Real Estate Market Trends Report, August 2026. Mike Gold's weekly North Metro MLS combined report, weeks of September 11 to 17 and September 18 to 24, 2026.