Clark’s bold prediction on ’26 housing prices (2 12 26)

Author

Sally McDonald
February 12, 2026

💵 Today’s Top Stories
housing market

The “hopeless era” for buyers is coming to an end this year, Clark says. Here’s what’s changing. Plus, Clark offers a warning about a specific type of deal. Read more.

Pay cash for car auto vehicle

U.S. News & World Report just issued its category awards for the best cars based on price, five-year ownership cost, safety ratings and more. Read more.

Hotel

Planning your next vacation or trip? Check out the best and worst hotels in the U.S. based on customer satisfaction scores. Read more.

Storage Unit

A Clark listener is keeping family items with sentimental value in storage units that keep raising the monthly price. Clark gave some interesting recommendations. Read more.

couple financial planning money

What happens to your financial, social media and other online accounts when you die? Here’s what you can do now to plan for it. Read more.

💵 Today’s Top Savings Rates

Check out our updated list of Clark.com-approved high-yield savings accounts with the highest rates. Here are the top five APYs on our list as of February 12, 2026.

Savings Rates 020526
🏠️ Have We Reached Peak Home Ownership Tenure?

Earlier in this email, you’ll find a story in which Clark predicts 2026 to be the best year for prospective home buyers in quite some time.

Backing that story, data suggests we’ve reached, or are close to reaching, peak “lock-in effect.”

In Q4 of 2025, homeowners who sold their homes held them for an average of 8.6 years. That’s up from 8.1 years in Q4 of 2024 – and the highest-ever number in a dataset that started in 2000.

According to the study, “a lock-in effect … makes owners reluctant to give up ultra-low mortgage rates.” In other words, the average 30-year fixed mortgage sat at 2.89% in January 2021. After peaking at 7.89% in October 2023, it has flirted with the 6% mark.

But that’s still a huge difference for people who got mortgages with a 3, a 2 or even a 1 in front of the decimal point.

Tight inventory and still-high valuations have also made it difficult for home buyers.

Massachusetts (13.3 years), Connecticut (13.0 years) and California (11.2 years) faced the most extreme lock-in effect.

But 62% of buyers paid less than the original listed price in 2025. Texas and Florida – “where construction has boomed in recent years – are currently home to some of the strongest buyer’s markets in the nation,” the report says.

Inventory is 13% below pre-COVID norms but has improved considerably. And the share of homeowners carrying mortgage rates above 6% recently surpassed the share with rates below 3%.

Whether it’s this year or next, we’re likely to see the national average time holding a home before selling start to decrease.

📊 Stat of the Day

📈 3: Number of non-tech U.S. companies that have ever reached $1 trillion in market capitalization (11 in total). That number grew earlier this month when Walmart became the first retailer to reach that figure. Nvidia ($4.6 trillion), Apple ($4.0 trillion), Alphabet ($3.9 trillion) and Microsoft ($3.1 trillion) lead the way.

💰️ Deal Alert: Today’s Top Deals
American flag USA
Caribbean cruise
🎙️ Podcast

As we head into the 2026 tax season, many Americans are in for a surprise: federal tax refunds are projected to be up to 30% larger than usual. While a bigger check from the IRS feels like a win, Clark reminds us that a refund is essentially an interest-free loan you gave to the government. If you do receive an unexpected windfall, Clark recommends a "non-exciting" but high-impact approach. Plus, he shares a tip to avoid over-withholding again in 2026. Also, Clark addresses the new "Trump Accounts" for children. While the federal government is seeding these accounts with $1,000 for newborns, you need to proceed with caution. Clark has a simple "red light" and "green light" rule so you know if it's right for you.

☎️ Need Money Help?

The Team Clark Consumer Action Center is a free helpline that can help you navigate your money questions. Call 636-492-5275. Visit clark.com/cac for more information.

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