Should I Buy a Home Now or Wait?

By Samantha Shelton, Broker Owner & Mortgage Loan Originator at Align Lending (NMLS #2041154) · Updated August 2026

Quick answer

Nobody can predict rates or prices, so the useful question is whether you are ready. Readiness has four parts: a stable payment you're comfortable with, cash for the transaction plus a reserve, a timeline you control, and a home that fits your life. If all four are in place, waiting for a forecast rarely improves the outcome. If one is missing, that's the thing to work on.

Samantha Shelton, Broker Owner at Align Lending

Samantha's Take

Samantha Shelton · Broker Owner & Mortgage Loan Originator · NMLS #1647301

The forecast trap

I've watched people wait three years for a market that never arrived, and I've watched people rush in before their cash was ready. Neither one was a market mistake — both were readiness mistakes. I plan the parts we control.

Why this matters

Market timing is unknowable; personal readiness is measurable.

Waiting has costs and benefits both — continued rent, potential savings growth, potential price movement in either direction.

Framing the decision around readiness makes it revisitable without emotion.

What changes the answer

Cash position: Whether the transaction plus a reserve is fundable today.
Payment comfort: Whether the scenario payment fits your life at current assumptions.
Housing need: A growing household or a job change can outweigh market considerations.
Stability: Employment and location stability affect how long the purchase has to work.

Try it with your numbers

Model the payment at different assumptions and see which scenarios you'd be comfortable in.

TEST MY SCENARIO

Common questions

Will rates come down?: No one knows. Plan around what you can control and revisit if conditions change.
Is renting throwing money away?: No. Renting buys flexibility. The comparison depends on your timeline and local costs.
What if I buy and rates change later?: Structures and options can be reviewed later with your advisor; that's a separate conversation from the buy decision.

Next step

GET MORTGAGE READY