One of the biggest challenges for homeowners who want to move is figuring out the timing.

Do you have to sell your current home before you can buy the next one?

Not necessarily.

Depending on your finances, the equity in your current home and the property you're trying to buy, there are several ways to purchase your next home before selling your existing one.

A Recent Example in Rocklin

Last week, I helped a client purchase a home in Rocklin using a bridge loan, which allowed them to buy their new home before selling their existing one.

For this client, there were two big advantages.

They Didn't Have to Live Through the Sale

This was probably the biggest benefit in this particular situation.

My client is a private person and…

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Mortgage rates have jumped again.

About three weeks ago, the average 30-year mortgage rate was around 6.75%. This week, it is around 7.25%.

That's a pretty significant move in a very short period of time.

But instead of focusing only on what happened over the last three weeks, I thought it would be more interesting to zoom out and look at what has happened over the last four years.

We've Been Here Before

It might feel like 7% mortgage rates are unusually high, but we've actually spent much of the past four years bouncing between roughly 6% and 8%.

Rates approached 6% in early 2023, again in September 2024, and briefly fell below 6% in February 2026.

Each time, the lower rates didn't last very long.

We've also seen rates above…

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As summer winds down, the Placer County housing market continues to show resilience.

August brought a noticeable seasonal slowdown in closed sales, but inventory also declined and home prices continued to appreciate. Pending sales remained steady, suggesting buyers are still active even as we move toward the typically slower fall real estate market.

Here's a closer look at what happened in the Placer County real estate market in August 2026.

Inventory & Sales Activity

Inventory declined in August, while closed sales slowed considerably from July.

August Highlights

  • Homes for sale decreased 3.2% compared to July.
  • Inventory remained 2.7% lower than August 2025.
  • 394 homes sold, down 21.2% from July.
  • Closed sales were 0.8%…

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If you've been waiting for mortgage rates to come down before buying or selling a home, the last six months have probably been frustrating.

On February 23, the national average for a 30-year mortgage briefly fell below 6%, reaching 5.99%.

As of September 3, that average has climbed to 6.88%.

So, what happened? And perhaps more importantly for buyers and sellers in Placer County, what could cause mortgage rates to move up or down from here?

The Fed Doesn't Directly Control Mortgage Rates

This is probably one of the biggest misconceptions about interest rates.

Since February, the Federal Reserve has met four times and has not raised its short-term interest rate once. It kept rates unchanged at every meeting.

Yet during that same…

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