There is no clean one-for-one relationship between rates and inventory, and no magic Goldilocks number that unlocks supply. The pieces pull against each other. When rates are very low, say around 3%, few owners want to trade that rate away to move, so listings stay tight while more buyers can afford to transact. When rates are elevated, some owners become relatively more willing to sell, yet far fewer buyers can qualify to absorb what lists. And much of what does come to market is move-up sellers who immediately buy again, which adds no net new inventory, especially in the entry-level tier most first-time buyers care about. That is the trap: the rate level that frees up sellers is often the same level that sidelines buyers, and the reverse holds too. We cannot point to a rate that would meaningfully unlock excess supply on its own. New construction helps, but selectively, in markets that actually build in volume. Remember, too, that the market sets prices, whatever a seller asks. In a frenzy a home can draw dozens of competing offers well over list; in a slow market that same home can sit with none. Nobody can promise where rates or prices go from here, so we would steer you away from waiting on a specific rate to fix the market. Watch your own affordability and your local inventory, and act when the numbers and your life line up, rather than betting on a rate threshold that may never arrive.