Mortgage rates are still painfully high, but aspiring homeowners should be relieved to hear that home prices aren’t skyrocketing right now. According to a new mid-year report from Realtor.com, home prices climbed more slowly than expected this year, ticking up only 1.2%. That price growth is roughly half of what forecasters projected for 2026 and ends a multi-year run of appreciation above 2% per year. As U.S. hiring and unemployment stays relatively steady, the median household income is expect