Real Estate Blog - housing market

Inspections Are Back: What It Means for Buyers in the Shenandoah Valley

For a few years there, skipping a home inspection felt like the price of admission. Buyers across the country, desperate to win in a market where homes were getting a dozen offers in a weekend, waived their inspection contingencies just to stay in the game. In the Shenandoah Valley, that pressure was real: sellers held all the cards, and buyers who asked for an inspection often got passed over for someone who didn't. That era is winding down. National data from the National Association of Realtors shows inspection contingency waivers dropped from 25% of transactions to 17% in a single year. That shift is meaningful, and it tells us something important about where the market is heading.

What the Numbers Actually Tell Us

A drop from 25% to 17% might…

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What the AI Boom in San Francisco Has to Do With Your Home Value in Harrisonburg

At first glance, San Francisco's housing market and the Shenandoah Valley don't have much in common. One is a dense, expensive coastal city with a median home price that makes most people wince. The other is a stretch of river valleys, farmland, college towns, and small cities tucked between the Blue Ridge and the Alleghenies. But there's a chain of cause and effect running between them right now, and if you own a home in Harrisonburg, Staunton, or Waynesboro, or if you're thinking about buying one, understanding that chain is worth a few minutes of your time.

What's Happening in San Francisco

San Francisco home prices are rising sharply again. After a correction that followed the pandemic-era tech exodus, the city's housing market has recovered and…

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Forbes Made It Official: Harrisonburg Is One of America's 25 Best Places to Retire

You already knew it. Anyone who has walked through downtown Harrisonburg on a Saturday morning, caught a show at Court Square Theater, or driven Skyline Drive with the windows down already understood what Forbes just confirmed: Harrisonburg, Virginia is one of the best places in America to put down roots.

In its annual ranking of the 25 Best Places to Retire in the U.S. for 2026, Forbes compared nearly 1,000 locations across the country on housing costs, taxes, healthcare access, crime rates, air quality, walkability, and natural hazard risk. Harrisonburg, Virginia made the cut, joining only one other Virginia city, Virginia Beach, on the national list.

For people already living here, the reaction might be a quiet nod. For people still on the fence…

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Spring 2026 Shenandoah Valley Real Estate Market: What Buyers and Sellers Need to Know

If you’ve been watching the national real estate headlines this winter, you’ve probably seen some dramatic stories — home sales dropping, affordability concerns, and builders slashing prices to attract buyers. But here in the Shenandoah Valley, the picture looks quite different. As we head into the spring market, local buyers and sellers have real reasons to feel optimistic about 2026.

Mortgage Rates Are Holding Steady — and Trending Down

One of the biggest factors shaping the housing market right now is where mortgage rates land. As of mid-February 2026, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is averaging around 6.09%, according to Freddie Mac. That’s down from 6.87% at the same time last year and the lowest level we’ve seen in over three years.

While…

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