Not for nuthin'…. But….. the 30-year mortgage rate just poked its head back over 7%. The last time Freddie Mac's weekly number read seven-anything was January 2025. So the MOAM is starting something new: a short weekly video with the real numbers for Marblehead and the North Shore, plus one practical tip from a guy who sells houses and builds things. No hype, no made-up stats. If I can't source a number, you won't see it.
Here's this week's episode (about 2:37).
This week's numbers
Mortgage rates (Freddie Mac PMMS®, U.S. weekly averages as of Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026)
- 30-year fixed: 7.03%, up from 6.95% the week before. A year ago it was 6.30%.
- 15-year fixed: 6.42%, up from 6.26%. A year ago it was 5.49%.
Source: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey
A quick reality check: on a $600,000 30-year loan, principal and interest runs about $3,714 a month at 6.30% and about $4,004 at 7.03%. That's roughly $290 more a month than a year ago, before taxes and insurance. (That's my own arithmetic at the Freddie Mac average rates. Your actual rate depends on your lender and your loan.) If you're buying, get pre-approved with a lender you trust and ask about rate locks before you start falling in love with houses.
Marblehead, single-family, August 2026 (Massachusetts Association of REALTORS®)
- Median sale price: $998,000, up 0.6% from August 2025
- Homes for sale: 20 (down from 28 a year ago)
- Months of supply: 1.5. Anything under about six months favors sellers, and we're nowhere near it.
Source: MAR Local Market Update, Marblehead, August 2026 (MLS PIN data, provided by MAR)
North Shore REALTORS® area, single-family, August 2026 (MAR)
- New listings: 410, up 25.8% from August 2025
- Median sale price: $750,000, down 1.6% year over year
Source: MAR Market Data, August 2026 Boards report
So what does it mean? Marblehead is still a tight little town with more buyers than houses. Across the wider North Shore, though, sellers are finally listing, and that gives buyers a few more choices heading into the fall.
The broker-who-builds tip: three spots to check in an old New England house
I spend a lot of time in old houses, and here's what I tell every buyer. Before you fall for the fireplace and the wide pine floors, look down, then look up.
- The basement sill. That's the big timber sitting right on top of the foundation, and it holds up the whole house. Press a screwdriver into it in a few spots, especially near the outside doors, downspouts and any low corners. If it sinks in soft, that's rot, and sill work is not a weekend project.
- The attic. Look for daylight coming through the roof boards, water stains on the rafters and sheathing, and old knob-and-tube wiring. Any one of those is a conversation to have before you sign, not after.
- The chimney. Have the flashing and the liner checked. A lot of the old chimneys around here were never lined, or the liner gave up years ago.
None of that replaces a licensed home inspector. But if you walk through with someone who knows how these houses go together, you'll know which questions to ask. That's the whole reason I do both jobs.
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Or call or text me at 781-727-6516. I'm available seven days a week.
New episode every week. Tell me what you want me to dig into next.
John Nestor, Nanepashemet Real Estate Services, MA Broker Lic. #136995-RE-B · 328 West Shore Drive, Marblehead, MA 01945 · 781-727-6516 · nanepashemet.com. Renovations: John Nestor, MA Construction Supervisor License CS-047636. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Photos in the video: Waters House, Marblehead (1934), Arthur C. Haskell, Historic American Buildings Survey, Library of Congress. Public domain.
MOAM Out.
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