It seems that the market has slowed down a bit over the past week, with inventory levels rising in most Tri-Valley cities and homes in all price ranges remaining on the market for longer than in previous weeks. My open houses over the weekend were slower than expected, and other agents in the marketplace have reported similar experiences. This slowdown is likely due to higher interest rates, which increased every day last week and have been continuing the upward trend so far this week. Buyers are very rate-conscious, as even a small increase could have a significant impact on their monthly payment and qualifying power. The uncertainty surrounding the ongoing debt ceiling issue and continuing fallout from the banking crisis are the main drivers behind these recent increases. I anticipate that these conditions will persist in the short term, and we may see some rate relief once the debt ceiling is resolved, assuming we don't default on our debts as a nation, which is highly unlikely. The U.S. debt "X" date (the date by which we can no longer pay our debts) is estimated to be somewhere between June 1 - June 8, depending on whom you ask, so hopefully, an agreement will be reached soon. As always, feel free to reach out with any real estate related questions.