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👁🗨 Sesemi STR Hot Sheet | 📲 STR Mortgages
Dear Sesemi STReet,
Just in time for what is certain to be a intense 2026 STR market - we are very proud to share our first article as a FEATURED BIGGER POCKETS contributor was also today’s BP headline article:
Bonus: We can STILL help you cross the finish line on a lucrative STR (confidently) with a truly transferable permit.
📲 Skip the articles and shop directly at our exclusive STR HOT SHEET. Updated daily and featuring 100+ active and off market vacation rental properties for sale. Search 24/7/365 at www.sesemisheet.com
🚧 The Great Split: Understanding the Bifurcation of the U.S. Real Estate Market
With increasing discussion over the bifurcation of the US economy and the concentration of economic contributions by the affluent - we wanted to expound on some of the subtle splits in the US Real Estate market over the past three years. The housing market has quietly fractured into two very different realities. Instead of one national market moving in sync (think pandemic era boom) we now have a bifurcated environment driven by mortgage rates, regional economics, and demographics. Understanding this divide is crucial for investors, brokers and anyone waiting for “the crash” that has yet to arrive.
Locked-In Owners vs. Active Buyers
Roughly two-thirds of American homeowners hold sub-4% mortgages. They’re staying put. Inventory remains historically thin, and that shortage keeps pricing elevated in many regions—even where demand has cooled.
On the other side, buyers entering today’s market are absorbing twice the borrowing cost for the same home, reshaping affordability and shrinking buying power. The result: a frozen top layer of the market sitting above a strained active layer.
The US Administration is actively ‘exploring’ options to loosen lending standards such as the 50 year mortgage and mortgage portability, essentially allowing low rate borrowers to keep their mortgage and ‘port’ to a new property, similar to US cell phone plans.
Well capitalized investors could also explore mortgage assumptions, which are occurring with increasing frequency. In fact, we were recently able to assist a multi family investor assume a pandemic era $3M+, sub 4% loan on a 20+ unit property that the lender worked overtime to facilitate.
The Affluent Buyer Market vs. Everyone Else
Sales growth remains concentrated at the top of the market. Homes over $1 million saw a year-over-year jump of more than 16%, and properties between $750,000 and $1 million rose 10%. In contrast, sales between $100,000 and $250,000 inched up only about 1%, while sub-$100,000 homes declined nearly 3%.
Our forecast for 2026 & 2027 is for the luxury single family, second home and short-term rental markets to be exceptionally strong as a result of tax incentives, diversification and profit-taking from equities and an anticipated reduction in mortgage rates and the end of quantitative tightening (with the potential for easing).
What This Means for 2026 and Beyond