Many would-be homebuyers find themselves stuck in today’s market. Maybe they want to get into their first home, but down payment requirements are holding them back. Perhaps they’re ready to trade up from their starter home, but prices have spiked in their preferred location. Or maybe they’re ready to downsize, but they’re still clinging to ultra-low, pandemic-era rates.

There’s a specific kind of restlessness that shows up at the end of summer. You’re still in vacation mode, but you can see what’s coming. School schedules, earlier mornings, fuller calendars. It’s like the Sunday scaries but stretched across several weeks. This in-between season is the perfect time to reset your home and routines gently, before fall’s busy pace kicks in. Follow these tips to ease into the new season.

While home listings often tout the trends of the day — modern farmhouse design, open concepts, granite countertops — home shopping has always been about more than finding four walls and a roof. Prospective buyers search for a place to build the life they want. That truth is more evident now than in the past. While interior finishes still resonate, today’s buyers are looking beyond the four walls. They’re not just purchasing a house; they’re looking for a lifestyle.

This edition of Waypoints covers an interesting shift in the homebuyer mindset and offers strategies for purchasing in today’s market. Plus, learn some simple ideas for easing the transition from summer’s chill vibes to fall’s busy-ness.