More Home Deals Are Falling Apart Before Closing
Sponsored by
Getting a buyer under contract used to feel like the hard part.
In today’s market, that may only be the beginning.
The latest National Association of REALTORS® data shows that 16% of contracts experienced delays in September, up from 14% in August. Another 7% of contracts were terminated, compared with 6% a year earlier. National Association of REALTORS®
Those numbers are not catastrophic.
But they are moving in the wrong direction.
And the reason is becoming increasingly obvious:
The financing can change before the closing ever happens.
A Deal Can Look Fine Until the Payment Changes
Mortgage rates have climbed back to around 7.4%, near their highest level in roughly three years. National Association of REALTORS®
That creates a dangerous window between offer acceptance and closing.
A buyer may have qualified when the numbers looked manageable.
Then rates move higher.
Suddenly, the monthly payment is larger than expected.
The debt-to-income ratio gets tighter.
Cash reserves shrink.
Or the buyer simply decides the deal no longer feels comfortable.
NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun specifically pointed to rising mortgage rates as a factor behind more delayed contracts. National Association of REALTORS®
Finally, a Monday that doesn’t feel like one.
Imagine a Saturday where you're not catching up on the CRM you didn't touch all week.
HubSpot's new self-updating CRM doesn't wait for you to log back in. Friday's calls are already logged. The deal that needs a nudge Monday morning is already flagged. The automation you set up once keeps running without you thinking about it. None of it needed you over the weekend.
Customers are already seeing it pay off: 45% more deals closed. Finally, you start Monday caught up, not behind.
Buyers Are Stretching Less
This is one of the biggest shifts from the ultra-competitive market of a few years ago.
Buyers are less willing to make the numbers work at any cost.
They have more inventory to choose from, more negotiating power, and less fear that this is the only house they will ever get.
September existing-home inventory reached 1.60 million homes, the highest level since late 2019. At the same time, sales remained below 4 million annualized units for a second consecutive month. Realtor
That changes buyer psychology.
If the financing gets worse, walking away can feel more reasonable.
Sellers Have More to Lose From a Failed Deal
A terminated contract creates a completely different problem for the seller.
The home goes back on the market.
Days on market continue climbing.
New buyers wonder what went wrong.
The seller may have already moved, scheduled another purchase, or made plans around the proceeds.
And in a slower environment, replacing that buyer may take longer than expected.
That makes the quality of the offer increasingly important.
The highest price is not always the safest deal.
Financing strength, cash reserves, appraisal risk, contingencies, and the buyer’s ability to absorb changes can matter just as much.
Agents May Need to Watch the Middle of the Transaction More Closely
In a volatile rate environment, a signed contract is not something to put on autopilot.
Agents may need to stay closer to the lender, financing timeline, appraisal, inspection, and buyer sentiment all the way through closing.
The key question becomes:
What could still break this deal?
That might sound pessimistic.
It is really just risk management.
Because a transaction that falls apart three days before closing is far more expensive than identifying the problem three weeks earlier.
The Takeaway
The housing market is no longer just challenging at the point of purchase.
It is becoming harder to get transactions all the way across the finish line.
Higher rates, tighter affordability, and more buyer options are creating more opportunities for deals to wobble after they are already under contract.
For agents, that makes communication and transaction management even more valuable.
Getting the signature matters.
But right now, getting to the closing table may matter even more.
Sponsored by HubSpot.
This article is for general educational purposes.
Sources
National Association of REALTORS®, Mortgage Rates Have Become the Housing Market’s Fall Nemesis, Oct. 15, 2026 — 30-year mortgage rates averaged 7.4%; 16% of contracts experienced delays and 7% were terminated. National Association of REALTORS®
Realtor.com, Home Sales Rise Unexpectedly in September in Defiance of Surging Mortgage Rates, Oct. 13, 2026 — existing-home sales rose 1.5% month over month, inventory reached 1.60 million, and rates later climbed to 7.4%. Realtor
National Association of REALTORS®, Existing-Home Sales, Oct. 13, 2026 — September sales reached 3.99 million annualized, with inventory at 1.60 million homes. National Association of REALTORS®
Reuters, U.S. existing home sales rise in September; higher mortgage rates dim outlook, Oct. 13, 2026 — sales remained sluggish despite a monthly increase, with affordability pressured by elevated borrowing costs.