Market Brief

The average 30-year mortgage rate stood near 7.24% heading into a week with a Federal Reserve decision, the first estimate of third-quarter GDP and new Case-Shiller prices for Miami and Tampa.

Rates eased slightly last week. This week brings the Fed's October decision, Q3 GDP, Case-Shiller and Q3 metro prices. Florida multifamily property premiums kept falling.

The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 7.237% in Mortgage Research Center data reviewed by Fortune for October 23, down from 7.260% a week earlier. Freddie Mac's weekly survey put the 30-year average at 7.32% for the week ending October 22, down from 7.40% the two weeks before and up from 6.19% a year earlier. This week the Federal Reserve meets October 27 and 28, the Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes its first estimate of third-quarter GDP on October 29, and S&P publishes Case-Shiller prices for Miami and Tampa on October 27.

This is the Monday brief. It covers what changed over the weekend and what posts this week. Two release articles published today cover last week's builder and price data: builder confidence fell to 29, its lowest since June 2012, and Redfin's September price index had Miami up 8.2% and West Palm Beach up 10.4% from a year earlier.

Where are mortgage rates today?

Two sources, two numbers. Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey, the weekly benchmark, was 7.32% for the 30-year fixed and 6.68% for the 15-year fixed in the week ending October 22, as covered in our October 22 mortgage rates article. Mortgage Research Center daily averages, as reported by Fortune on October 26, were 7.237% for the 30-year conventional loan and 6.443% for the 15-year, both slightly lower than a week earlier. The 30-year FHA average was 6.682% and the 30-year jumbo 7.441%.

The two series measure different loans on different days, so they will not match. Both moved down slightly last week. Neither is a quote. A borrower's rate depends on credit, down payment, points and the day the rate is locked.

The next Freddie Mac survey posts Thursday, October 29, at noon ET.

What is the Fed expected to do this week?

The Federal Reserve's calendar lists an FOMC meeting on October 27 and 28, with the decision on the second day. Fortune reports the federal funds target range at 3.75% to 4.00%, set at the September meeting. This brief makes no forecast of the decision.

For mortgage borrowers, the statement and press conference matter more than the rate decision itself. Mortgage rates track longer-term Treasury yields, which react to what the Fed says about inflation. September CPI was up 3.7% from a year earlier, as covered in our September CPI article, and the University of Michigan's final October survey put year-ahead inflation expectations at 4.7%, as covered in our consumer sentiment article. Our September FOMC minutes article covers what the committee said last time.

What housing data posts this week?

The week is heavy. All times ET, from each publisher's own schedule:

• Tuesday, October 27, 9:00 a.m.: S&P Cotality Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, covering the three months through August. Miami and Tampa are among the 20 index cities.
• Tuesday, October 27, 10:00 a.m.: Census Bureau New Residential Sales for September, and the Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index. FHFA's House Price Index also posts Tuesday.
• Wednesday, October 28, 10:00 a.m.: BLS Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment, with Florida metro unemployment rates, and the Census Bureau's third-quarter Housing Vacancies and Homeownership report, with state homeownership and rental vacancy rates.
• Wednesday, October 28: FOMC decision.
• Thursday, October 29, 8:30 a.m.: BEA advance estimate of third-quarter GDP and September personal income and outlays.
• Thursday, October 29, 10:00 a.m.: NAR third-quarter metro home prices, with medians for Miami, Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville.
• Thursday, October 29: Freddie Mac weekly rates at noon and Redfin's third-quarter affordability report at 1:00 p.m.

Census and BEA print no time zone on their schedule pages; the times above are as printed. The full list is on the release calendar.

What changed in Florida insurance?

Insurance Journal reported on October 26 that median property insurance premiums for Florida multifamily properties fell to $479 per unit in April 2026 from $797 in early 2025, citing data from Advocate Technologies, a New York analytics firm that tracks commercial residential rates. The same data showed median liability premiums rising, from $167 per unit 18 months ago to $169 this spring and $215 three months ago, a figure the article says came from a small sample.

The article links the property decline to Florida's 2022 and 2023 litigation reforms. Advocate's report cautioned that "property softening is cyclical and can reverse on one bad catastrophe season." Phil Masi, Florida agency president for Gallagher, said falling property rates more than offset higher liability costs.

For condo associations and rental owners, insurance is a large share of operating costs, so a falling property premium feeds into association budgets and rents over time. Our August insurance article covers homeowners' rate filings.

What this means for Florida buyers this week

A buyer locking a rate this week is doing it before a Fed statement and a GDP report, either of which can move Treasury yields. A buyer comparing new and resale homes has more room with builders: NAHB reported that 43% of builders cut prices in October and 65% used incentives. Local figures are on the Florida housing tracker and the Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa and Orlando market pages.

People also ask

What is the 30-year mortgage rate today?

Mortgage Research Center data reported by Fortune put the 30-year conventional average at 7.237% for October 23, 2026. Freddie Mac's weekly survey was 7.32% for the week ending October 22.

When is the Fed meeting in October 2026?

The Federal Reserve's calendar lists October 27 and 28, 2026, with the decision on October 28.

When does third-quarter GDP come out?

The Bureau of Economic Analysis schedule lists the advance estimate for Thursday, October 29, 2026, at 8:30 a.m.

Are Florida insurance premiums going down?

For multifamily property coverage, yes in the Advocate Technologies data reported by Insurance Journal: the Florida median fell from $797 per unit in early 2025 to $479 in April 2026. Liability premiums rose over the same period.

Limitations

The daily rate figures come from Fortune's report of Mortgage Research Center data, not from the underlying dataset, and Fortune's page showed one inconsistency in its VA figure, which this brief does not use. The insurance figures come from Insurance Journal's report of Advocate Technologies data, not from the report itself, and cover multifamily commercial policies, not single-family homeowners policies. The latest liability figure is from a small sample. Release times are from the publishers' schedules as recorded in this desk's release calendar and can change. This brief makes no forecast of rates or the Fed decision.

Sources

Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, week ending October 22, 2026, as reported in this publication on October 23, 2026.

Fortune, "Mortgage rates today, Oct. 26, 2026," published October 26, 2026, reporting Mortgage Research Center data for October 23.

Federal Reserve, FOMC meeting calendar, federalreserve.gov.

Release schedules of S&P Dow Jones Indices, the Census Bureau, the Conference Board, FHFA, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the National Association of Realtors, Freddie Mac and Redfin, as recorded in this publication's release calendar.

William Rabb, Insurance Journal, "Fla. Reforms Cut Property Premiums but Data Show Multifamily Liability Rates Up," October 26, 2026, citing Advocate Technologies.

National Association of Home Builders, October 2026 Housing Market Index, October 19, 2026; Redfin Home Price Index, September 2026, October 20, 2026; as reported in this publication on October 26, 2026.

Disclosure: Jon Brooks is a co-founder of Momentum Realty, a Florida real estate brokerage that owns and funds Florida Housing Intelligence. Momentum has a financial interest in Florida real estate transactions, including in markets named here. See our editorial standards.