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The World Cup kicks off Thursday. Mexico opens against South Africa at the Azteca in Mexico City, the US plays Friday, and somewhere between now and July 19th, half your office is going to be watching a match they can't fully explain on a phone they're pretending isn't under the desk.

I'm not going to pretend I have strong soccer opinions. But there's something genuinely fun about a month where the whole world is paying attention to the same thing. It's the closest we get to a global pause button. And June in Lake County with the weather finally cooperating, Libertyville Days coming up, and 104 World Cup matches on the schedule? Honestly, not a bad place to be.

Now. Real estate. Let's keep it brief this week.

Here's the good news: rates are heading in the right direction.

The 30-year fixed mortgage came in at 6.48% as of June 4th — down from 6.53% the week before. A year ago at this time the average was 6.85%. That's a real improvement, even if it doesn't feel dramatic on a month-to-month basis.

The forecast through the summer is for rates to stay in the low-to-mid 6% range, with no dramatic swings expected. Steady and predictable — which is actually what a market needs to find its footing.

The buyers moving right now are serious, motivated, and pre-filtered by a market that hasn't made it easy to show up casually. If you're a seller, that's a good thing — the people walking through your door have a real reason to be there. If you're a buyer, the competition is manageable and sellers are realistic. There are worse times to make a move.

The Mortgage Bankers Association expects the 30-year rate to hold between 6.4% and 6.5% through the rest of 2026 — which means the window we're in right now is about as stable and predictable as it's been in a while. That's not nothing.

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Here are a few active buyer needs we're working on right now — real clients, ready to move:

If your home — or someone you know's home — fits one of these profiles, there's a real chance we can skip the open market entirely. Feel free to forward this to anyone thinking about selling.

If you've lived in Lake County for more than five minutes, you already know about Libertyville Days — and if you're newer to the area, consider this your introduction to one of the better summer traditions around.

Libertyville Days is coming up later this month, taking over downtown Libertyville with live music, food, carnival rides, and what I will go on record saying is probably the best parade in Lake County. It's the sort of event where you run into everyone you know, stay longer than you planned, and leave wondering why you don't spend more time in downtown Libertyville the other 51 weekends of the year.

Full disclosure — we sponsor the beer tent. Which means if you show up, grab a cold one, and happen to see me standing nearby looking very proud of myself, that's why.

Mark your calendar — more details at libertyvilledays.com.

June has this thing where it makes everything feel possible. The weather finally means it. The kids are almost out of school. The World Cup is on. And the housing market — steady and moving in the right direction — is working for the people who decide they're done waiting for perfect conditions.

Perfect conditions are a myth. Good decisions aren't.

As always, I'm a text away.

Until next week…