EFR 961: Should You Buy a Home in 2026? The TRUTH About Mortgage Rates, Renting & the Housing Market with Gio Helou

For generations, the American Dream followed a familiar blueprint: work hard, get married, raise a family, buy a home, and build a better life—but what happens when one of the biggest pieces of that dream starts to feel financially out of reach? Luxury real estate agent and Selling the OC star Gio Helou joins us for a candid look at the state of homeownership in America and whether buying a home still makes sense in today's market. Gio breaks down why affordability has become such a challenge, what high mortgage rates are really doing to buyers and sellers, when renting may actually be the smarter financial decision, and why waiting for rates to fall could ultimately work against you. He unpacks how to recognize a buyer's versus seller's market, the importance of comparable sales before making an offer, the hidden costs of homeownership, and the negotiation mistakes that can cost buyers leverage before a deal even begins.

Follow Gio @giovannehelou

Follow Chase @chase_chewning

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00:00 Episode intro

01:10 Has homeownership become a luxury?

03:39 Who is responsible for America's housing problem?

05:31 Do Americans still want the traditional American Dream?

10:03 A realtor's perspective after nearly a decade in real estate

11:20 Why buying a home has become so difficult

12:08 Gio's unexpected first piece of advice: get married

15:00 When renting is actually smarter than buying