By Chad Taylor, the Taylor-Made Team
Sometimes I wonder how much of what we hear about the job market and the real estate market is aspirational.
We keep hearing that jobs are still being created. Not at record pace, but steady. Stable. Resilient.
And in real estate, we are told the market is healthy. Buyer demand is rising. Activity is picking up.
There is truth to that.
Just this past weekend, we listed two homes in the same price range, around $750,000, and both received multiple offers. That is real demand. Buyers are out there. In certain price ranges and neighborhoods, competition is alive and well.
But just because some homes are receiving multiple offers does not automatically mean the entire market is healthy.
Markets can have strength on the surface and stress underneath.
Last week, I read a report referenced by CNBC showing that seriously delinquent mortgages, loans 90 days or more late or already in foreclosure, were up 18.6 percent in December 2025 compared to a year earlier. These are not minor late payments. These are homeowners in real distress.
At the same time, we constantly hear that affordability is being eroded. Higher interest rates. Higher insurance costs. Higher property taxes. Higher everything.
That data seems to support what many families are quietly experiencing.
Let me give you another real world example.
Last November, I posted an Executive Assistant position on LinkedIn. The post is still active. Since then, I have received nearly 900 applicants.
Nine hundred.
That is roughly ten times the volume I have ever received for a similar role. I am seeing resumes from law assistants, marketing specialists, teachers, and a large number of recent college graduates. If I had to guess, nearly half are fresh out of school.
That tells me something.
When highly educated, capable people are flooding a single job posting, the job market, particularly for younger workers, may not be as strong as the headlines suggest. As my business coach says, talent is on sale right now.
So what does employment have to do with housing?
Everything.
If you cannot find stable employment, you cannot qualify for a mortgage. If your income feels uncertain, you are less likely to stretch into homeownership. It is no coincidence that the average age of a first time homebuyer has climbed to 40, the highest ever recorded.
Forty.
That number alone tells a story about affordability, stability, and economic confidence.
To me, rising serious delinquencies are not yet a crisis. But they are an undercurrent. They are a leading indicator worth watching.
After years of record appreciation, combined with a softer economy and tighter affordability, we may see an increase in home sales this year. Not necessarily because people want to move, but because some may need to.
That distinction matters.
If you are a homeowner and you are beginning to fall behind on your mortgage, please do not stick your head in the sand. Early communication with your lender is critical. There are often more options available than people realize, but timing matters.
If you find yourself in that situation, our team is here to help. We can walk through best practices for communicating with your lender, discuss your options, and help you think through next steps. No pressure. Just clarity.
The market is not collapsing. It is also not as simple as the headlines make it sound.
Strength and stress can exist at the same time.
And in times like these, clarity beats optimism every single time.
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