Buyers & Sellers

• Mortgage rates ticked up slightly this week: the 30-year fixed is averaging 6.55%, up from 6.49% the week before. Economists still expect rates to hold above 6% through the rest of the year, so the real question for most buyers is whether a property and payment work today, not whether rates will eventually drop.
• Grants Pass home values are down 3.5% year-over-year to a median of $405,464, with 60 new listings on the market at a median list price of $425K. Homes are averaging 57 days on market and drawing about 2 offers, meaning multiple-offer chaos is largely gone and inspection contingencies are back at the negotiating table.
• Homeowners insurance deserves more attention than the sticker rate: Oregon’s baseline is a modest 4% increase for 2026, but wildfire-zone premiums are behaving very differently, with insurers doubling or quadrupling rates on high-risk properties. Get a real quote first.

Investors & Developers

• Phoenix Commons, an $8 million affordable housing project, is moving forward with 40 single-bedroom units for adults 55+ and people with disabilities, replacing homes lost in the 2020 Almeda Fire.
• Grants Pass is planning a mixed-use makeover for 8 acres of city land on Highway 99, aiming to bring new housing, jobs, and public space to the corridor by fall.
• Grants Pass Airport is getting $2.67 million in federal funding for runway and taxiway extensions, new lighting, and signage.

Talk of the Town

• Medford just finished its biggest infrastructure project ever: a $62 million overhaul turning Foothill Road into a four-lane highway with turn lanes and better evacuation access.
• The Salvation Army opened Hope Lofts, seven studio apartments at its Medford Hope House campus, more than doubling capacity as area homelessness climbed 132% in five years.
• Work is continuing downtown on Owl Plaza, the $1.6 million rebuild of the 5th, G, and H street intersections into a gathering space that still doubles as parking. Word around downtown has Rogue Roasters eyeing a spot right off it, unconfirmed.

Questions about what any of this means for your situation? Get in touch.