Mortgage rates need to get below 6% to reinvigorate the frosty housing market, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). A 30-year fixed-rate mortgage at 6% would make the median-priced home affordable for about 5.5 million more households, NAR economists shared at the July 16 Real Estate Forecast Summit.

Mortgage rates have dropped, but it's likely not tied to today’s Fed news. Here’s why waiting for a Fed rate cut could be a poor strategy for homebuyers.

Here’s the monthly cost of purchasing a typical home today, according to the Realtor.com® mortgage calculator. The typical monthly payment on a median-priced $440,950 home at today’s 6.74% mortgage rate is roughly $2,286. (That’s assuming a 20% down payment and excluding tax and insurance.)