What if the rate cuts everyone's been waiting for actually make homeownership harder instead of easier—and why are real estate experts predicting a return to the highest-and-best bidding wars that left buyers empty-handed just a few years ago?

In this revealing episode of Free Game, hosts Terence Guess and Ed Averette deliver a critical wake-up call about the real estate market's impending shift as the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates. The duo dissects Fed Chair Jerome Powell's surprising admission that rate cuts won't solve the mortgage industry's problems due to persistent inventory shortages, drawing powerful parallels between housing scarcity and limited-release Air Jordans to illustrate supply-and-demand economics. Terence and Ed warn listeners that falling rates will unleash sideline buyers, triggering fierce competition, sight-unseen offers, and the return of massive due diligence fees that defined the pandemic-era housing frenzy. The hosts explore how inflation has fundamentally altered buying power—revealing that six-figure incomes that once secured $700,000 homes now barely qualify buyers for $300,000-$400,000 properties. As they candidly discuss the changing Charlotte market landscape, both hosts emphasize the need for real estate professionals to adapt by expanding service areas to more affordable markets in South Carolina and surrounding regions, while preparing buyers for the harsh reality that premium locations will command premium prices.