The real estate market is poised for a significant shift following the Federal Reserve’s decision to cut interest rates by half a percentage point on September 18. Many realtors and mortgage brokers predict that these lower interest rates will likely attract more buyers to the housing scene. This increased demand could drive home prices higher and intensify competition for an already limited inventory.

So, how do you stand out in this hot housing market? We sought advice from three seasoned real estate agents. They shared their best tips and explained why buying now — even with higher interest rates — could be smart for some homebuyers.

Not sure what mortgage interest rate you’d qualify for? Find out here now.

How homebuyers can stick out in a crowded real estate market

The experts we spoke to suggest three key strategies for gaining an edge in a crowded market:

Get pre-approved for a mortgage

“Get pre-approved with an understanding of your high or low,” says Joe Chung, realtor at Equity Union Real Estate in Palm Springs, California. This way, you know exactly how much you can borrow and under what terms.

A good mortgage lender will look closely at your finances and help you find the best rate and loan options you qualify for. With pre-approval in hand, your agent can show sellers that you’re a serious, financially qualified buyer — giving your offers more weight in a competitive market.

However, it’s important to get a formal pre-approval, not just a ballpark estimate. It gives a more accurate picture of what you can afford and positions you to act quickly on suitable properties. Having your financials fully vetted upfront ensures you’re focusing on homes truly within your budget.

Start the pre-approval process online today.

Work with an experienced real estate agent

A skilled real estate agent doesn’t only help you find homes. They know how to secure the best deal possible in a competitive market.

Evelyn Lueker, sales associate at Auker Group in San Diego, California, told us she recently helped a family save $150,000 on a home purchase. In this instance, she found the perfect home for her buyer — but it was overpriced. So, she built a strong relationship with the listing agent by conveying the value of working with her. After establishing the relationship, Lueker learned about a pending price drop before anyone else. As a result, she was able to get her client’s offer accepted within 24 hours of the price reduction — beating out other potential buyers.

By working with an experienced agent, you benefit from their market expertise and strategic negotiation skills. These advantages can help you close on the right home at a fair price, no matter the market conditions.

Visit the home the day it hits the market

In a crowded market, being first can give you a huge leg up.

Lauren Hurwitz, a New York-based licensed real estate salesperson at Compass, suggests visiting a home the day it hits the market. Then, “make a super solid offer that puts an end to open houses and showings,” she advises.

Hurwitz also emphasizes that listing agents like buyers who act fast and show confidence. Even if you aren’t 100% sure about the house, putting in a starting bid on day one “shows you have [a genuine] interest in [it],” she explains.

Plus, it doesn’t cost you anything to place a bid at this stage — you have nothing to lose by getting your name in early.

The case for buying now

Many homebuyers are waiting for lower interest rates because they think that’s the right move. But this waiting game could backfire. “As rates come down, so will supply. Prices and demand will inevitably go up,” says Lueker. That’s why she advises against counting on a rate drop — it’s better to buy a home you love now, even if the interest rate isn’t ideal.

Remember: You can refinance later if rates drop, but you can’t go back in time to buy a home you missed out on.

The bottom line

Taking action today can position you to get your dream home, even in this challenging market.

Start by picking an experienced, highly recommended realtor to guide you through the process. At the same time, consult at least three lenders to understand your financial options.

Before you start shopping for the perfect home, consider Chung’s sage advice: “[Think about] your future needs of a home, then lay [them] out like a vision board.” From there, you can approach your home search with clear priorities.

While mortgage interest rates may go lower in the coming months, waiting could lead to higher home prices, reduced inventory and fiercer competition. Weigh your options carefully, but don’t let indecision cost you opportunities.

Washington — More than 50 former football players and coaches, including several Pro Football Hall of Famers and Super Bowl MVP’s, announced their endorsement Friday of Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The group represents 25 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU’s) and consists of 10 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees, two Super Bowl champions and MVPs, former No. 1 overall picks and some of the first Black athletes and coaches to break the color barrier. 

“Given [Vice President Harris’] integrity, values and demonstrated commitment to justice and equality of opportunity, we are confident that as President she will serve the best interests of all Americans,” the athletes and coaches said in a letter exclusively obtained by CBS News. 

The letter is signed by Art Shell, the NFL’s first Black coach, Leslie Frasier, former Minnesota Vikings coach, James “Shack” Harris, the NFL’s first Black full-time starting quarterback, Greg Coleman, the NFL’s first Black punter, and former Super Bowl MVP and Chicago Bears Hall of Famer Richard Dent, who previously played for Tennessee State University.  

They join a list of athletes supporting the Harris-Walz Democratic ticket, including NBA all-star Steph Curry and Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. 

The announcement is being rolled out on National Black Voter Day, an initiative aimed at getting Black Americans registered to vote by November. The initiative is led by Black Entertainment Television, a division of Paramount, which partnered with 40 civic organizations including the NAACP and National Urban League.  

It also follows Harris’ appearance this week before the National Association of Black Journalists in Philadelphia, where she was asked about her standing among Black men. A recent poll conducted by the NAACP found roughly a quarter of young African American men under 50 support former President Donald Trump, while about half back Harris.  

“I think it’s very important to not operate from the assumption that Black men are in anybody’s pocket,” Harris said during the NABJ interview. “I’m working to earn the vote, not assuming I’m going to have it because I am Black.” 

Harris is an alumna of Howard University and would become the first HBCU graduate to serve as President if she is elected. The Harris campaign has touted her HBCU ties, citing the Biden-Harris administration’s record investments in historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions. 

“As a proud graduate of Howard University, I know firsthand that our HBCUs are centers of academic excellence,” Harris said in a White House statement in May. “For generations, these anchors of our communities have played a pivotal role in building and contributing to America’s leadership at home and abroad.”

The Howard grad hasn’t been shy about showcasing her sports enthusiasm, especially for her alma mater. In December, Harris attended the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta, featuring Howard and Florida A&M University. She also cheered on her fellow Howard Bisons in Des Moines when they made the first round of the NCAA tournament last year.

Nikole Killion

Nikole Killion is a CBS News congressional correspondent based in Washington D.C. As a correspondent, Killion played a key role in the Network’s 2020 political and election coverage, reporting from around the country during the final stretch of the campaign and throughout the Biden transition.

Jan. 7, 1994, started out like any other typical winter morning for Rebecca “Becky” Savarese of Pittsfield, Massachusetts. There was snow on the ground, and it was bitterly cold as the 12-year-old walked to school. Then, at around 7:10 a.m., at one of the busiest intersections in town, a man came up beside her. “He had a mustache, but he didn’t shave. He seemed like a nerd to me,” said Savarese. The stranger quickly pulled out a gun and held it up against her.

Becky said the gunman threatened her: “Just do everything I say, everything will be perfectly OK.” Then he steered her toward his truck and told her to get in. But Becky refused. “I didn’t care if he shot me. I just knew I was not going to get into that truck,” she told “48 Hours.”

Instead, that’s when Becky said she came up with an idea that possibly saved her life. She faked an asthma attack. She explained, “I was like, ‘Can I sit down? Can I just sit down a minute?’ I was trying to take my backpack off … and he tried to grab me, and he got my backpack and then I just started to run.”

The gunman jumped into his truck and sped off. Becky ran into a man clearing snow off a sidewalk who called police. At about the same time, a witness called in with three digits from the truck’s license plate.

Police learned that a 43-year-old handyman and former movie theater janitor named Lewis Lent had been driving that truck. He at first denied knowing about Becky Savarese, but he later confessed to trying to abduct her.

When police searched Lent’s truck they found disturbing evidence. New York State Police Detective Reece Treen said they found “Rebecca’s backpack. They found a gun. They found what Lou called his ‘snatch kit.’ Duct tape and a clothesline rope. Basically, his kidnapping abducting kit he had with him.” 

After Lent was arrested for the attempted abduction of Becky Savarese, authorities wondered if Lent could have abducted other children — including a 12-year-old-girl who had disappeared five months earlier. Sara Anne Wood, from Sauquoit, New York — 100 miles from Pittsfield — was last seen on her bike, leaving church as she was headed home less than a mile down the street.  

When authorities questioned Lent about Sara’s disappearance, he eventually confessed, in horrific detail, that he abducted, sexually assaulted and killed Sara. He also admitted to kidnapping and murdering 12-year-old Jimmy Bernardo from Pittsfield.

Hunters had found Jimmy’s body in a rural and isolated area 200 miles away from Pittsfield. But detectives had no idea where Sara was buried. When they asked Lent, authorities say he continuously lied as to where he buried her.

The search for Sara and the cat-and-mouse game between authorities and her killer to get him to reveal where her remains are located is the focus of “The Unending Search for Sara Anne Wood.” Correspondent Erin Moriarty reports in the season premiere of “48 Hours,” airing Saturday, Sept. 21 at 10/9c on CBS and streams on Paramount+.

Authorities credit Becky for breaking Sara’s abduction case wide open. New York State Police Detective Frank Lawrence said, “She’s the key, she’s the linchpin. She’s what made it all happen … She got away … That’s what put us on to Lewis Lent.”

Treen, who spent many long hours interviewing Lent in prison, said that Lent admitted he would often drive for many miles hunting for children to kidnap. “(Lent) had a large hunting area. He mentioned that if he had money and he had the gas, that’s what he would do … he would go out looking for vulnerable children.”

But Becky Savarese’s bravery and quick thinking changed all of that. In 1995, Lent was convicted for her attempted kidnapping and was sentenced to 17 to 20 years in prison. In 1996, after taking a plea, he was given a life sentence for murdering Jimmy Bernardo. Then, later that year, Lent pleaded guilty to killing Sara Wood. In 1997, he was sentenced to 25 years to life for her murder. Lent will serve the rest of his life in prison. Sara’s brother Dusty Wood said, “He (Lewis Lent) will never cause harm to anyone else.” 

Herkimer County District Attorney Jeffrey Carpenter often wonders what would have happened if Becky had not been able to escape. “I think Becky Savarese not only saved herself, she saved countless children because this man (Lewis Lent) was developing his skills. He was getting better at it. She outsmarted him … and brought an end to his reign of terror,” he told “48 Hours.”

Back in 1994, Becky’s mother, Chris, told “48 Hours” that she often lectured her daughter about the steps to take in case she was ever abducted: to “kick, punch, bite, spit and do anything to get away.” Becky had also been warned about strangers from a policeman who came to her school the year before the incident.

Dusty Wood says Becky’s actions are an example as to why educating youth about abduction prevention is so important. “If no one had said anything to Rebecca … she would have had a different outcome.”.

Every year, Dusty Wood and some family members participate in the “Ride for Missing Children,” a 78-mile bike ride that was created in Sara’s honor by their father Bob Wood. Riders stop at schools along the route to talk to children about how to stay safe. Riders also pay silent tribute to those children who are missing and never coming home and those that they hope may be found alive.

Dusty Wood says he cannot do anything to bring his sister Sara back, but he can try and make positive change by educating the public about how to keep children safe. He told “48 Hours,” “The most important thing for us as a family is to protect kids … and make sure that if there’s anything that can be done to protect them from monsters like Lewis Lent, that it be done.”

To learn more about how to educate children about abduction prevention, please visit the  National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website missingkids.org.