Consumer News: U.S. household income reaches a record high, but gains were uneven

Sellers may need to rethink price, condition, and concessions

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Mortgage rates around 7% are shrinking the pool of qualified buyers and making shoppers far more sensitive to price.

• Sellers face more competition, with Redfin estimating there were 58% more sellers than buyers nationwide in August.

• Pricing correctly from day one, improving a home's condition, and offering concessions including help buying down the buyer's mortgage rate can give sellers an edge.

Home sellers who grew accustomed to bidding wars and offers above the asking price are confronting a very different housing market, as mortgage rates move back to around 7%.

The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate jumped to 6.95% this week, according to Freddie Mac, while some daily measures have moved above 7%. Redfin reported a daily average of 7.24% on Sept. 16.

That's a problem for sellers because higher rates don't just make mortgages more expensive. They can knock potential buyers out of the market altogether.

Redfin reported that pending home sales for the four weeks ending Sept. 13 fell 3.5% from the previous week to their lowest level in nearly three years. Mortgage purchase applications were also 19% below a year earlier.

Meanwhile, buyers who remain in the market have more homes to choose from. Redfin estimates that sellers outnumbered buyers by 58% in August, the largest imbalance in its records.

That means sellers may have to work harder to get a buyer's attention.

Price may matter more than ever

Perhaps the biggest mistake in today's market is pricing a home based on what a neighbor received during the housing boom.

With a 7% mortgage, even a relatively small difference in price can have a noticeable impact on the buyer's monthly payment. Buyers are therefore more likely to compare properties closely and reject homes they consider overpriced.

Redfin recently reported that 21% of sellers were cutting their asking prices and said realistic pricing from the beginning is increasingly important.

Realtor.com has also found evidence that sellers are adjusting. In July, the median listing price was 2.4% lower than a year earlier, and sellers who needed to make price reductions were doing so sooner.

The lesson for sellers: An ambitious asking price designed to "leave room to negotiate" can backfire if the property sits on the market and buyers begin wondering what's wrong with it.

Buyers can afford to be picky

When buyers have plenty of choices, the condition of the property becomes more important.

A seller may gain an advantage by taking care of relatively inexpensive repairs before listing touching up paint, fixing dripping faucets, replacing worn fixtures, and improving curb appeal.

Decluttering and professional-quality listing photos can also help a property make a stronger first impression.

Expensive remodeling projects are another matter. Sellers should carefully consider whether they are likely to recover the cost before installing a new kitchen or undertaking another major renovation solely to sell the house.

The objective isn't necessarily to make the house perfect. It's to prevent buyers from seeing a long list of additional expenses on top of an already expensive mortgage.

Consider helping with the buyer's mortgage

One of the most powerful negotiating tools may be a seller concession.

Instead of simply reducing the price, a seller could agree to pay some of the buyer's closing costs or contribute toward mortgage discount points that reduce the buyer's interest rate.

Concessions have already become much more common. Redfin reported that 46.2% of U.S. home sales in May included a seller concession, the highest May percentage in its records.

For a buyer focused primarily on the monthly payment, assistance that lowers the mortgage rate may sometimes be more attractive than an equivalent reduction in the purchase price. The exact benefit depends on the loan and lender, and limits can apply to seller contributions.

At 7%, mortgage rates aren't just a buyer's problem. They're a seller's problem, too.

The sellers with the greatest advantage may be those who recognize that quickly pricing for today's market rather than yesterday's, presenting a move-in-ready property, and remaining willing to negotiate on the things buyers now value most.

Nearly 28% of Americans reported high blood pressure

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• More than one in four U.S. adults reported being diagnosed with high blood pressure in 2024, while about 12% regularly experienced anxiety.

• Healthcare costs remained an obstacle, as 7.3% of adults went without needed medical care because of cost, and 7.7% altered how they took prescription drugs to save money.

• Nearly 10% of adults smoked cigarettes, while 6.9% used e-cigarettes, according to the CDC survey.

The latest detailed results from one of the federal government's largest health surveys paint a mixed picture of Americans' health, showing widespread use of medical care but persistent problems involving chronic illness, mental health and the cost of treatment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) National Center for Health Statistics analyzed 19 key health indicators from the 2024 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The survey is based on household interviews with a nationally representative sample of the civilian, non-institutionalized U.S. population.

Among the most significant findings, 27.3% of adults reported diagnosed hypertension, or high blood pressure, during the previous 12 months. Another 9.7% met the survey's definition of having a disability, while 3.7% reported an asthma episode during the previous year.

The survey also provides a window into the nation's mental health. About 12.1% of adults said they regularly experienced feelings of worry, nervousness, or anxiety, while 4.8% regularly experienced depression. Fourteen percent said they had received counseling from a mental health professional during the previous 12 months.

Most adults saw a doctor

Americans generally remained connected to the healthcare system. The survey found 85.2% of adults had visited a doctor within the previous year. About one in five 20.7% had visited a hospital emergency department.

Other CDC analysis of the same 2024 survey found that 90.3% of adults had a usual source of healthcare. That percentage rose sharply with age, from 83.7% among people ages 18 to 34 to 97.5% among adults 65 and older.

But having access to the healthcare system doesn't necessarily mean consumers can afford to use it.

The survey found 7.3% of adults said they did not get needed medical care during the previous 12 months because of the cost. Another 5.9% went without needed mental healthcare because of cost.

Prescription costs were also an issue. About 7.7% said they did not take medication as prescribed in an effort to save money. The CDC's definition includes skipping doses, taking less medication, or delaying filling a prescription because of cost.

Millions remained uninsured

Among adults ages 18 to 64, 11.6% were uninsured at the time they were interviewed. About 69.1% had private health insurance and 21.2% had public coverage. Some people can have more than one type of coverage, so those categories should not be added together.

Looking at Americans of all ages, a separate CDC report based on the 2024 NHIS estimated that 8.2%, or about 27.2 million people, were uninsured. That's down from 9.7%, or 31.6 million people, in 2020. The CDC said the small increase in the uninsured rate between 2023 and 2024 was not statistically significant.

Smoking below 10%, but vaping higher late in the year

The survey also tracked tobacco and vaping habits. About 9.9% of adults were current cigarette smokers in 2024, while 6.9% currently used electronic cigarettes or other vaping products.

The quarterly figures show an interesting difference. Cigarette smoking was relatively stable, declining from 10% in the first quarter to 9.6% in the fourth quarter. E-cigarette use, however, ranged from 6% in the first quarter to 8.1% in the fourth. The annual survey figures alone don't establish whether that represents a lasting trend.

Flu vaccination also remained far from universal. About 43.1% of adults said they had received a flu vaccine during the previous 12 months. The CDC cautions that this measure is different from vaccination coverage for a particular flu season.

Taken together, the findings suggest that most Americans are interacting with the healthcare system, but millions still face financial barriers that can affect whether they receive treatment or take prescribed medication.

The National Health Interview Survey has been conducted for decades and is one of the federal government's primary sources of information about the health of Americans but with this caveat. Because the findings are based largely on information reported by survey participants rather than medical records, the numbers should be viewed as population estimates rather than clinical measurements.

Fewer flights will likely lead to higher fares

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• American, United and Southwest are trimming flight schedules as a surge in jet fuel prices makes some routes less profitable.

• Fewer flights could mean higher fares, fewer nonstop choices and less flexibility when flights are canceled or delayed.

• The cuts are arriving just as travelers begin making holiday plans, increasing the risk that popular flights will fill up earlier than usual.

Airlines are responding to another surge in jet fuel prices by cutting flights, a move that could leave travelers with fewer choices and keep upward pressure on airfares through the end of the year.

Executives at American Airlines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines said this week that elevated fuel costs are forcing them to take another look at their schedules, particularly flights and routes that produce relatively little profit. Demand for travel, meanwhile, remains strong.

That combination strong demand and fewer available seats could be particularly noticeable to consumers.

United has already removed some flights that had been planned for December and could make additional adjustments during the first quarter of 2027 if fuel prices remain high. American is also considering further capacity reductions, while Southwest has already sharply reduced its planned capacity growth for 2026.

Fuel is taking a bigger bite

Fuel has always been one of an airline's largest expenses, but the recent increase has dramatically changed the economics of some flights.

American said the latest fuel-price increase alone could add about $1 billion to its fourth-quarter costs. American CEO Robert Isom said sustained high fuel prices would require adjustments to the airline's future capacity plans.

The airlines aren't necessarily eliminating entire destinations. Instead, they can reduce the number of daily flights, use different aircraft or temporarily suspend routes where revenue isn't high enough to justify the increased cost.

American took that approach earlier this year when it temporarily suspended six routes for August and September, including Los Angeles-Cleveland, Los Angeles-Pittsburgh and Charlotte-Sacramento, citing elevated fuel costs.

Why fewer flights can mean higher fares

For travelers, the biggest effect could be ticket prices.

Airlines have already been able to raise fares while maintaining strong demand. Cutting additional capacity removes seats from the market, making it easier for carriers to maintain higher prices rather than discount tickets to fill airplanes.

The effect may be most pronounced on routes that have several flights a day today. An airline might decide that instead of operating four flights between two cities, it can operate three fuller flights and burn less fuel.

That strategy improves the airline's economics but gives passengers fewer departure times to choose from.

It also could make the cheapest fares harder to find. The flights most vulnerable to cuts are generally those producing the weakest financial returns, and airlines have indicated that they are prioritizing profitability rather than maintaining capacity simply to preserve market share.

Cancellations could become more inconvenient

There is another potential downside to thinner schedules.

When airlines operate many flights between two cities, passengers on a canceled flight may be able to move to another departure a few hours later. When schedules are reduced, those backup flights can already be full.

That could mean longer waits or an overnight delay, particularly during busy holiday travel periods or weather disruptions.

Travelers flying from smaller airports could also feel the impact more sharply. A reduction from three daily flights to two is more significant than losing one departure on a heavily traveled route with numerous alternatives.

What travelers can do

Consumers planning Thanksgiving, Christmas or other year-end trips may want to begin checking schedules and fares earlier than they normally would. Holiday travel demand remains strong even as fuel costs push airline expenses higher.

Travelers should also pay attention to schedule-change notices after purchasing a ticket. Airlines sometimes adjust schedules weeks or months before departure, potentially changing flight times or connections.

Booking a nonstop flight when the price is reasonable can reduce the number of things that can go wrong. Travelers who have an important event at their destination may also want to avoid the last flight of the day, since fewer later departures could make recovering from a cancellation more difficult.

For now, airline executives say passengers are still flying despite higher prices. That means carriers have less incentive to absorb all of their rising fuel costs themselves.

Minneapolis-St. Paul, Tampa and Charleston top J.D. Powers 2026 airport rankings

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Passenger satisfaction increased across all three airport-size categories despite near-record travel volumes.

• Clear signs, easier navigation and terminals reflecting local culture had a significant effect on traveler satisfaction.

• Minneapolis-St. Paul, Tampa and Charleston ranked highest in their respective airport categories.

Years of construction detours, temporary walls and crowded terminals may finally be producing results for air travelers.

Passenger satisfaction with North American airports increased significantly in 2026, largely because many airports have completed major renovation projects, according to the latest J.D. Power North America Airport Satisfaction Study.

The improvement came even as passenger traffic remained at or near the record levels reached in 2025.

Satisfaction rose 14 points on a 1,000-point scale at mega airports, 13 points at large airports and 16 points at medium-sized airports. J.D. Power said the highest-ranked airports have either recently completed or are nearing completion of multiyear capital improvement projects costing at least $1 billion.

For the better part of the last decade, nearly every airport, from the largest international hubs to midsized airfields, has undertaken a significant capital improvement project aimed at streamlining passenger flow, adding attractive food and beverage options and improving overall passenger experience, said Michael Taylor, managing director of travel, hospitality and retail at J.D. Power.

Taylor said the projects are beginning to produce higher satisfaction scores, although individual design choices still have a major effect on how travelers use the terminal.

The highest-rated airports

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport ranked highest among mega airports for the third consecutive year, scoring 684. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport placed second with 663, followed by Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport at 642.

Tampa International Airport led the large-airport category with a score of 715. Portland International Airport ranked second at 708, while Dallas Love Field placed third with 698.

Among medium-sized airports, Charleston International Airport ranked first with 712. Ontario International Airport was second at 705, and Indianapolis International Airport placed third with 695.

J.D. Power defines mega airports as those handling at least 33 million passengers annually. Large airports serve between 10 million and 32.9 million passengers, while medium airports handle between 4.5 million and 9.9 million.

Signs and local character matter

The study found that practical improvements can be just as important as visually impressive terminals. Clear signs and effective wayfinding systems were among the biggest drivers of satisfaction because they reduce the stress of finding gates and navigating unfamiliar buildings.

Travelers also responded favorably to airports whose architecture, dcor and restaurants reflect the surrounding city or region.

Food, beverage and retail satisfaction increased eight points across all airport categories. Local restaurants helped improve travelers perceptions, but J.D. Power said airports should also provide familiar national brands for passengers who prefer predictable choices.

The terminal experience can also influence how much travelers spend. Passengers who described their airport experience as perfect spent an average of $47.60 inside the terminal$20.22 more than those who rated their experience as merely just OK.

However, only 12% of airport journeys received a perfect rating.

The study examined seven areas: ease of traveling through the airport, trust in the airport, terminal facilities, airport staff, the trip to and departure from the airport, food and retail options, and the arrival experience.

The results were based on 24,710 surveys completed by U.S. and Canadian residents who had traveled through an airport in either country within the previous 30 days. The survey was conducted from July 2025 through July 2026.