December's housing market just delivered something we haven't seen in nearly three years. Demand surged to levels that would've seemed impossible just months ago, and the catalyst? Mortgage rates holding steady in that sweet spot.

For 18 consecutive weeks, rates stayed under the 6.64% threshold. That's not just a random number—it's the tipping point where buyers actually feel comfortable pulling the trigger. And pull the trigger they did. Year-over-year growth hit double digits, the kind of momentum that tells you real money is moving back into real estate.

What's driving this isn't rocket science. When borrowing costs stabilize below psychological barriers, demand doesn't just recover—it accelerates. Buyers who'd been sitting on the sidelines, waiting for "the right moment," suddenly realized that moment had arrived. The spread improvements made financing not just possible but actually attractive again.

This isn't some minor uptick we're talking about. Nearly three years of waiting, watching, and hesitating just evaporated. The housing machine, which had been sputtering and stalling, found its rhythm again. Inventory that was sitting stale started moving. Offers started coming in multiples instead of trickles.

The implications stretch beyond just housing. When mortgage rates behave, consumer confidence follows. When housing demand surges, it ripples through construction, materials, employment—the whole economic chain reacts. We're seeing capital flow back into one of the economy's foundational sectors, and that shift matters for anyone tracking macroeconomic trends and asset allocation strategies.