246 articles and videos on mortgage rates, the housing market and smart home financing, in plain English.
▶ VideoToday, I wanted to talk about the crazy amount of overpromising that I’m seeing in the industry – others making promises about interest rates. What started this train of thought is that I saw a refinance TV ad. They were talking about conventional loans with a 5.125% interest rate and APR. I can tell you:…
▶ VideoOur topic for today is ending a toxic relationship with your interest rate. My daughter just bought a new house a few months ago, and she told me that she’s not loving her interest rate. She mentioned the meme that we’ve all heard a million times since the interest rates started running up: marry the…
▶ VideoThis morning, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) came out. This is one of two main reads on inflation that comes out every month – the 2nd most important to The Fed. There are a few things I want to point out about these numbers. Inflation Trends are Looking Good First, The Fed is driven by…
▶ VideoIt’s been a wild ride in the financial markets in the last few days. Equities markets saw a huge nose-dive, and we’ve seen a pretty good snap back… but we aren’t back to where we were. Of course, that has some impact on bonds and mortgage rates. So, many people are asking: what is going…
▶ VideoToday was Fed Day: a 2-day meeting that happens every 6 weeks. They announced that there will be no change in rates this time, but they are definitely making it sound like there is room for changes in September. There were a lot of questions in the press conference, and he is continuing to say…
▶ VideoI want to thank Barry Habib for this topic inspiration, although I’m putting my own spin on it. There has been a lot of talk lately about why rates are so high. Inflation has been to blame, and The Fed has also been talking about how the employment rate has been so strong – so…
▶ VideoI’m starting to wonder if we are reaching the point in the market where we might actually start to see things turn around? A few signs that I’m seeing: It’s all About Supply and Demand First, looking at the gold standard for what is going on with rates: everyone tracks Freddie Mac, and we are…
▶ VideoEvery election cycle, the same topic often comes up: everyone is saying that it is best to wait until after the election to buy a house. I have been in the business for almost 25 years, and I see this conversation come up every time. Let’s Look at Historical Data So, I decided to dive…
▶ VideoWe are celebrating Independence Day, the 4th of July, this week. For some reason, this got me thinking about something: when were US citizens actually allowed to own land and property in the United States after gaining independence from Great Britain? 1776 marked Independence Day. Then, the first real act that was passed regarding private…
▶ VideoLet’s talk about some updates regarding the topic of real estate commissions. Yesterday was the day that the administrators here in California set to start using the new forms that address the changes in commissions. Apparently, the Department of Justice has contacted California asking the state to hold off before memorializing the changes in these…
▶ VideoApparently, there is a big retail trend known as “Buy Now, Pay Later.” It works by you going to a store and making a down payment. Then, you get to take what you are buying, and they set you up on a payment plan. These programs don’t show up on your credit, which seems great.…
▶ VideoI don’t get this question too often, but it’s come up a few times recently: Should I be putting extra money towards my mortgage to pay it off? When is the best timing to do this? Do This First Before Making Extra Mortgage Payments My answer is there are only a few circumstances where I…
