We Need a Break!
We Need a Break! This summer Stacy and I travelled to Europe to visit with my daughter Savita, her fiancé Noah, and to see my mom’s four surviving siblings, Maya, Mira, Sheela, and Bipin. Savita and Noah have [...]
Peace Has Benefits
Peace Has Benefits June has delivered the geopolitical breakthrough mortgage borrowers have been waiting for since the Iran war began on 2/28/2026. On June 17th, 2026, President Trump and Iran signed a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, in [...]
Inflation’s Triple Threat
Inflation’s Triple Threat Last month I closed by warning that the bond market’s temporary breather could end quickly. It has. Mortgage rates have resumed their climb as a triple-stack of hot inflation reports, surging oil prices, a fresh [...]
Mortgage Rates Catch A Break
Mortgage Rates Catch A Break April has delivered some welcome relief for mortgage borrowers. After the 4/7/2026 cease-fire announcement between the U.S. and Iran, oil prices posted their biggest single-day drop since 2020 – U.S. crude fell roughly [...]
Mortgage Rates are Confused
Mortgage Rates are Confused Mortgage rates are up again thanks to higher inflation. Many of you may have seen the media report on 2/25/2026 that 30-year fixed mortgage rates fell below 6% for the first time since 2022. [...]
The Circle of Life Continues
The Circle of Life Continues Mortgage rates are still in line with where they were to start the year, despite some volatility that caused mortgage rates to increase slightly during January and February of this year. The average [...]
Savita is getting married!
Savita is getting married! The New Year is starting out favorably for mortgage interest rates. Thursday, 1/8/2026, Trump directed Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac to purchase $200 Billion of their own Mortgage Backed Securities, MBS, from the markets. This increase in [...]
Mortgage rates fall, but not for the reason you are led to believe.
Mortgage rates fall, but not for the reason you are led to believe. Mortgage rates remain volatile but are slowly heading downwards. The Federal Reserve cut their target rate, the Fed Funds, for the third time this year on [...]
Lower mortgage rates continue!
Mortgage rates have held onto the lower rate environment for over 8 weeks now. That is two weeks longer than the 6-week run we had last year before mortgage rates went back up again. Hopefully we are at the [...]
Lower mortgage rates are back, for now…
Hi Friends, The most recent Fed meeting on 9/17 didn’t surprise anyone with the Fed voting 11–1 to lower the federal funds target rate by 0.25%, bringing the range down to 4%–4.25%. This rate cut was already baked into [...]
Rate Drop Has Begun!!
Lowest Levels Since March 2023 On August 2nd we saw mortgage rates fall to their lowest levels since March of 2023, very close to 6% APR for 30 Year Fixed. My phone and e-mail have been inundated since then [...]
Finally — A Rate Cut
30-Year Rate Drop The Federal Reserve is finally in agreement that inflation is heading towards their 2% target due to the better-than-expected June CPI (Consumer Price Index) inflation readings. The June CPI report showed that overall inflation was down [...]
The Indonesia SCUBA dive trip was a huge success!
The Indonesia SCUBA dive trip was a huge success! We were in North Sulawesi on the Islands of Bunaken, Bangka, and Lembeh. The amount of biodiversity in the oceans around these islands is staggering. Every coral field seems endless with [...]
Good News for Mortgage Rates in May
Fed Funds Rate Stayed the Same Good news for mortgage interest rates in May with the Federal Reserve leaving their target rate, The Fed Funds, in the range of 5.25% - 5.5%. The Fed did not increase the Fed [...]
Rates Still in Limbo
Rate Cut Delay After a nice move down in mortgage interest rates to end the month of March 2024, rates began marching upwards again in April 2024. We saw 30-year fixed mortgage rates get close to 6.5% APR in [...]
New HELOC for Uni Hills—FINALLY!
Fed Still Holding the Line No surprises were coming out of the most recent two-day Federal Reserve Open Market Committee Meeting (FOMC) that concluded on March 20th, 2024. The Fed kept the status quo and refrained from cutting their [...]
Inflation — Killer of Mortgage Rates
Inflation Stubbornly High Mortgage rates continue to remain stubbornly high due to the worse-than-expected inflation readings in February. The average 30-year Fixed interest rates fell close to 6% APR for zero points right around Christmas of last year. That [...]
Holiday Joy
They grow up fast! This holiday season I was fortunate to spend some time with my only child, my daughter Savita, who lives in Berlin, Germany. She is finishing her master’s degree in journalism at an international university in [...]
Mortgage Interest Rate Drop!
Hikes on Hold The Federal Reserve continued holding on interest rate hikes and finally started showing signs that rate cuts would be coming soon. After the December 12-13 Federal Open Committee Market (FOMC) meeting, the Fed not only paused [...]
Getting Over the Interest Rate Hump
Rate Hike Pause Continues At the conclusion of the November 1, 2023, Federal Reserve meeting, the Fed continued the pause in interest rate hikes to the Fed Funds rate. This was a follow-through on the pause from the September [...]
What is a Bank Statement Loan?
Loan Options As a mortgage consultant, it's important to me be able to educate clients to ensure that they understand the various financing options available to meet their needs. Today, I'd like to discuss a less commonly understood type [...]
Still Waiting for the Mortgage Market
Still Waiting Mortgage interest rates have yet to make a significant move lower because the inflation numbers haven’t decreased enough to create more demand in the bond market. I had been hoping for rates to improve after the 5/10/23 [...]
Spring Buying Season Is Here
Hello, friends. Home Buying Competition The spring home-buying season is starting to heat up in my area and it is starting to feel a lot like 2020 and 2021 again. Many of the home buyers I have pre-approved for [...]