Have you ever wondered why some people seem to have their finances in perfect order while others constantly struggle? It often boils down to one simple factor—math skills. Managing money isn’t just about earning more; it’s about understanding how to budget, invest, save, and avoid debt. And guess what? Math plays a crucial role in … Read more
A week after Zillow drew a hard line on off-market listings, Redfin has rolled out its own ultimatum. Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman penned a short statement, saying “Buyers should see all the listings, and sellers should control how their listing appears online.” He went on to say that, “Redfin.com will not publish any listings that … Read more
The mortgage rate whirlwind continues as we start another week. This time, rates are back below 7% (just barely), though it’s little consolation considering where they were just 10 days ago. If you recall, the 30-year fixed was close to 6.5%, which felt pretty decent at the time, especially since we had what felt like … Read more
A new battle, or perhaps war, is underway for control of real estate listing data. Depending on who you ask, it’s about the consumer. Mostly the home seller, who logically benefits from maximum exposure to their listing. The best way to get the most exposure is by agreeing to syndicate your listing to as many … Read more
In case you haven’t heard, the tariffs levied against China are now 145%. Yes, you read that right. Not the 125% you may have heard about yesterday because the math apparently left out an additional 20% increase. Oops! They’re now well above the prior 104% tariff rate, and the 84% originally in place. When you … Read more
Welp, the question I asked recently, would mortgage rates hit 5.99% or 7% next, has been answered. And unfortunately, if you’re a prospective home buyer or recent homeowner looking for rate relief, it’s 7%. The latest foe for mortgage rates is a new round of global tariffs, including a whopping 104% tariff on Chinese imports. … Read more
If you’ve been paying attention to mortgage rates lately, you might be wondering what on earth is going on. Mortgage rates appeared to be heading back toward the low 6s before abruptly shifting back toward 7%. It all took place in the span of a day or two, compounding the matter further. In fact, Monday … Read more
I keep hearing that lower mortgage rates are the silver lining of a global trade war. That despite the stock market fallout and possibly much higher prices due to tariffs, mortgage rates are at least lower. But how much lower are they really? And at what cost? And is anyone actually biting, other than recent … Read more
There’s a lot going on right now with mortgage rates so I’m dedicating a very long post to it. First and foremost, mortgage rates are dropping fast as the economy teeters on the brink of a possible recession. The driver is worldwide tariffs and a global trade war, which has led to a stock market … Read more
Like the year before, United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) was the top mortgage lender in 2024. It marked their second year as the top dog, beating out their crosstown rival Rocket Mortgage yet again. Rocket had been #1 in the country since 2018 before ceding its lead to UWM, which works solely with mortgage brokers. And … Read more
