Denmark, the country with the longest history of negative central bank rates is offering homeowners 20-year loans at a fixed interest rate of zero. This is very similar to the zero percent financing on cars in the US except you are buying a house. What does this...
Treasury yields jump to highest since March. What does the GA senate race mean for real estate?
Happy new year to everyone. It is crazy that we are still talking about the election … it seems like it is never ending. Fortunately the Georgia senate runoffs were the last of this cycle. As Georgia flipped Democratic, treasury rates jumped to their highest since...
2021 real estate predictions: What happens to residential and commercial values and interest rates
What a year 2020 has been! The pandemic struck, unemployment has hit records, there was a nice rebound in the summer, and recently a downward trend due to the spike in Coronavirus cases. What does 2021 hold for the economy, interest rates, and residential and...
Mortgage rates just set a record low, are we at the bottom? What should you do now?
Mortgage rates just blew through another record with the 30-year fixed rate dropping to 2.75%. If you have been watching the mortgage market, your head is likely spinning. How can mortgage rates go this low? Where do we go from here? How will the next president...
Yellen appointed to the Treasury, impact on real estate
President-elect Joe Biden nominated former Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen, the prior head of the Federal Reserve, to become the next Treasury secretary. The “market” loved the pick, should you? What does a Yellen pick for treasury mean for interest rates? ...
Covid Vaccine, impact on real estate, biggest real estate risk on the horizon
Pfizer announced that their Covid vaccine in trials was 90% effective at preventing infection. The stock market took off and traders began reshuffling their pandemic bets with Zoom down 20% and Disney, hotels, and cruise operators up substantially. Will there be a...
2 out of 3 loans approved in 2019 would be turned down today, mortgage lenders tighten the screws
The Urban Institute think tank says nearly two out of three loans made in 2019 would fail to meet at least one of the stricter standards lenders have imposed since March. Banks are tripping over themselves to be the first to hedge against future downside risks and...
Will interest rates stay low forever? What did the fed just announce?
If you have been tracking interest rates in the mortgage market, your head is likely spinning. Mortgage rates hit a record low of 3% less than a week later rates have risen again. What is causing the drastic swings? Is now the time to lock in or refinance? What did...
Mortgage rates should be lower costing you 60k over the life of your loan
The mortgage market is an interesting animal. Long term mortgage rates traditionally track the 10 year treasury and historically trade in a very narrow band, approximately one percent higher than the 10 year treasuries. This would put mortgages today in the low 2%...
Forbearance drives house prices up; no impact on “credit score”, but can’t get credit?
From March 1 through the end of May, Americans deferred debt payments on more than 100 million accounts, according to credit-reporting firm TransUnion, a sign of widespread financial distress. Millions are out of work, yet house prices are increasing in most...
V-shaped recovery? 106 million people say No.
The stock market has been pricing in a fast and rapid V-shaped recovery, yet 106 million people and various businesses like United Airlines are painting a radically different picture. As Alan Greenspan, the former fed chief, famously said: markets can exhibit...
I’ll bet your life rates are going down
Would you bet your life on interest rates? Life insurance companies are making a huge gamble on rates, they are willing to bet their life and yours on the direction of interest rates. Why are life insurance companies suspending new policies? What does this mean for...
Did the fed accidentally trigger a housing market crash?
I hope everyone is doing well in light of the recent events. I was recently asked: “Did the Federal Reserve trigger a housing market crash?” What happened? The Coronavirus struck, the fed had to act swiftly to mitigate the damage, but by flooding the market with...
Mortgage rates drop, then rise; what should you do?
We are still lending as we fund and hold our loans in cash! If you have been watching the mortgage market, your head is likely spinning. Last week, a mortgage rates drop for 30-year fixed mortgages hit a record low of 3% less than a week later rates have...
Coronavirus raises your property taxes, are you ready for a 3.8 billion dollar property tax bill?
First, I wanted to give a hats off to this guy for taking social distancing to the next level. He hiked out about a mile on thin ice to ensure he was doing his part 🙂 Coronavirus has caused the Federal Reserve to drastically cut rates to almost zero due to the...
Mortgage rate increase, still funding in cash
First, I hope everyone is doing okay with everything going on. As many banks and other lenders pull back thru the pandemic and the mortgage rate increase we are still funding. We fund and hold all of our loans in cash without leverage so we will continue to...
Markets tank from coronavirus scare
The picture above is a bit more relaxing to look at as opposed to the media barrage of the coronavirus and stock market (do you know where I took the pic, hint in CO, email me if you know). The Coronavirus has caused stock markets around the world to quickly sell off...
60% chance mortgage rates plunge: The fed disagrees!
We are at an interesting crossroads in the economy. The Federal Reserve and economic data show that the economy is very strong with consumer spending and confidence at all-time highs. At the same time the bond market is portraying a different picture after a new...
Interest rates increase in 2020?
As the economy shrugs off recession fears with unemployment hovering near record lows and the stock market continuing to heat up there is one major byproduct that could be impacted, mortgage rates. There was a ton of bad news priced into the market last year that...
Mortgage rates and real estate effect by TV quacks
Yes, it is hard to believe but you, along with me and millions of others, are actually making mortgage rates go down and therefore real estate relatively less expensive. How is this possible? How are your thoughts influencing long term rates and in turn real...
Jobs report ignites bull market. When is the next recession?
The jobs report last week was a welcome surprise beating expectations with 266k jobs created, almost 50% more than expectations. This is the lowest jobless rate since 1969 underpinning a strong consumer that continues to spend and drive the bull market. What does...
Federal Funds rate drops again creates a “floor” for real estate
The Federal reserve dropped the federal funds rate again which wasn’t a big surprise as the market was pricing in a 96% probability of a rate cut. This is the third cut this year effectively creating a “floor” under real estate. How did the federal reserve create a...
Why does your 30 year mortgage cost more than it should? 8 is the magic number
It is crazy, the last real estate crisis was 10 years ago and the government is still debating what to do with Fannie/Freddie, the largest securitizers of 30 year fixed mortgages. Why are we still debating the governments role in housing? Why is this increasing the...
Federal reserve cuts rates, does this put a ‘floor’ under real estate, is the ‘train’ starting to slow?
The federal reserve cut rates by a quarter percent at their recent meeting. This is the first cut since 2008. A rate cut now is a bit peculiar as the economy is doing quite well with inflation low, unemployment at record lows, and the stock market at record...





















