Trump on Saturday posted an image on social that seemed to suggest he would be proposing 50-year mortgages, something FHFA Director Bill Pulte confirmed shortly after on X. The image Trump posted on Truth Social features a head shot of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt under the title 30-year mortgage, and his own head shot under […]
Trump proposes 50-year mortgage to help affordability Read More »
FHFA Director Bill Pulte said Friday that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will remain in conservatorship, but that the government would seek to sell up to 5% of their shares. Pulte made the remarks at the ResiDay conference in New York City, according to posts on X by ResiClub Co-founder Lance Lambert. Lambert quoted Pulte
Pulte says Fannie, Freddie to remain in conservatorship with IPO plans Read More »
The unsung hero of the housing market in 2025 has been the improvement in mortgage spreads, because without the spreads improving as much as they have, mortgage rates would not have gotten near 6% this year. I forecast that mortgage spreads should improve by 0.27%-0.41% this year, from a 2.54% average in 2024, giving mortgage
Mortgage spreads hit lowest level in years, keeping rates near 6% Read More »
A growing number of homeowners are putting off necessary maintenance and repairs, leading to safety concerns, higher costs and long-term financial strain, according to a new report from Bold North Roofing. The study found that 71% of homeowners have postponed at least one home project in 2025 — and 60% are actively delaying essential maintenance.
Financially stressed homeowners are delaying essential repairs Read More »
Happy lowest-mortgage-rate-of-the-year day on this Halloween week! Mortgage rates are currently at a yearly low right before the Fed meets so the question is: will Fed Chair Jerome Powell ruin the good news right before Halloween festivities? Whatever Powell says tomorrow, mortgage rates are behaving differently than they did last year at this time. Last
Will the Fed ruin the lowest mortgage rates of 2025? Read More »
Benjamin Franklin famously said that nothing in life is certain except death and taxes. When I saw a recent article by Robert Bork Jr. claiming that the affordability crisis is due to some sort of “Realtor® tax,” I stopped in my tracks. The only Realtor® tax I’m aware of is the 15% self-employment tax I’m
There’s no such thing as a Realtor tax: Here’s what they’re missing Read More »
We had a nice pop in our weekly pending home sales last week, and with mortgage rates near 2025 lows we could ask: Is housing breaking out? Not exactly. One of the themes I really stressed this year is that weekly data can be volatile around holiday weekends. So we always look at the two
Weekly home sales look stronger than normal, but there’s a catch Read More »
The Ohio House of Representatives on Wednesday passed two bills aimed at limiting future property tax increases by tying them to inflation — marking the latest in a series of efforts to curb rising property taxes across the state. Republican House Speaker Matt Huffman said the legislation represents “something significant” for Ohio taxpayers. He estimates
Ohio moves to tie property tax increases to inflation Read More »
Home prices firmed up for the second month in a row in the existing home sales report released Thursday. Demand showed higher year-over-year growth, while inventory growth has slowed down recently. Several months ago, my model showed that the existing-home sales market should show growth compared to last year, even if sales remained flat at
Existing home prices firmed up in September Read More »
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) has announced $73.5 million in affordable housing grants to 53 projects across Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. “Through the strength of our member institutions, we’re able to channel these funds into projects that directly address the housing needs of our communities,” Sanjay Bhasin,
Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas awards $73.5M to affordable housing projects Read More »