Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, stoked debate about the future of retirement savings by saying that in the coming years, traditional retirement planning could become “irrelevant” amid technological advances. “One side recommendation I have is: Don’t worry about squirreling money away for retirement in 10 or 20 years,” Musk said on […]
Elon Musk says retirement savings could become ‘irrelevant’ Read More »
It finally happened today: We got mortgage rates under 6% for a short time. Can we get some traction for that level? Well, one aspect of the mortgage-rate story really improved today; we had a monster day in mortgage spreads, improving overnight to push rates down over 20 basis points without much help from the
Mortgage rates drop below 6% following Trump’s MBS announcement Read More »
Homes remained less affordable than historic norms in nearly every U.S. county at the end of 2025, despite modest improvements late in the year, according to ATTOM’s latest U.S. Home Affordability Report, released Thursday. In 586 of the 594 counties analyzed (or 99%), median-priced single-family homes and condominiums were less affordable than historic averages in
ATTOM: Home affordability stays strained across the country Read More »
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac quietly increased their purchases of mortgage-backed securities (MBS) in 2025, helping push mortgage spreads lower toward the year’s end. Most analysts, however, were not expecting further meaningful tightening in the near term — at least until this week. That changed Thursday after President Donald Trump posted on social media that
Trump directs GSEs to purchase $200B in mortgage bonds in 2025 Read More »
Housing professionals across the country raised their eyebrows earlier this week when President Donald Trump said he would look to stop large institutional investors from buying homes, citing increased affordability pressures on the typical American consumer. Cotality principal economist Thom Malone has long studied the impacts that real estate investors of all sizes have on
Will banning institutional investors make homes more affordable? Read More »
Trust is built through relationships. It is not automatic, it is not assumed, and it is never guaranteed — it is earned. Working for a well-respected company with a long history of service does not automatically make someone a Trusted Mortgage Advisor. Trust is personal. It belongs to the relationship between the loan officer and
Trust is earned, not granted: The foundation of every successful mortgage relationship Read More »
After 13 years at the helm, Dermot Buffini is stepping down as CEO of Buffini & Company, according to an announcement on Monday. In his stead, company founder Brian Buffini will assume the role of chairman and CEO Dermot Buffini became CEO in 2013. Under his leadership the company has grown globally, reaching real estate
Dermot Buffini steps down as CEO of Buffini & Company Read More »
Transitioning from military service to a civilian career is rarely straightforward. For me, it led to the built environment — an industry that, to my surprise, felt immediately familiar. Construction sites, development teams, and project organizations operate under pressures familiar to military units: tight timelines, limited resources, high stakes, and the need to coordinate across
I have often debated whether the mortgage rate lockdown is real or just another housing myth. At first glance, the lockdown theory seems like common sense, so when mortgage rates jumped from 3% to 7% in 2022, it was logical to wonder why anyone would choose to sell their home. People with low rates seemed
New homeowner data challenges mortgage rate lockdown theory Read More »
The National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA) has voiced formal support for New Jersey Senate Bill 4970 — urging lawmakers to advance legislation that would clarify how reverse mortgages are treated under the state’s secondary mortgage law. In a letter sent to State Sen. Joseph Lagana, the association said the bill would exempt reverse mortgage
NRMLA backs New Jersey bill clarifying reverse mortgage rules Read More »