Month: March 2026

How do you like this eye opener: “The value of the property being appraised should be adjusted downward if the ethnic composition of the neighborhood to which it belonged was not homogeneous.” (The Appraisal of Real Estate, 1970) Appraisal methodology and analysis have changed over the years, and we’re about to undergo another major alteration with UAD 3.6. Some investors are ahead of the 11/2/26 curve. For example, Newrez is now accepting loans from clients who have adopted the Uniform…

In 1983 there was a Cabbage Patch Doll shortage. In 1996 there was a lack of Tickle Me Elmo dolls, leading to stampedes. Really? Do you think we’ll see that with Needoh or Jellycat globs or dolls? Probably not. Do you remember when everyone was talking about the lack of housing inventory as a problem for buyers? Those days are long gone: There are now nearly 50 percent more home sellers than buyers as mismatch widens to a record 630,000 . (Of course this is depending on price point and…

In industry news, the big are getting bigger and CrossCountry has stepped in to buy Two Harbors (much more below). But on a more micro-level, Lenders, which include loan officers and underwriters, always have their collective eyes on income, debt, net worth, and personal finances. Did you know that at least 73 out of 100 sitting United States senators have a median net worth of over a million dollars, a financial feat that ordinarily applies to just seven percent of the population. There are…

“I told my wife I wanted to be cremated. She made me an appointment for Tuesday.” There is plenty of humor between men and women, and also some things that aren’t so funny. Some of these exist in the mortgage industry and Bri Lees published a Chrisman LLC Thought Leadership piece titled, “The Month Mortgage Remembers Women Exist” worth reading. It is something to keep in mind, and I’ve received a fair number of emails about the piece. Something else worth thinking about is how AI fits in…

What’s new out there? Well, United Airlines is talking about having couches in the air . There’s always something new in compliance, and there are firms that specialize in it including Feewise , Truework , Asurity , RiskExec , TENA , ACES Quality Management , Firstline Compliance , and LicensingStore.com listed in the Marketplace. There’s always something new impacting mortgage rates. “Rob, I know that short term rates have gone up more than long term rates. Doesn’t an inverted yield…

I’ve been doing some flying recently, and have not seen the terrible security lines that the press has mentioned. Then I found out why . And there’s this perspective . On a more serious note, this week I was in Virginia, and the Commonwealth appears poised to follow Utah and become the second state in the country to approve plug-in solar , which are convenient panels that plug directly into a home’s electrical system through a standard wall plug and can significantly reduce energy bills. Of…

Sometimes life comes down to a coin toss . Here in Virginia Beach, at the Southern Trust Mortgage Sales Summit, a conversation topic is originators not leaving their business to chance. Pricing practices are rarely left to chance, and Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to the CEO of Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO), to inform the company of his investigation into FICO’s pricing practices in the mortgage credit scoring market. Public policy is not left to chance either, and tomorrow’s…