Month: May 2026

If you really think housing is in short supply, why are there “81 markets where home prices are falling”? Instead, let’s agree that there is an imbalance as all real estate is local. The Census Bureau’s 2025 Population and Housing Unit Estimates show continued U.S. population growth driven largely by strong international migration, with the national population reaching roughly 341.8 million as of July 1, 2025, up more than 3 percent from the 2020 Census base. Growth remained concentrated in…

I recently got on an airplane, and there were no other passengers! A flight attendant walked up and chittered, “You’ve got the whole plane to yourself! A large group that was going to a psychic’s convention all cancelled at the last minute.” Obviously i surived, and what you know matters. Wanna know the new buzz acronym? Residential Transition Loans (RTL): financing for properties in transition, including fix-and-flip, bridge, and rehab deals. Catch the wave… people always need to borrow…

USDA lenders ask, “Can our Fed save the day for U.S. wheat farmers up against a drought, tariff woes, lack of a deal with China, and rising fuel bills?” Nope. Buy flour before you leave the supermarket. Lots of folks were leaving the MBA’s National Secondary yesterday, and many comments and questions were heard. “Did you hear that Jerry Seinfeld is doing a show at the MBA National in October?” (True) “Ginnie Mae began ratcheting up its cybersecurity efforts in 2024. Why aren’t others?” (Good…

Here in New York, as over a thousand of us head to airports (hopefully avoiding manholes… tragic), the mood has been pragmatic. Not overly optimistic, not somber, just realistic. No one is arguing that the war hasn’t driven up worldwide oil prices, impacting inflation and borrower psychology, impacting lending. The Mortgage Bankers Association now predicts a Federal Reserve rate hike to arrive in 2027, so any lenders or originators hoping for lower rates, well… At this point there isn’t a lot…