Dec. 6: Books for presents by those in our biz, about the biz; Saturday Spotlight: Flyhomes Buy Before You Sell

When you think of Cambodia, do you think about its Angkor Wat temple complex, or its capital Phnom Penh? Others have other thoughts. Follow the money: Lenders, and any company that deals with money, may instead think of the massive industrial scam centers staffed by over 100,000 trafficked and forced laborers that continue to rip off people worldwide for billions of dollars in revenue a year. This is a legitimately massive industry for Cambodia, and the architects of the scam operations have cozied up to the government. In October, the U.S. and British governments sanctioned Chen Zhi and his Prince Group, whom the governments allege to be the kingpin and conglomerate behind the scam engine. However, both Zhi and Prince Group maintain tight ties to the government of Cambodia. The U.S. seized $15 billion from Zhi, which would beat the $12.6 billion demanded from El Chapo. Why does Cambodia’s leadership still back him? Well, the $12.5 billion estimated size of the scam business is larger than the $9 billion garment industry that constitutes the core of the legitimate Cambodian economy.

Saturday Spotlight: Flyhomes’ Buy Before You Sell

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Flyhomes is the industry leader in solving one of the biggest challenges in real estate: how to buy your next home without having to sell your current one first. As the #1 Buy Before You Sell solution provider in the U.S., we deliver innovative and customizable financial products that solve common borrower challenges, including high DTI, low down payment, asset liquidation, and sales contingencies.

We operate on a wholesale-only model, empowering loan officers and real estate agents with a variety of Buy Before You Sell products available in all 50 states. More than 5,000 buyers have already used Flyhomes to move seamlessly. With $2.2B in funded loans and a growing partner network of 160+ lenders and 30,000+ MLOs, we’re expanding quickly and are proud to offer our solutions now nationwide.

Our products give borrowers real advantages: buy with $0 down, reduce their DTI by up to 50%, and make cash-equivalent offers that close in as little as 10 days. And because we’re wholesale-only, there’s no competition with loan officers or agents. We exist to help them win more deals and build stronger client relationships.

Another key difference? Low costs. We’re proud to offer the most affordable Buy Before You Sell solutions in the market. Our programs start with a tiered flat fee, and our loan product pricing is tied to the loan amount, not the departing home’s sale price. This structure keeps costs fair and transparent, giving borrowers access to the tools they need without creating an extra financial burden. It’s a true win-win for both families and the professionals who serve them.

Join our live webinar on Dec 10. We’ll walk through how Flyhomes products empower you and your borrowers to buy their next home before selling the current one, reduce DTI and help them qualify for up to 50 percent more, and remove home sale contingencies and make stronger offers

Don’t miss out. Save your spot now or book a call to learn how this could benefit your borrowers and help you close more deals today.

Books from our biz at Christmas: win win

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Christmas Day is less than three weeks away. Tree farms in the United States cut down 14.5 million Christmas trees in 2022, according to the most recent USDA data. At any given time, there are 300 million Christmas trees growing on 15,000 farms across the country. Michigan, North Carolina, and Oregon are the biggest producers of the trees, with these three states boasting an aggregate of 400 square miles of land devoted to their production. Of the 14.5 million trees cut in 2022, half came from just six counties, with Clackamas County, Oregon, responsible for a nation-leading 2,088,169 trees alone.

Both Christmas and Hanukkah (Chanukah, Hanukah, and Chanuka), which begins December 14, are often times for giving gifts of various shapes and sizes… like books. After all, not all books have been banned.

What better Christmas present for your staff or co-workers than a book or two written by someone in our industry, or very close to our industry, or about our industry? Is giving a real estate agent a book on becoming a productive and well-respected real estate agent a RESPA violation? For something completely different, looking for a holiday gift for your staff since you’re not spending much on travel and entertainment? Congratulations to anyone who can write a book, and there are several (that I know about) in or close to our biz. And with reasonable prices, good gifts for your staff. Or for your boss! No, these are not paid ads, and the books are written by folks in our biz, about our biz, or close to it. In no order, we have…

From farm girl to CEO, Sandra James’ inspiring journey is a testament to the power of perseverance, sobriety, and unwavering determination. In “Don’t Tell Me I Can’t,” James candidly shares her remarkable story of overcoming addiction, building multimillion-dollar businesses, and finding true love and partnership.

Seeing Around Corners is Freedom Mortgage’s San Middleman’s inspirational rags-to-riches story where he shares his principles for achieving business success. Follow Stan’s journey from humble beginnings in Philadelphia to building Freedom Mortgage, one of the largest privately held mortgage companies in America. Stan is an eyewitness to the rebirth of nonbank finance in America in the 1990s. Moreover, Freedom Mortgage is one of the last examples of an issuer that grew organically by accumulating MSRs. A large portfolio of MSRs adds to the safety and resilience of IMBs, as proven by Freedom.

In Authentic Intelligence The Other AI, Usherpa’s founder, Dan Harrington, reveals the proven strategies behind 30 years of CRM sales automation success. This book uncovers the five critical factors that determine whether your sales automation platform succeeds or fails. Discover how to enhance (not replace) human relationships and turn the bottom 80% of your sales team into top performers. Whether you’re a sales manager, executive, or business leader, Authentic Intelligence offers a set of actionable strategies to get technology investments delivering measurable results. Order now!

Mortgages aside, given the current employment situation and mortgage folks perhaps taking a look at other industries, here’s a gift idea for a family member or someone you know who is interested in pursuing a career in health or who is in the field and ready for a change. Check out my friend Jeff Oxendine’s, You Don’t Have to Be a Doctor: Discover, Achieve and Enjoy Your Authentic Health Career. Jeff, CEO of Health Career Connection and a longtime faculty member at UC Berkeley School of Public Health, shares his proven 9 step framework, practical tools, inspiring stories, and hands-on exercises that he has used to help thousands of students and health professionals choose and succeed in the health career that best suits them.

Eric Mitchell is an industry vet focused on the development strategies for originators through innovative purchase market strategies proven to revolutionize the way Loan Officers and Realtors partner, generating their unprecedented success and market reach. Eric has written “The Why of Money”. Here is the Amazon page.

Russ Van Buren’s Falling, inspired by the true events of 9-11.

There’s “Surviving Sosebee: A Lesson Plan on Life” by Mary Lee Gilchrest with First State Bank Mortgage in Kansas. (“I self-published, so the book can be purchased from me by emailing me your address. My book is $15.00 with shipping, and I enclose a return envelope for payment on the honor system that buyers will send money. My book talks about some that I have been through in my life and refers to my job many times, and the small profit I give the profit to ALZ and lung cancer research as those are the illnesses my mother and mother-in-law suffered with.”)

“My Client the FBI: How a real estate appraiser assisted the FBI before and after the mortgage crisis in cleaning up a broken system.” Written by Donald Gossman, you can read more about it here along with thank you notes from the Feds.

Conquering Shifts is for MLOs as part of a solid business plan authored by Cindy Douglas and Kathleen Heck.

Michael Rosser and Diane Sanders penned “A History of Mortgage Banking in the West,” a “book that should be read by politicians and business leaders everywhere.” Order here and use promo code ROSS17 to knock 20% off the price.

“Buy Your First Home Today” was written by John Mallett is a good book for LOs to give their clients. “Empower your life, build your wealth, own the home of your dreams.”

Anne Elliott composed “Mortgage Risk: A Blueprint for Smarter Origination.” The book is meant for underwriters, sales managers, LOs and appraisers.

“Hacked. Screwed. Gone.” Jim Deitch has an “A-Z blueprint to protect your business from accidental & malicious information security threats.”

Jason Myers authored “Becoming the Successful Mortgage Broker.” Jason also wrote “The Successful Mortgage Broker.” “Becoming a millionaire in the mortgage industry doesn’t happen by chance. When you lay the proper foundation, you create the opportunity.”

“Demystifying Mandatory” by Jennifer Fortier is a good read for anyone starting out in capital markets.

From Texas comes Michael Jones with his tome, “Reset” about a loan officer who is bumping along the bottom and re-ignites his career with some simple process changes and effort.

“The Uncommon Commodity: A Common-Sense Guide for New Managers” was composed by Doug Thorpe. “A collection of many thought-provoking stories, tips, anecdotes, and life hacks to help you grow as a manager.”

Here’s a primer on the capital markets sector from SIFMA…a fundamental overview of U.S. capital markets and financial institutions including an overview of capital markets, role of financial institutions, investment banking, markets & securities, and more.

Ron Vaimberg’s The Purchase Shift: Winning Agent Relationships with Authentic Connection and AI is available on Amazon. The Purchase Shift is the first industry book written solely about the most talked-about origination growth topic: growing agent relationships and referrals. Inside the book, Ron shares complete strategies and critical mindset shifts that so few originators ever engage in. Readers will gain powerful competitive insights and advantages that win new relationships against competition. The Purchase Shift gives you the exact steps to rapidly grow your agent network by combining authentic connection strategies with powerful technology to separate yourself from the herd.

Tim Raty published a book about Regulation Z! You can find the details and a sample on Amazon by searching for “Raty’s History of Regulation Z” or clicking this link.

Rethink Everything You “Know” About Being a Next Gen Loan Officer by Kyle Draper and Brian Vieaux is the ultimate guide for housing professionals looking to elevate their careers.  Packed with insights from 37 industry experts, this bestseller challenges outdated practices and provides actionable strategies for building trust, leveraging technology, and thriving in a modern mortgage market. Whether you’re a loan officer, real estate agent, or someone passionate about housing, this book offers invaluable lessons for success. A perfect holiday gift to inspire and empower your team as they head into 2025!

In fact, Kyle Draper probably wins the prize for the most productive with his “Rethink Everything You Know” series.

Investor and multi-family trends to be aware of

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Remember how the supposed “tidal wave of foreclosures” from 2008-2010 was expected by the “experts” to swamp the markets? It didn’t happen due to prices adjusting and the supply and demand curves showing how things work and real estate investors stepping in. Granted, a chunk of that from large companies like the Blackstone Group or Invitation Homes or American Homes 4 Rent, each owning tens of thousands of properties.

Analysts still monitor who’s buying single family homes since “mom and pop” buyers are viewed as healthier and more stable. Investor purchase activity was muted in the third quarter, according to research from Redfin. Investor home purchases rose only 1 percent compared to a year ago. With flattening rents, this shouldn’t be a surprise. “Investor activity is stuck in neutral because profits are harder to come by, more homes are selling at a loss, and the rental market has softened… Investors aren’t completely retreating, but they’re not driving the housing market forward.”

The share of homes bought by investors slipped to 17 percent, which is still on the high side compared to pre-pandemic levels. High home prices, elevated mortgage rates, and a sluggish rental market are conspiring to make income properties and fix / flip deals harder to pencil out.

“Penciling out” is a real concern. Faced with rising mortgage rates and record home prices, many households have turned to multifamily living as a more affordable alternative to single-family homeownership. The multifamily housing market encompasses the portion of real estate devoted to residential properties that accommodate multiple households within a single structure or development. Examples include apartment buildings, condominiums, townhouses, and duplexes.

Developers are responding to this demand by adding more apartment units than at any time since the 1970s, according to Global Commercial Real Estate Service (CBRE), underscoring how multifamily housing has become a critical pressure valve for buyers priced out of traditional homeownership.

From an economic perspective, this market is defined by the dynamics of supply and demand in the housing market, rental and purchase pricing, financing availability, and overall investment activity tied to these types of properties. Unlike the single-family housing sector, which centers on detached homes, multifamily housing is especially significant in cities and fast-growing regions. It provides a practical solution where rising costs or rapid population growth make renting a more accessible option than buying.

Looking ahead, federal policy is reinforcing this trajectory. The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has set Fannie Mae’s multifamily loan purchase cap at $88 billion for 2026, a more than 20 percent increase from the $73 billion cap in 2025. “U.S. Federal Housing’s 2026 multifamily loan purchase cap will enable Fannie to continue this important work, ensuring people have access to quality, affordable places to live in communities throughout the country.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency clarified that the multifamily loan purchase caps include both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which it refers to as “the enterprises,” and are $88 billion for each for a total of $176 billion.

What do men think about? Nothing, and this is a darned funny take on it. And more of nothing. We are simple beasts.

Visit www.ChrismanCommentary.com for more information on our industry partners, access archived commentaries, or subscribe to the Daily Mortgage News and Commentary. You can also explore the Chrisman Marketplace, a centralized hub connecting mortgage professionals with trusted vendors and solutions. If you’re interested, check out my periodic blog on the STRATMOR Group website. This month’s piece is titled, “Artificial Intelligence in Mortgage Lending.” The Commentary’s podcast is available on all major platforms, including Apple and Spotify.

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(Market data provided in partnership with MBS Live. For free job postings and to view candidate resumes, visit the Chrisman Job Board. This newsletter is intended for sophisticated mortgage professionals only. There are no paid endorsements by me. For the latest mortgage news, visit Mortgage News Daily. For archived commentaries, or to subscribe, go to www.ChrismanCommentary.com. Copyright 2025 Chrisman LLC. All rights reserved. Paid job & product listings do appear. This report or any portion hereof may not be reprinted, sold, or redistributed without the written consent of Rob Chrisman. The views and opinions in this newsletter are mine alone unless otherwise specifically stated herein.)