“Condo Concerns” include low owner-occupancy ratios, HOA litigation, low reserves, and insufficient coverage under the master insurance policy. These issues often render condo projects...
A huge irony of the Iran war is how much it will end up pushing down oil prices – and it is largely because the war broke OPEC. OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) came onto the...
I. VantageScores Are Saving Deals! I blogged about the new credit-scoring model, VantageScore, last year and got yelled at by my team because no investors (lenders that buy our loans) accepted...
I. Iran’s Exercising Its Most Powerful Weapon: Higher Prices and Rates. Oil prices shot up along with interest rates in response to the U.S. bombing of Iran in retaliation for Iran’s bombing...
Remember around 2010 when online reviews suddenly became essential for business? They helped us and many agents I know get a lot more business. Then everyone started to cultivate reviews, and they...
Discount points are fees you can pay to lower your interest rate and thus lower your monthly mortgage payment. Paying discount points is commonly referred to as “buying down” your interest rate....
Pets.com was the poster child of dotcom stupidity. They raised $300 million in a 2000 public offering, threw gazillions into marketing (sock puppet anyone?), and promptly burned through all of their...
A few years ago, I wrote my “famous” blog about that time when the Fed offered to mow my lawn. I highly recommend reading it, as it takes about a minute, will likely make you smile, and is a...
I. Are Appraisers Giving Bigger Condition Adjustments in 2026? There is a neighborhood about a mile west of my CA home that crashes when the market slows. I blog about it often, in fact,...
I. Appraisal Waivers (PIWs) do not run with properties alone; borrowers need to qualify too. An agent asked me last night whether we could check whether his listing was eligible for a PIW. And...
The biggest surprise from the Iran war is turning out to be the best news for interest rates. Oil prices (WTI) fell below $70 per barrel this morning, only $3 above the pre-war price of...
Alan Greenspan may be the only man who is more interesting than the Dos Equis guy – “who could speak French in Russian…” Mr. Greenspan just passed away, after making an enormous mark on...
Today’s ARMs are fixed for either five or seven years, typically with rates that are anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2% lower than today’s fixed rates.
Interest rates moved higher yesterday in response to the Fed's comments implying we will not see a rate cut this year, among other things. The bond market then decided to remind the Fed who’s...
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