“I just won $10 in the lottery! The 7-11 clerk wanted to sell me a $10 lottery ticket in Atlanta. I said no.” Hopefully most people realize that a lottery is simply a tax on people who don’t know math (given the odds of winning). But the amount of equity that homeowners have, as a whole, is a sure thing… and staggering. U.S. homeowners now hold a record $17.8 trillion in equity, per ICE, including $11.6 trillion that’s “tappable.” That, versus the trillions in high interest credit card, auto, and student debt, certainly points to continued HELOC and 2nd mortgage offerings. That’s one trend, but there are others. The MBA’s Marina Walsh told us in the Loan Vision audience in Atlanta that the MBA expects a 1 percent home price average appreciation rate. As always, it is based on location and price point. Overall origination points at $1.7 trillion last year moving up to $2 trillion this year. Lenders, however, know that units are important, and those are expected to go from 4.572 million up to 5.598 million units. (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s podcasts are sponsored by BeSmartee, the most innovative mortgage technology platform for banks, credit unions, and non-bank mortgage lenders. Hear an interview with Guideline Buddy’s Marc Hernandez on AI-powered tools designed to bring instant clarity and confident decision-making to mortgage guidelines, helping industry professionals structure loans faster and more accurately, combining human-in-the-loop intelligence with plans for broader tech integration and white-label partnerships.)
