28 Jul, 2025

Florida’s real estate market shows signs of cooling. Median home prices in some metro areas experienced slight decreases year-over-year in recent months (cite specific examples if possible). Inventory levels are rising, giving buyers more options. Interest rates remain elevated, impacting affordability. Sales volume is down compared to the peak of the market in 2022. Experts suggest buyers have increased negotiation power, while sellers may need to adjust expectations. Demand remains relatively strong in specific areas due to continued population growth, but the overall market is transitioning towards a more balanced state.

28 Jul, 2025

“Since it started raining, all my husband has done is look sadly through the window. If it gets any worse, I’ll have to let him in.” (My son Robbie finds himself today in Hudson, Wisconsin, where there is indeed a chance of rain in 90 degree heat.) At what point does “extreme” weather become “commonplace,” and the public immune? The roller coaster of weather within the nation continues, just ask the rain-drenched East Coast, now roasting, sunbaked West, and flood-impacted Texas, all impacting lenders and servicers. The same with real estate values. Places like Florida, Phoenix, and Las Vegas are subject to violent swings in supply and demand, and price roller coasters, impacting LTVs. Unfortunately for homeowners in Las Vegas, it appears that they’re in a downdraft. Meanwhile, investors are snapping up a growing share of U.S. homes, including in Las Vegas, as traditional buyers struggle to afford one. (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s are sponsored by nCino, makers of the nCino Mortgage Suite for the modern mortgage lender. nCino Mortgage Suite’s three core products – nCino Mortgage, nCino Incentive Compensation, and nCino Mortgage Analytics – unite the people, systems, and stages of the mortgage process. Hear an interview with American Bankers Association’s Rod Alba on disparate impact and how we can get to a place of better regulation from Washington D.C.) Products, Services, and Software for Lenders and Brokers Simplify your operations and grow your business effortlessly with Encompass® by ICE Mortgage Technology®. Designed to connect and accelerate every stage of the lending process, Encompass allows mortgage lenders to streamline workflows and save valuable time on every loan. Click here to learn how GMFS Mortgage leverages the platform to help her team boost productivity and scale with confidence.

25 Jul, 2025

Bonds were initially stronger, then weaker in the overnight session.  There was a bit of additional selling in the first hour, but none of it corresponded with the 8:30am Durable Goods data. Notably, the data was much weaker than expected.  This helps reinforce our lack of interest in this particular report as a potential market mover. Bigger volume followed a series of Trump comments just after 9am ET. Trump said he’s meeting with UK prime minister tonight, he doesn’t ever want a weaker dollar (incidentally, this is at odds with wanting rate cuts), he got the impression that Powell might be ready to lower rates, Powell is a very good man, most trade deals will be done by August 1, and that there’s a 50/50 chance of a trade deal with the EU.  Your guess is as good as ours as to which of those accounted for the volume spike and bond reversal, but the EU comment lined up the best.  Either way, movement has been too small to really care.

24 Jul, 2025

Florida’s real estate market is currently experiencing a slowdown after significant gains in recent years.

* **Price Appreciation:** Many metro areas are seeing moderating price growth, some even experiencing price declines year-over-year.
* **Inventory:** Inventory is increasing, providing buyers with more choices and negotiating power.
* **Interest Rates:** Higher mortgage rates are impacting affordability and dampening demand.
* **Migration:** In-migration to Florida is slowing from peak levels.
* **Luxury Market:** The luxury market is still relatively strong, but also facing headwinds.
* **Affordability Crisis:** Affordability remains a major concern for many residents.
* **Regional Differences:** Market dynamics vary significantly across different regions of Florida.
* **Insurance Costs:** Rising insurance premiums are a significant factor impacting housing costs and affordability.

23 Jul, 2025

Two months ago, existing home sales hit a five-month low. Last month’s report showed a minor rebound. This month’s update, released July 23, shows a return to weakness. Sales declined 2.7% in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.93 million. That leaves activity just above the recent low and still 25% below long-term norms. Year-over-year, sales were unchanged nationally. As has been and continues to be the case, zooming out on the same chart results in an entirely different impression of the home resale market. Sales levels have hovered near 75% of pre-pandemic norms for three years now. “The record high median home price highlights how American homeowners’ wealth continues to grow—a benefit of homeownership,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “High mortgage rates are causing home sales to remain stuck at cyclical lows.” Regional Breakdown (Sales and Prices, June 2025)

Region
Sales (annual rate)
MoM Change
Median Price
YoY Change

Northeast
460,000
-8.0%
$543,300
+4.2%

Midwest
950,000
-4.0%
$337,600
+3.4%

South
1.81 million
-2.2%
$374,500
+0.3%

West
710,000
+1.4%
$636,100
+1.0%

22 Jul, 2025

Florida’s real estate market is currently experiencing a slowdown after a period of rapid growth. Inventory levels are rising in many areas, offering buyers more choices. Price appreciation has decelerated significantly, with some markets even seeing price declines.

Key facts:

* **Inventory:** Months’ supply of inventory is up year-over-year in many major metro areas.
* **Sales Volume:** Sales volume is down compared to the peak of the market in 2021 and early 2022.
* **Price Growth:** Slower price growth or declines are present in some markets.
* **Interest Rates:** Elevated mortgage rates are a major factor impacting affordability and demand.
* **New Construction:** A surge in new construction is adding to the existing inventory.
* **Regional Differences:** Market conditions vary significantly across the state, with some areas remaining more competitive than others.
* **Demographic Shifts:** Continued population growth in Florida still supports long-term housing demand.

22 Jul, 2025

You may not believe in climate change, but your insurance company and mortgage servicer certainly do. It is a fact that warmer air can hold more moisture, and a new peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Catastrophe Risk and Resilience found that insured losses from hurricanes could rise 50 percent if global atmospheric warming hits the 2 degrees Celsius threshold. A lot of those losses come from the areas affected by hurricanes expanding well northward along the Eastern Seaboard, with places that had been considered relatively safe from the monster storms suddenly now well in range of tropical storms. Lenders are well aware that Florida still sees the largest absolute increase (its already high losses are projected to rise another 44 percent if the 2-degree threshold is broken) but areas that had relatively low risks are poised to see a higher percentage increase. New York’s insured hurricane losses are projected to rise 64 percent, and Massachusetts’ poised to rise 70 percent annually. (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s podcasts are sponsored by Wholesale Mortgage Direct (WMD), whose mission is to deliver high demand, innovative products unique to the wholesale industry, including MyEQNow, which is one-of-a-kind TraDigital HELOC platform. WMD is your trusted partner for innovative HELOC, NonQM and/or Reverse options. Today’s has an interview with EPM’s Phil Mancuso on his journey in mortgage, winning business in this environment, and lessons in leadership.)

21 Jul, 2025

“Sometimes, someone unexpected comes into your life outta nowhere, makes your heart race, and changes you forever. We call those people cops. (Where did you think that was going?)” Lots of people want to know what to expect with interest rates and, surprisingly, pay some firms to predict the future. (Everyone out there is striving for business regardless of the direction of interest rates.) Here’s something for free: Morgan Stanley, for one, doesn’t see any Fed rate cuts until 2026. LOs can depend on interest rates for their livelihood: ongoing subdued mortgage originations are forcing mortgage brokers, and MLOs in general, to move beyond just agency originations to other loan products such as non-QM, home-equity, and investor financing. Such alternative offerings provide a lifeline to additional income avenues for originators. (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s podcasts are sponsored by Wholesale Mortgage Direct (WMD), whose mission is to deliver high demand, innovative products unique to the wholesale industry, including MyEQNow, which is one-of-a-kind TraDigital HELOC platform. WMD is your trusted partner for innovative HELOC, NonQM and/or Reverse options. Interview with ABL’s Kevin Rodman on how hard money lending has evolved, what innovations are shaping the future, and why private capital is gaining ground in today’s high-rate, high-stakes real estate market.) Products, Services, and Software for Lenders and Brokers “Your AI Command Center for HELOCs! NFTYDoor just launched its most powerful platform yet: an AI-powered HELOC experience built to help you move faster, communicate smarter, and scale with ease. 1-Minute Application: Whether it’s you or your borrower, get instant PreQual results… Some “Fast Pass” loans close in as little as same day. Built-In Chat + SMS. No more email chains. Instantly message our team or your borrower: everything in one place. Designed to Scale: Add your assistant, customize your notifications, and streamline how you manage your pipeline. This isn’t just a LOS. It’s your all-in-one task manager, communication hub, and real-time visibility engine. Built with transparency. Designed for maximum conversion. Now live on NFTYDoor: digital HELOCs made fast, simple, and profitable. Want to see it in action? Register for our live demo THIS Wednesday at 1pm ET.”

18 Jul, 2025

At the end of a week with a few big ticket economic reports and unexpected headline-induced volatility, who wouldn’t like a break?  Friday’s calendar offers respite with only Consumer Sentiment and residential construction numbers.  Neither are market movers.  As such, because bonds were green overnight, they remain green as we head into the afternoon. If markets closed right now, we’d be perfectly unchanged on the week.

17 Jul, 2025

“I forgot to put the seat belt on my five-year-old boy this morning and as we were leaving the trailer park, somebody shouted, ‘You’re an irresponsible father!’ I yelled, “Who the hell said that?! Stop the car, son!’” Lenders know that not all manufactured homes are trailers, and in fact there are some great MHs out there. In a few weeks I head to Michigan for the MMLA conference. It turns out that that over 25 percent of manufactured homes in Michigan are owned by private equity or similar entities per the Private Equity Manufactured Housing Tracker. In 2020 and 2021, they accounted for 23 percent of all manufactured home purchases, up from 13 percent between 2017 and 2019. Housing market trends will be discussed in today’s The Big Picture will start at 11:15AM PT, with Pete Mills from the Mortgage Bankers Association also discussing upcoming policy developments, GSE reform and the MBS guarantee, and what the MBA is watching. (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s are sponsored by Ocrolus. Ocrolus is transforming the mortgage industry with AI-powered data and analytics, featuring cutting-edge tools for automated indexing, income analysis, and discrepancy insights that empower underwriters to make timely, confident lending decisions. Hear an interview with Garrett, McAuley & Co.’s Joe Garrett on the future of mortgage commissions, debating whether automation, shrinking margins, and smarter underwriting tools will make 100-basis points payouts a thing of the past.)