If I tried to carry my cat Myrtle around like in this short video, there would be conflict. We all continue to hear conflicting information about home sales and prices in different parts of the nation and at different price points. One thing remains constant: there are over 50 million people aged 28-38. Millions do not own homes yet; sure, some of them don’t want to own them, but millions do. There are currently only 562,000 active listings of houses for sale in the U.S. The supply/demand imbalance that helps home prices. Zonda did a survey of why people decide to buy a home. The top reasons, which every LO should use in conversations, are: building my own equity rather than someone else’s, marriage or having kids, stability, participating in home price appreciation, and it was cheaper to own than to rent. Recent reports have New Home Sales rising 9.6 percent MOM in March but were down 3.4 percent compared to a year ago. The median new home price was $449,800 which was up about 3 percent compared to a year ago. House prices rose 0.5 percent MOM and 4 percent on a YOY basis according to the FHFA House Price Index. And the Case-Shiller Home Price Index reported a 0.2 percent MOM gain in February, and a 2.0 percent annual increase. (Today’s podcast can be found here and is this week’s is sponsored by Blend. Want to power a better lending journey from application to close? Find out how their digital end-to-end mortgage experience can help you reach your business goals. Listen to an interview with Blend’s Nima Ghamsari on the future of the mortgage origination process and Blend’s financial health.)