Seen on someone’s laptop here in Phoenix: “If Pete Davidson can date a Kardashian, you can be a homeowner.” From a business viewpoint, if you think mortgages are bad, try NFTs. I don’t know what I was thinking, sinking my entire 401(k) into that sector a few years ago. My collection of fake, imaginary art is now worthless!? It’s good to keep things in perspective. If you think rates in the U.S. are too high, try being a lender in Pakistan (22 percent) or Turkey (benchmark rate at 25 percent.) Although buyers in the U.S. don’t have to contend with rates like that, what are the big concerns in the home buying experience? A sizeable portion believe that they will not be able to afford the mortgage payment. Almost as many believe that they won’t be able to save, or don’t have enough, for a down payment. Some think that their home will not be a good investment. And there is a portion who believe that they can’t trust the real estate agent or the lender. LOs certainly have their work cut out for them. (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s is sponsored by Built. Built is powering smarter and faster money movement for the entire construction and real estate ecosystem, all while reducing risk. Hear an interview with Fidelity National Financial’s Chuck Cain on the controversy surrounding Attorney Opinion Letters in lieu of title insurance.) Lender and Broker Software, Programs, and Services Let’s face it: We’re all feeling the impacts of rising loan origination costs. What if you could come back from MBA Annual23 with winning strategies to help you optimize your cost management, boost your profitability, and take control of your bottom line by matching you with the right tools and workflows? With Certified Credit, you can! Certified Credit’s suite of Cascade solutions automates your lead generation, prequalification, VOE, and UDM processes to help you reduce origination costs. Plus, when you pair leading automation with milestone ordering, you take your efficiency to a new level, standardizing your workflows and mitigating errors and delays. Ready to learn how you can enhance your cost management and operational efficiency? Grab your spot with Certified Credit at MBA Annual23!