It isn’t as if building or lending products, or ways of doing business, were handed down by Trappist monks. Change is always afoot, for better or worse. What is old is new again. Teachers are moving to oral exams to counteract AI and ChatGPT, similar to ancient Greek and Roman times. In the West and Southwest, adequate water rights and supplies have always been contentious but have resurfaced (get it?) with news that may impact other cities and towns: Arizona began limiting approvals for new developments within the Phoenix area. It’s hard to build large affordable housing developments or swaths of housing in general if there is no water. Or road or sewage capacity. For fans of tiny homes, what is old is new again, and the Sears catalog kit houses (sold between 1908 and 1942) of old are back at Home Depot: Here’s 837 square feet for $43,000, 540 square feet for $44,000, and 444 square feet for $32k. (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s is
Amidst the seemingly week mass shootings and violence, individual deaths stand out. Heartfelt condolences go out to Jennifer and Dan Gilbert, of Rocket Mortgage, over the death of their 26 year old son Nick. No parent should have to deal with the death of their child and going through the grieving process. Meanwhile, UWM’s Mat Ishbia was involved in a play during the NBA playoffs. When I was a kid, my grandmother (Edna, and the source of several of my passwords) came to live with us. When you’re 10, sharing a bathroom with an 80-year-old is, uh, memorable, for lack of a better term. But I survived, and so did she (for several years, at least) after the arrangement had ended and she moved to a retirement home. Now, many years later, the dynamics of multigenerational households are shifting. “Historically, these households entailed young adults moving back in with their parents, or aging parents moving in with their adult children. Now, a growing number of parents ar
Do whatever you want to your clock, it doesn’t change the feeding time of your pets! Friday’s a holiday… Want to help out your vet (veteran, not veterinary) clients? There are plenty of good things that businesses and services are offering to veterans… My USN (1942-1962) Dad would have loved them. Check them out. Does your client have an existing VA insurance policy? You can add value by pointing out that with VA's online Instant Loan Approval service, Veterans with certain insurance plans may borrow up to the value of their policy. In our general industry, there’s a lot going on out there. STRATMOR’s current blog is, “Supply and Demand are Still Driving Mortgage Pricing.” Mr. Cooper’s laying off 800 employees. (As always, displaced employees can post their resumes here for free and employers can view for several months for the low fee of $75.) UWM and Rocket released earnings with much fanfare. This week lenders an
FHFA recently issued updated area median income (AMI) limits, which are used to determine whether borrowers meet the income eligibility requirements for Freddie Mac Home Possible and Refi Possible mortgages, as well as exemption from the Super Conforming Mortgage Credit Fee in Price. Get the full details, as you may be able to offer affordable mortgages to even more borrowers.