Credit scores have been skyrocketing recently. Is this a good thing? Have 15 million consumer’s credit habits changed drastically in the last 10 years? What are the risks from “grade inflation” of credit scores? Why are scores rising so rapidly? How does this...
Last week, I woke up, checked my phone only to see it blowing up with alerts. I was getting alerts about random charges that were not mine from my credit card. Not the best way to wake up, but not surprising since it has been about 6 months since the largest hack in...
The Federal housing administration over the last several years has been quietly easing the lending standards to increase home ownership. Montgomery, the director of the FHA, did an abrupt change this month tightening standards “to maintain a better balance of...
The Yield curve inverted for the first time since 2007! What does this mean and why is this so important for real estate? Can the animals predict our next “storm”? Should we all be listening to our “primal” instincts a bit more? We probably should. I was doing a...
No, I’m not talking about democrats vs. republicans. I am talking about the actual color blue! Regardless of your political affiliations, I would recommend you only invest in areas on the map that are blue. The Brookings institute developed a map ranking the...
It’s like getting a free scoop of ice cream 😊 Experian is rolling out a new product called Experian Boost which will allow you to “instantly boost your credit score”. Experian expects over 65% of consumers will see a boost to their credit score. Will...
Lenders issued 34 billion of non QM (Qualified Mortgage) loans in the first three quarters of 2018, a 24% increase from the same period a year earlier. Why is this mortgage segment growing so quickly while conventional loans are languishing? How are these loans...
Why would a truck rental company provide a list of the top real estate markets to invest in? Penske, the truck rental company, revealed the top 10 moving destinations in the country. They have been compiling the list since 2010 to track one-way rentals to cities...
BB&T agreed to buy SunTrust in the world’s biggest bank merger in a decade. This will create the sixth largest bank in the country. Bank of America CEO, Brian Moynihan predicted another round of consolidation that could produce another “megabank”. Why is this...
Sorry to send this out during the “month of love”. Divorces now impact over 41% of all marriages and from what I have seen they are the number one reason for credit scores falling. This article will focus on what happens during a divorce regarding real estate. Why...
The National Association of Realtors came out with their 2019 forecast saying: “the economy is "good." And noted that we have low unemployment, record high job openings, historically low jobless claims, job additions for eight straight years and wages beginning to...
In the fall of 2006 my wife, a high school teacher, left for school in a small sleepy town SW of Denver. Shortly after school began shots rang out and a hostage situation ensued (See Article). At the end of the day one student and the gunmen was dead. This all...
Although it is impossible to predict the future unless you were a star in the movie back to the future , history does provide a good indicator of what might happen. With all the recession talk recently it is important to relate the current economic environment back...
As the government shutdown continues to drag on, how is commercial and residential real estate being impacted? What does Vail resorts, the largest owner of ski resorts in the country, have to do with the government shutdown. How are existing property owners...
Banks told the Fed that they would tighten lending standards if short-term rates rise above their long-term counterparts, the central bank said in results of an October survey of senior loan officers. Asked how an inversion of the yield curve would impact lending...
A market indicator watched by the Fed as one of the most accurate gauges of economic health is pricing in lower rates for the first time in more than a decade. It was the first time since March 2008 the gauge, seen as a roadmap for traders’ outlook on Federal Reserve...
With 2019 coming quickly it is time for my annual real estate predictions. 2019 is shaping up to be considerably more exciting than 2018! The main economic drivers in 2019 will be the pace of rate increases from the federal reserve, market volatility, the ongoing...
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said on twitter: “Today I convened individual calls with the CEOs of the nation’s six largest banks,” and he will have the first meeting of the “plunge protection” team Monday. Just a little advice to whomever picked the name, it doesn’t provide a warm and fuzzy feeling! What is the “plunge protection team”? Who are the members? Why is being called upon now? This team last met in 2009 during the waning days of the last recession. Is this an indication of something larger?
I hope each of you and your families have a happy and healthy holiday season. For all of you traveling this holiday season have safe travels and pack your sense of humor especially if you are behind this guy. I’d like to give an official shout out to Matt Botten (pictured above). He didn’t want to pay the baggage fee so decided to wear all his clothes on his trip home . Imagine being behind him going through security, you think removing your shoes is an ordeal, how about 10 jackets and 8 pairs of pants!
Headlines rarely tell the full story. The Federal reserve made a U-turn and markets roared then tanked. Why? Is this really good news? What does this mean for rates? How will this impact real estate? “Interest rates are still low by historical standards, and...
Contract signings to purchase previously-owned U.S. homes unexpectedly fell by the most since January, reaching the lowest level since mid-2014 amid mounting evidence that the housing market is struggling. New homes sales also tumbled 8.9% in October. On the...
Would you take the bet? I wouldn’t suggest it as we’ve seen this party before. As I’ve mentioned before the number one determinant of a default is leverage. This is obvious, yet our wonderful federal government doesn’t seem to grasp this concept. For a government...
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, the market plunge hasn’t helped get many folks into the Holiday Spirit! What is driving the recent market correction? Is this a bump or a real problem? Is this all driven by the fed? Is real estate the next...
As Thanksgiving week begins, there was a surprising economic report just released. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index dropped eight points in November to 60, according to a report Monday. That compared with the median estimate...
Credit scores have been skyrocketing recently. Is this a good thing? Have 15 million consumer’s credit habits changed drastically in the last 10 years? What are the risks from “grade inflation” of credit scores? Why are scores rising so rapidly? How does this...
Last week, I woke up, checked my phone only to see it blowing up with alerts. I was getting alerts about random charges that were not mine from my credit card. Not the best way to wake up, but not surprising since it has been about 6 months since the largest hack in...
The Federal housing administration over the last several years has been quietly easing the lending standards to increase home ownership. Montgomery, the director of the FHA, did an abrupt change this month tightening standards “to maintain a better balance of...
The Yield curve inverted for the first time since 2007! What does this mean and why is this so important for real estate? Can the animals predict our next “storm”? Should we all be listening to our “primal” instincts a bit more? We probably should. I was doing a...
No, I’m not talking about democrats vs. republicans. I am talking about the actual color blue! Regardless of your political affiliations, I would recommend you only invest in areas on the map that are blue. The Brookings institute developed a map ranking the...
It’s like getting a free scoop of ice cream 😊 Experian is rolling out a new product called Experian Boost which will allow you to “instantly boost your credit score”. Experian expects over 65% of consumers will see a boost to their credit score. Will...
Lenders issued 34 billion of non QM (Qualified Mortgage) loans in the first three quarters of 2018, a 24% increase from the same period a year earlier. Why is this mortgage segment growing so quickly while conventional loans are languishing? How are these loans...
Why would a truck rental company provide a list of the top real estate markets to invest in? Penske, the truck rental company, revealed the top 10 moving destinations in the country. They have been compiling the list since 2010 to track one-way rentals to cities...
BB&T agreed to buy SunTrust in the world’s biggest bank merger in a decade. This will create the sixth largest bank in the country. Bank of America CEO, Brian Moynihan predicted another round of consolidation that could produce another “megabank”. Why is this...
Sorry to send this out during the “month of love”. Divorces now impact over 41% of all marriages and from what I have seen they are the number one reason for credit scores falling. This article will focus on what happens during a divorce regarding real estate. Why...
The National Association of Realtors came out with their 2019 forecast saying: “the economy is "good." And noted that we have low unemployment, record high job openings, historically low jobless claims, job additions for eight straight years and wages beginning to...
In the fall of 2006 my wife, a high school teacher, left for school in a small sleepy town SW of Denver. Shortly after school began shots rang out and a hostage situation ensued (See Article). At the end of the day one student and the gunmen was dead. This all...
Although it is impossible to predict the future unless you were a star in the movie back to the future , history does provide a good indicator of what might happen. With all the recession talk recently it is important to relate the current economic environment back...
As the government shutdown continues to drag on, how is commercial and residential real estate being impacted? What does Vail resorts, the largest owner of ski resorts in the country, have to do with the government shutdown. How are existing property owners...
Banks told the Fed that they would tighten lending standards if short-term rates rise above their long-term counterparts, the central bank said in results of an October survey of senior loan officers. Asked how an inversion of the yield curve would impact lending...
A market indicator watched by the Fed as one of the most accurate gauges of economic health is pricing in lower rates for the first time in more than a decade. It was the first time since March 2008 the gauge, seen as a roadmap for traders’ outlook on Federal Reserve...
With 2019 coming quickly it is time for my annual real estate predictions. 2019 is shaping up to be considerably more exciting than 2018! The main economic drivers in 2019 will be the pace of rate increases from the federal reserve, market volatility, the ongoing...
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said on twitter: “Today I convened individual calls with the CEOs of the nation’s six largest banks,” and he will have the first meeting of the “plunge protection” team Monday. Just a little advice to whomever picked the name, it doesn’t provide a warm and fuzzy feeling! What is the “plunge protection team”? Who are the members? Why is being called upon now? This team last met in 2009 during the waning days of the last recession. Is this an indication of something larger?
I hope each of you and your families have a happy and healthy holiday season. For all of you traveling this holiday season have safe travels and pack your sense of humor especially if you are behind this guy. I’d like to give an official shout out to Matt Botten (pictured above). He didn’t want to pay the baggage fee so decided to wear all his clothes on his trip home . Imagine being behind him going through security, you think removing your shoes is an ordeal, how about 10 jackets and 8 pairs of pants!
Headlines rarely tell the full story. The Federal reserve made a U-turn and markets roared then tanked. Why? Is this really good news? What does this mean for rates? How will this impact real estate? “Interest rates are still low by historical standards, and...
Contract signings to purchase previously-owned U.S. homes unexpectedly fell by the most since January, reaching the lowest level since mid-2014 amid mounting evidence that the housing market is struggling. New homes sales also tumbled 8.9% in October. On the...
Would you take the bet? I wouldn’t suggest it as we’ve seen this party before. As I’ve mentioned before the number one determinant of a default is leverage. This is obvious, yet our wonderful federal government doesn’t seem to grasp this concept. For a government...
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, the market plunge hasn’t helped get many folks into the Holiday Spirit! What is driving the recent market correction? Is this a bump or a real problem? Is this all driven by the fed? Is real estate the next...
As Thanksgiving week begins, there was a surprising economic report just released. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index dropped eight points in November to 60, according to a report Monday. That compared with the median estimate...
