- Kreg & Nick - Weekly Mortgage Update
- Authors
- Nick Steinhauer
🏛 Fannie & Freddie: Time to Release or Keep Them on a Leash?
Fannie and Freddie might finally break free from government control—and the fallout could shake up rates, guidelines, and your closings. The HELPER Act is gaining steam, offering VA-style perks to teachers and first responders. Plus, a simple strategy to spark listings without making a single cold call.
🚨 Big Changes Coming to OHFA Assistance on July 1st!
OHFA is cutting back its down payment assistance—meaning less help for buyers and more need for strategy. Lower.com just acquired Movoto, setting the stage for a fully integrated home search + mortgage experience—and opening new lead-gen doors for plugged-in agents. Both changes could seriously shift how we help buyers win—so now’s the time to get ahead of it.
4 Jobs Reports. 1 Message: The Labor Market is Softening
🚨 The job market just blinked—and mortgage rates may start to listen soon. From a sharp drop in job openings (JOLTS) to weaker private hiring (ADP) and rising unemployment claims, the labor market is starting to cool. That’s good news for rate watchers—and we break down what it means.
What Happens if Trump Fires Jerome Powell?
The Trump/Powell feud is really starting to escalate. Buy Now/Pay Later could soon have a major impact on credit reports. And in a major legal twist, Ohio’s AG is taking UWM—the nation’s largest wholesale lender—to court, accusing them of manipulating brokers and steering borrowers into higher-cost loans.
Wait, What’s a Tariff? Let’s Break It Down 👇
Tariffs enveloped the news last week bringing uncertainty to markets, investors went full risk-off but interest rates have pulled back. Rocket + Mr. Cooper is BIG but here's how to stay relevant. The March jobs report was better than expected, which is a win!
Can Federal Land be Home Sweet Home?
The solution to affordable housing could come from the federal government developing on a portion of their 650 million owned acres across the US. A recent survey suggests buyers are taking on more risks than ever before. Existing home sales surprised forecasters.
DOGE Bites the US Labor Market 🐶
Latest jobs report misses the mark and unemployment rose. Student loans are reporting again after a 5 year hiatus and immediately impacting credit scores. GDP is forecasted to miss in Q1 of 2025. Grant money for first time buyers is abruptly halted. Intel delays continue.
Companies Are Pulling the Plug on WFH—What’s Next? 🔥
Rates pulled back towards the back half of last week due to softer economic data. Work-from-home is fading, bringing big changes to the housing market. Sign up for a webinar on how to host a downsizing event. Lastly, here's a good way to get a response to that buyer that ghosted you.
Worst Housing Market Since 1995 🏠📉
It's not as bad as it sounds. Additionally, President Trump made waves this week post-inauguration calling out Jerome Powell and demanding interest rates pull back. Can he actually do that? Ohio is still super affordable relative to other states and our big keynote announcement is Wednesday.