May 2025

This week, the Federal Reserve is holding a crucial meeting that could significantly influence the housing market in 2025 and 2026. The outcome could set the stage for mortgage rate cuts or a pause in action until there are shifts in the labor market. As many have observed, President Trump has expressed dissatisfaction with Jerome Powell’s reluctance to lower rates. While replacing Powell is not...

Size is relative, but a 150-to-170-square-foot kitchen is generally considered modest in U.S. homes. Yet with the right design strategies, it’s often more than enough space to accommodate abundant storage, adequate countertop space and even seating at an island or peninsula. For an idea of what’s...

Many factors go into creating a memorable outdoor path. “A wonderful garden path stands out when there is a terrific balance of natural circulation and function, scale, material selection and intrigue,” Jeff True of...

Another jobs week has come and gone, and while we see some signs of a slowdown in the labor market, it’s not breaking. Since 2022, I have suggested that to get mortgage rates below 6% with a longer duration, we need to see either a shift in the labor market or additional rate cuts that would lower the Fed Funds rate to around 3.5% or below. The growth rate of inflation has made encouraging progress,...

This porch story is a double feature — it includes a welcoming front porch as well as a versatile screened-in back porch. One of the homeowners had grown up in this California ranch house, and she tasked designer Kendra Rosenberg with transforming it into a home that would suit her and her...

Each season brings fresh takes on broader design trends in home furnishings, which manufacturers showcase at the twice-annual trade-only High Point Market in North Carolina. At the recent spring market (April 26-30) — where curves, natural motifs and materials, and warm colors once again reigned —...

The reverse mortgage industry’s premier trade association held its first event of 2025 this past week. While the mood was generally upbeat among the roughly 150 attendees who made the journey to Irvine, California, for the event hosted by the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA), there was also an acknowledgement of challenges faced by the industry when it comes to getting the word out...

Top 10 U.S. mortgage lender Rate is investing in the nonqualified mortgage (non-QM) space by launching a new suite of products. It aims to attract borrowers with nontraditional financial profiles, including self-employed individuals, small-business owners, freelancers and real estate investors.The Chicago-based lender ranked as the eighth-largest in the country, originating $39.6 billion in mortgages in...

Mortgage technology provider Sagent has announced a new partnership with LERETA, a company specializing in real estate tax and flood services, to integrate LERETA’s solutions into Sagent’s platform. The collaboration aims to give mortgage servicers streamlined access to real-time tax data, flood zone determinations, payment processing and automated monitoring through Sagent’s Partner...

Property taxes are rising dramatically across the country, and that reality has the potential to hit seniors living on a fixed income hardest of all. On top of that, keeping up with property tax and insurance costs are key requirements to keep any mortgage in good standing, whether it’s a forward or reverse loan. Some localities offer programs that allow older homeowners, specifically, to defer the...