2025

Why Pre-Biden Mortgages Froze the U.S. Housing Market The U.S. housing market isn't breaking. It isn't rebounding. It's frozen -- held in place over the last 3 years by the quiet force of lower mortgage rates, specifically those that originated before the Biden presidential era. Tens of millions of homeowners remain locked into loans carrying interest rates below 4%, a remnant of the pandemic refinancing...

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick recently announced “Operation Double Nickel,” a proposal that would lower the age for senior property tax benefits from 65 to 55 and expand homestead tax exemptions. According to Patrick’s website, the plan “would accelerate school property tax cuts, reduce school property taxes, and freeze appraised values for more than 3.3 million homeowners, forever, by taking the...

Mortgage rates started the year slightly above 7% but are heading into the holiday season near the 6.2% level. Looking ahead to 2026, lenders and industry experts expect some relief, though not a dramatic shift. On Monday, Mortgage News Daily reported that 30-year conventional fixed rates averaged 6.24%, down 2 basis points (bps) over the past week and 83 bps lower than at the end of 2024. Meanwhile,...

In a wholesale mortgage market dominated by giants, Arizona-based lender The Loan Store (TLS) has found a way to grow quickly by hiring a team of “samurai” account executives and underwriters from across the industry and picking up loans that others would deny. In the first nine months of 2025, the company doubled its origination volume to $8.2 billion compared to the same period in 2024, ranking as...

U.S. mortgage delinquencies jumped sharply in November, reaching their highest level in more than four years, according to ICE Mortgage Technology’s latest First Look report, released on Tuesday. The national delinquency rate rose to 3.85% in November, up 50 basis points from October, as the number of past-due mortgages increased by 275,000 to about 2.3 million. ICE said that the increase...

Economic growth is expected to slow in 2026 and remain below trend for several years as higher interest rates and lingering inflation pressures weigh on the U.S. economy, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s December Economic and Mortgage Finance forecasts. MBA economists Mike Fratantoni, Joel Kan and Judie Ricks wrote that the forecasts show 2025 GDP growth of 1.6% and a 35% chance of a...

H18 has partnered with The Curated Collection Group to introduce Fort Lauderdale’s first fully wellness-driven pre-construction home collection. The limited series includes six individually designed, freestanding residences located in one of Fort Lauderdale’s most desirable and walkable neighborhoods, Victoria Park, a walkable residential area just minutes from Las Olas, downtown, and the...

The new year brings good news for the housing...

This Trending Now story features the most-saved powder room photos uploaded to Houzz since Jan. 1, 2025.The year’s most popular powder room photos show how small spaces can make a big impact. Packed with personality, each powder room is a jewel box of design...

Long to-do lists, multiple projects, endless admin — all these things and more can present a challenge when it comes to staying organized and efficient at work. To help you manage projects efficiently and create time to grow your business, we asked professionals on Houzz to share their best...