For the past decade, rate marketing has been the dominant gravitational force in mortgage acquisition. Whoever shouted the lowest 30-year fixed rate the loudest won the most attention. But attention has never been the same as intent, and intent has never been the same as a closed loan. What’s happening now is more fundamental than a rate cycle or a marketing shift. It’s a reordering of how borrowers...

Just in time for the holidays, Troy Palmquist looks at how this legacy manufacturer bounced back from a market downturn and how agents can, too A few weeks ago, on a podcast, I was asked which brands I admire most. Without hesitation, I said LEGO. The toy company has an incredible comeback story, from the brink of bankruptcy to one of the world’s most beloved and profitable brands. Last weekend,...

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When planning their new home in central Maryland, these parents of three envisioned a rural farmhouse with an English-cottage-inspired kitchen playing a central role. While the wife, an avid cook and baker, had a very specific and clear idea of what she wanted for the style, she enlisted the help...

The Lubbock metro housing market has emerged as Texas’s deepest buyer’s market, with inventory levels reaching 8.1 months of supply as of Nov. 22, 2025. This marks a stark departure from the state’s overall 3.6 months of inventory, positioning the West Texas metro as an outlier in an otherwise balanced Texas housing landscape. Active listings in the Lubbock area climbed to 1,964 homes,...

Pine Bluff’s housing market reveals a stark disconnect between affordability and buyer interest, with 34.4% of active listings taking price cuts while homes sit on the market for a median 91 days. The metro’s $139,950 median list price represents less than half Arkansas’s $315,000 statewide figure, yet this dramatic price advantage fails to accelerate sales. The Pine Bluff metro recorded 262...

Toledo’s single-family home inventory surged to 1,150 active listings for the week ending Nov. 22, 2025, marking a 46% increase from 787 homes a year earlier. The dramatic inventory expansion coincides with widespread price adjustments, as 38.3% of active listings reduced their asking prices during the week. The median list price in the Toledo metro dropped 6.3% year-over-year to $220,000, down from...

The debate over the large builders’ elevated use of mortgage buydowns — and the potential risks to buyers — isn’t new. Reigniting the argument, a recent report from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) asserts that mortgage buydowns among the large builders are artificially inflating new home prices, therefore creating a risk for buyers in the resale market. Publications and industry...

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) on Wednesday signed a housing bill aimed at addressing the state’s shortage of affordable housing. H.B. 5002, a “much-debated” bill, according to CT Insider, passed during a special session in early November. The bill is a compromise from the version that Lamont had vetoed in June, which was followed by a special session to allow lawmakers more time to revise the...

There are penthouses with great views — and then there’s PH6/7 at 611 West 56th Street, a 5,100-square-foot duplex perched high above Manhattan with its own 1,572-square-foot wraparound terrace. Listed for $15 million, the oversized two-level residence sits in a Pritzker Prize–winner–designed tower and delivers a true bird’s-eye look at the Hudson River, Midtown, and the far west...