Opinion

Judge Valderrama’s ‘roadmap’ for successful antitrust litigation in affordable housing crisis

“The Court accepts as true all of the well-pleaded facts in the Complaint and draws all reasonable inferences in favor of Plaintiffs.” So said U.S. District Judge Franklin Valderrama on 12.4.2025. According to Reuters: “A group of companies that lease land for mobile homes has convinced a federal judge in Chicago to dismiss a proposed […]

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Why AI alone can’t maximize renovation ROI for home sellers

When it comes to home renovation, it’s never been easier to pop a few images of your kitchen into an AI tool and ask it to paint the walls a new color or change the cabinets. These tools are fun and helpful for inspiration, but like an unused Pinterest board, often leave users without any

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Private lending in 2025: A market in transition

Private lending in 2025: A market in transition

Once viewed as a niche option, private lending has rapidly entered the mainstream as more borrowers discover the speed, flexibility, and accessibility of private credit financing. But as the industry attracts new borrowers, it is also evolving with their needs, particularly in the balance between short-term and long-term loans. To understand where private lending is

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The debt crisis among younger Americans: How it is shaping homeownership — and what lenders can do

The median first-time homebuyer in the U.S. in 40 years old, which is a record high. One of the main reasons is that Millennials typically delay ownership by about 7 years, and Gen Z only have a 26% homeownership rate by their late 20s, far behind previous generations.A growing financial strain These younger Americans are

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Bank statement loans: More mortgage options for self-employed buyers and homeowners as rates ease

If you’re self-employed, paid on commission, or run a business, you already know the frustration: you can have strong cash flow, great credit, and real assets—yet a traditional mortgage can still feel like a square peg in a round hole. That’s exactly why bank statement loans exist. They’re designed for borrowers whose real income is

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The rise of credit solutions in lending: Why loan officers with credit tools find more success 

A credit report shows a score and a list of tradelines. It does not show what to do next. When qualification hinges on small swings in a score, borrowers need coaching that translates data into actions. That is where modern loan officers add the most value: not by interpreting a score in isolation, but by

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A turning point for the mortgage industry: Inside the industry effort to build trust with the next generation

In 2020, I began tracking a steady decline in consumer trust in the mortgage industry. Five years later, that decline has reached a clear low point. Only 20 percent of Millennials and Gen Z say they trust mortgage professionals to help them make informed decisions. The knowledge gap remains significant, but in an age when

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Zillow was right to kill Climate RiskScores

Four row houses in South Philadelphia share a wall. Their flood risk scores: 6, 4, 1, 3. This is real data from First Street, the climate analytics firm whose scores Zillow removed from over a million listings last month. The houses are on my block. They’re literally attached to each other, yet their risk profiles

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The tenant boom and investment surge: Why 2026 is agents’ rental inflection point

As 2025 ends, the U.S. housing market is revealing a new reality. Homeownership is slipping farther out of reach for many, while the pool of renters and small landlord investors expands. For agents, that shift transforms rentals from a fallback option into a primary business opportunity. 2026 will not be another patch year. It will

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A fifty year mortgage will not solve affordability. It only buys time we do not actually have.

The recent interest in a fifty year mortgage says a lot about where the housing market is today. Buyers feel shut out, lenders are fighting for volume, and policymakers are searching for ways to make the math work. Extending the mortgage term to fifty years sounds like a bold solution, but it is really a

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