The Federal Reserve increased the Federal Funds rate on Wednesday by .750, which pushed the Prime rate to 7.00% and pushed 30-year mortgage rates up slightly. Mortgage rates don’t follow the Federal Funds or the Prime rate, as the bond market and mortgage-backed securities primarily influence mortgage rates! We are finally getting closer to the […]

The Federal Reserve will be increasing rates again tomorrow, and the consensus is that rates will go up by .750%. An increase does NOT mean that mortgage rates will increase by .750%, and then we will get another increase of .50 % to .750 % in December. The Federal Reserve is doing everything possible to […]

We get clients asking all of the time about how to hold title, and we usually refrain, this is important to tell your clients, but make sure you have a disclaimer! I have written about the stepped-up basis in the past, but today I want to talk about the stepped-up basis when one spouse dies. Step-up […]

Real Estate prices have dropped about 10% since the market’s peak early this year, caused mainly by interest rate increases. Most people feel interest rates will eventually fall in the next 6-24 months. So let’s look at what we are paying for now differently. A house selling for $900,000.00 at the market’s peak has likely […]

Sometimes I sit at my desk in the AM or PM and think of ways to skin a cat! Not a real cat, but a client, not skin them. Help them! OMG, you blow stuff out of proportion! I heard that interest rates are deterring some people at this time, and I think most of […]