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Choosing between a fixed rate and an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) isn’t just about interest rates—it’s about risk, cash flow, and flexibility. This post breaks down how each option works, where they make sense, and how to think through the decision for your next investment property.
Fixed vs. Floating Rate Mortgages: What Real Estate Investors Should Know
THE MORTGAGE INDUSTRY
Mortgage Rates Trickle Just A Bit Lower
Many borrowers will see no difference between yesterday and today's mortgage rate quotes. The average lender moved just a hair lower.
Once again, the rate market is responding to war-related headlines and their impact on oil prices. Rates don't always care what oil prices are doing, but at present, there's more correlation than normal due to the inflation implications from a protracted conflict.
MORE MORTGAGE INDUSTRY NEWS
Rising Rates Weigh On Mortgage Activity - Mortgage application activity decreased month-over-month as the 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Market Composite Index, a measure of total mortgage application volume, declined 4.3% from February on a seasonally adjusted basis but remained 30.8% higher than a year earlier.
Mortgage AI Boom Creates Compliance Gaps, Liability Risks For Lenders - A compliance-focused webinar held on Thursday, April 2, highlighted increasing risks associated with the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) across the mortgage industry. Speakers warned that many lenders and loan originators are implementing AI faster than their compliance frameworks can support.
THE HOUSING MARKET
The Housing Market Is More Fragmented Than Ever—Here’s A New Way To Understand The Data
Is it a buyer's market or a seller's market? Nationally, home sales have been stuck at historic lows for three straight years, while home prices remain stuck near record highs, sending mixed signals about whether buyers or sellers sit in the driver's seat. But hidden underneath the national housing market data, stark differences have emerged among different regions and cities.
MORE HOUSING MARKET NEWS
A Record 34% Of February Home Sellers Cut Their List Price - More than one-third (34.2%) of February home sellers lowered their list price. On average, list prices were cut by $41,000, or 7.3% of the home value. Home sellers in Texas and Florida were most likely to make price cuts, while sellers in the Bay Area were least likely.
Harbinger Of Bankruptcies To Come - Financially strapped homeowners are moving beyond online searches for foreclosure information to seeking legal assistance. LegalShield, a legal subscription service, reports that foreclosure-related legal requests surged in the first quarter of 2024, reaching their highest level since March 2020.
THE CONSTRUCTION WORLD
Remodelers Saw Profit Margin Gains in 2024
Profitability for residential remodelers reached its highest level in more than two decades in 2024. Industry-wide profit benchmarks are important because they allow companies to evaluate their financial performance in context with the industry. Doing so can guide resource allocation, budgeting, and target setting for costs and expenses.
Remodeling Market Sentiment Edges Down But Remains Positive In First Quarter
Remodeler sentiment remained generally positive in the first quarter, even as many remodelers are still working to manage their customers’ cost expectations. Only a relatively small share report homeowners putting projects on hold due to economic and political uncertainty.
THE FINANCE CORNER
Millions Of People Ages 65-Plus Are Shunning Retirement In America’s Most Expensive ZIP Codes
Americans are retiring later than they used to, and housing prices may be playing a role. In almost every state, the share of seniors ages 65 and older still in the workforce has grown since 2014, according to an analysis of Census Bureau American Community Survey data by Realtor.com®. Rising housing costs (like insurance, property taxes, and maintenance) may be putting pressure on older homeowners to stay in the job market longer.
Average U.S. Homeowner Property Tax Bill Rose 3% in 2025
There may be a property tax revolt surging across the U.S., but the reality is that most states still collect property taxes—and they've risen across the board. Nationwide, the effective tax rate for single-family homes in 2025 was 0.9%, up from 0.86% in 2024 and the highest since 2020, when the national effective tax rate was 1.1%, according to the latest property tax report from data analytics firm ATTOM.
Thanks for reading,
One Nation Weekly
Good luck to you on your real estate investing journey!
