Short sales are rising again, mostly among recent buyers who put little down. Debbie explains when a struggling seller should call the lender, what hardship and paperwork it takes to qualify, what happens to the leftover balance, and why buyers should expect a somewhat better price, not a steal.…
Fannie Mae now lets rent from a casita, guest house or converted garage count toward qualifying income on a one-unit home you will live in. Debbie explains who the rule covers, the 30% cap on that income, why only one accessory unit counts, and how permitting and the appraisal decide the outcome.…
The Treasury announced a $6 billion buyback of its own bonds, which should have pushed yields and mortgage rates down. Yields rose instead. Debbie explains what a buyback is, why an announcement smaller than the market expected moves rates the wrong way, and what that means if you have been waiting…
Sellers holding 2020-2022 rates can sometimes let a buyer take the loan over. Debbie explains which loans are actually assumable, why you still qualify from scratch, how to cover the cash gap between the balance and the price, what a VA seller gives up, and how long it really takes.…
The Fed hasn't moved once in 2026, yet mortgage rates are up sharply. Debbie explains the 10-year Treasury, the August 17 global bond sell-off, and whether to lock before Jackson Hole.…
Seller concessions hit a record 46.2% of home sales this spring, and the list price has become the opening bid. Debbie breaks down what buyers can ask a seller to pay for and why a seller-paid 2-1 buydown saves about $458 a month versus $71 from the same-size price cut.…
Foreclosure filings are up 21% year-over-year and the headlines are screaming 2008. Debbie puts the real numbers side by side — the 2010 peak, the normal market of 2019, and today — and shows why record equity and ability-to-repay underwriting make this a normalizing market, not a crisis.…
21% of 2026 home sales are collapsing over insurance — the top non-financing deal killer. Debbie covers the California FAIR Plan's 29.1% hike, Florida's wind mitigation rules, why a quote is not a binder, and the day-one habits that keep an insurance surprise from killing your closing.…
The Fed held rates for a fifth straight meeting — but three officials voted to hike, and Wall Street now puts 76–80% odds on a September increase. Debbie explains why mortgage rates rose anyway, where they stand this week, and what buyers, borrowers in escrow, and refinancers should do now.…
Mortgage rates just hit their highest levels of 2026 — Freddie Mac at 6.55%, Mortgage News Daily at 6.75%. Debbie breaks down the three drivers behind the jump, why this is the new normal, and the credit-first game plan that made first-time buyers 33% of June's closings.…
The biggest condo lending change in over a decade hits August 3, 2026. Debbie walks through Fannie Mae's Lender Letter LL-2026-03: the 10-unit review waiver, new insurance deductible caps, the death of the limited review, 15% reserves, balcony inspections — and how condo sellers get ahead of it all.…
After a year of "when will the Fed cut," the script has flipped: a rate hike is on the table for the July 29 meeting. Debbie explains what Kevin Warsh's "prices are too high" means for mortgage rates, how much worse rates could get by month-end, and why borrowers in escrow should lock today.…
Debbie Marcoux
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