John Meussner's Blog

Buying a House with Rising Rates - The Numbers Add Up!  $400,000 Home Price $350,000 mortgage at 3% $1,475/month principal + interest $400,000 Home Price $350,000 mortgage at 6% $2,098 principal + interest No one wants a 6% interest rate when they could have a 3% interest rate, but until a time m...

Will Recession Lead To a Drop in Home Prices? Recession is starting to show it's ugly face in the US - at least in media headlines.  One of the biggest reasons is that a historical indicator of pending recession is upon us - the flattening of the yield curve.  "Yield curve flattening" is a pretty...

Will the Fed Raise Rates?  Yes, and no. On Wednesday, March 16, the Fed will take an economic action that hasn't been seen in years when they, as expected, raise the Fed funds rate.  The targeted funds rate has been set at 0-.25% for years, and next week, this is expected to change.  With this ch...

Real Estate's Bright Side The real estate market is getting a lot of negative press at the moment.  From some “experts” calling for a housing crash (the same ones who have been calling for a dip for over 5 years now…maybe eventually they’ll be right after another 10%+ jump in home prices this yea...

Get Approved Before You Find a House Closing dates.  Financing contingencies.  Prequal vs Preapproval.  These are just a few things sellers are looking at when it comes to reviewing offers on their home.  While there are many reason a seller may or may not accept an offer or choose one offer over...

Optimizing Your Workspace Have you ever thought about your workspace in terms of how it relates to your neurological processes and functions?  Your focus, energy levels, and other physiological reactions to the place you inhabit for a large chunk of your days?   Many people think about their work...

Mortgage Secrets "They" Don't Want You To Know About - Part 2You Can Buy Trophies "I used to play sports.  Then I realized you can buy trophies.  Now I am good at everything" - Demetri Martin This one could strike some nerves.  But it's important for consumers to know that in the mortgage industr...

Who is your loan officer? In the digital world, mortgage shopping is a little different than it used to be.  What hasn't changed over the years, though, is that a mortgage loan is a big decision.  It's often the biggest chunk of debt someone will ever have, tied to their most valuable asset (whic...

The 'Local Lender' Myth Real estate is local!  Out of area lenders are terrible!  Online lenders are the worst! "______(insert lender/bank name here) stinks!".  These statements are thrown around pretty often in the real estate arena, and sadly, the perception is in some cases translated to reali...

While You Were Shopping We've known, and have shared, for quite some time now that mortgage rates would be heading up.  What we didn't know, was that they were going to go up all in one week.  Happy 2022!  While rate is an important factor when getting a mortgage, it's important to note that rate...