Spring gets most of the headlines in real estate, but fall often tells a different story. As the market cools, competition eases, listings sit a bit longer, and many sellers become more open to negotiation before year-end. For buyers who have been waiting for the right moment, this season quietly offers one of the best windows to act. This time of year gives buyers space to evaluate options rather than rush to outbid. That change of pace rewards preparation. It lets buyers co

In my last piece, I wrote about Sora 2 and its potential to transform video creation for mortgage professionals. What led me there wasn't curiosity about video. It started a few months earlier when I began building a series of custom GPTs for FinLocker. Those projects became my testing ground for understanding how emerging technology can actually make a difference in how loan officers show up for their clients and partners. I built the FinLocker GPT Toolkit to solve a simple

What's old is new: Economic uncertainty, shifting interest rate dynamics, and continued fallout from the government shutdown. Volatility returned to markets following renewed tariff threats from President Trump, which helped push bond yields lower. The 10-year Treasury yield briefly flirted with the psychologically significant 4 percent level before retreating, signaling persistent investor caution, and then finally broke through that barrier yesterday to drop into the 3s. Mo

While the government shutdown continues to simmer in stall-out mode, the US-China 100% tariff announcement, set to go live on November 1, is sure to spice things up. As the proverbial pot-lid begins to rattle, markets are watching closely to see what bubbles up next. So far, the flight-to-quality trade has worked in our favor, with the 10-year Treasury yield retreating to the 4.0% level. But the question remains: what catalyst could push us into a full boil—or breach that 4.0

As I wrap up my time with FinLocker and step into my role as President of MISMO, I’m happy to share that the MLO VieauxPoint  weekly segment will continue with Chrisman Commentary. You’ll just have a new, and improved, Vieaux. Ethan Vieaux, Vice President of Customer Success at FinLocker, will be taking the pen from here. Ethan has spent years in the trenches with loan officers, helping them integrate technology that genuinely serves both their business and their borrowers. H

It used to be that schools began after Labor Day and got a week off for spring break. Well, now they're "woke," and get a week off in the fall, much like the mortgage industry seemingly did this week due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, currently in its tenth day. While the data void left market participants with little hard news to digest, attention turned to Fed comments on monetary policy and inflation expectations, highlighted by Governor Barr’s cautious stance

There are many wise sayings out there… One of my favorites is by Will Rogers: ”Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if...

Last Sunday, my wife and I got a call no parent ever wants to receive. We went from watching Football to packing bags and booking an...

This week was dominated by the U.S. government shutdown and its ripple effects across housing, credit markets, and economic data. With...

For our Clients, Colleagues, and Friends, This table isn’t all that revealing, but it shows the percentage of residential loans going...

Loan officers who want a lasting career should expand their focus to include homeowners 55 and older, who control trillions in housing...

Strong economic data, shifting interest rate expectations, and evolving policy developments were the name of the game this week. Revised...

All eyes this week were on the Federal Reserve's September meeting. As expected, the Fed cut the federal funds rate by 25-basis points to...

For the markets, watching Powell’s presser was like watching a Spanish Soap Opera play out when the boyfriend barges in demanding answers...

If we take a stroll down memory lane, this time last year we found ourselves in a very similar position. The market had priced in a...

For our Clients, Colleagues, and Friends, How much was the production income per loan over the past several years? We remind you that...

Margin matters… and depending on what type of margin you're referencing, it can mean different things to different people For instance,...

I have good news for you: a complex mix of inflation data, labor market weakness, and shifting expectations around Federal Reserve...

For our Clients, Colleagues, and Friends, This is from the MBA, showing mortgage employment as of August 29th. The data comes from the...

It was the opening scene of “Saturday Night Fever” where John Travolta’s walking down the street holding a paint, strutting with...