Jeff Ostrowski
@jeffostrowski.bsky.social
I write about the housing market and mortgages for Bankrate.com.
A new Bankrate survey finds 1 in 6 aspiring homeowners have given up on buying over the past five years. Today, just 7% are actively shopping, with high home prices posing the biggest barrier.
https://www.bankrate.com/mortgages/home-buying-challenges-survey/
https://www.bankrate.com/mortgages/home-buying-challenges-survey/
September 29, 2025 at 7:19 PM
A new Bankrate survey finds 1 in 6 aspiring homeowners have given up on buying over the past five years. Today, just 7% are actively shopping, with high home prices posing the biggest barrier.
https://www.bankrate.com/mortgages/home-buying-challenges-survey/
https://www.bankrate.com/mortgages/home-buying-challenges-survey/
In Washington, DC, and Denver, nearly three-quarters of homeowners have mortgages. In Miami and Pittsburgh, barely half do, Realtordotcom reports. Why it matters:
medium.com/@jmostrowski...
medium.com/@jmostrowski...
Where the mortgages are (Washington, D.C., Denver) and aren’t (Miami) — and why that matters
Realtor.com reports wide geographic variations in the share of homeowners who hold mortgages. In Washington, D.C., nearly three quarters…
medium.com
September 25, 2025 at 4:27 PM
In Washington, DC, and Denver, nearly three-quarters of homeowners have mortgages. In Miami and Pittsburgh, barely half do, Realtordotcom reports. Why it matters:
medium.com/@jmostrowski...
medium.com/@jmostrowski...
Home prices set a new record for August, National Associaiton of Realtors reports. But "prices are essentially flattening," NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun says. Sales remain tepid, at an annual pace of 4 million homes. www.linkedin.com/posts/jeff-o...
#mortgagerates #housingmarket #homesales | Jeff Ostrowski
Existing home sales remain slow even as home prices keep setting records. The median home sale price for August 2025 rose slightly to $422,600, the highest median price on record for the month of Augu...
www.linkedin.com
September 25, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Home prices set a new record for August, National Associaiton of Realtors reports. But "prices are essentially flattening," NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun says. Sales remain tepid, at an annual pace of 4 million homes. www.linkedin.com/posts/jeff-o...
Scenes from Hurricane Erin:
August 26, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Scenes from Hurricane Erin:
U.S. home prices rose 1.9% for the year ending in June, per Case-Shiller, reflecting a "decisive shift in the housing market." www.bankrate.com/real-estate/...
Case-Shiller Index: Home Prices Keep Pushing Higher | Bankrate
Home values in June continued to grow, but the market is slowing, according to the Case-Shiller Home Price Index.
www.bankrate.com
August 26, 2025 at 3:59 PM
U.S. home prices rose 1.9% for the year ending in June, per Case-Shiller, reflecting a "decisive shift in the housing market." www.bankrate.com/real-estate/...
Mortgage rates just fell to a 9-month low. Here's how to keep pushing for an even better deal: www.bankrate.com/mortgages/ti...
Mortgage Rates Slide: Best Tips For A Low Rate | Bankrate
Mortgage rates are at their lowest levels of the year. These tips can help you maximize the drop, whether buying or refinancing.
www.bankrate.com
August 7, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Mortgage rates just fell to a 9-month low. Here's how to keep pushing for an even better deal: www.bankrate.com/mortgages/ti...
Not a pandemic-style drop in #mortgagerates, but a drop nonetheless: Mortgage rates just fell to their lowest level since mid-October, according to Bankrate's weekly national survey. www.bankrate.com/mortgages/an...
Mortgage Rates Decline To Lowest Level In Four Weeks | Bankrate
Thirty-year mortgage rates moved down to 6.75%, according to Bankrate's latest lender survey. They're not likely to plunge.
www.bankrate.com
August 6, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Not a pandemic-style drop in #mortgagerates, but a drop nonetheless: Mortgage rates just fell to their lowest level since mid-October, according to Bankrate's weekly national survey. www.bankrate.com/mortgages/an...
"AI will get good at everything ... It just needs to get its reps in," Eva Gutierrez tells #InmanConnect.
July 31, 2025 at 7:23 PM
"AI will get good at everything ... It just needs to get its reps in," Eva Gutierrez tells #InmanConnect.
Victor Lund of WAV Group on low volumes of home sales: "We're gonna get out of this. We don't know when." #InmanConnect @victorlund.bsky.social
July 31, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Victor Lund of WAV Group on low volumes of home sales: "We're gonna get out of this. We don't know when." #InmanConnect @victorlund.bsky.social
Glenn Kelman of Redfin says company's sale to Rocket was part of a "flight to size" in the real estate industry. Zillow, Homes, Compass and other large players with big budgets increasingly dominate housing sector, Kelman tells #InmanConnect.
July 31, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Glenn Kelman of Redfin says company's sale to Rocket was part of a "flight to size" in the real estate industry. Zillow, Homes, Compass and other large players with big budgets increasingly dominate housing sector, Kelman tells #InmanConnect.
Yes, the housing market has slowed. No, it's not yet a buyer's market. "We're not in a desperate market at all," Brett Dickinson of Compass tells #InmanConnect.
July 30, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Yes, the housing market has slowed. No, it's not yet a buyer's market. "We're not in a desperate market at all," Brett Dickinson of Compass tells #InmanConnect.
Fun Friday hunting shellfish on Jersey Shore.
July 25, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Fun Friday hunting shellfish on Jersey Shore.
New all-time median high of $435,300 for June 2025, National Association of Realtors says. www.bankrate.com/real-estate/...
Existing-Home Prices Shatter Record | Bankrate
June 2025 saw slow existing-home sales. But home prices keep setting records, the National Association of Realtors reports.
www.bankrate.com
July 23, 2025 at 2:24 PM
New all-time median high of $435,300 for June 2025, National Association of Realtors says. www.bankrate.com/real-estate/...
I always enjoy talking to Cory Smith of The National Desk. We spoke yesterday about the changing housing market, including the shift to a buyer's market in formerly intense seller's markets.
#housingmarket #homeprices #mortgagerates
thenationaldesk.com/news/america...
#housingmarket #homeprices #mortgagerates
thenationaldesk.com/news/america...
Homebuyers have their most choices since 2019: Zillow
Housing inventory for sale has hit a five-and-a-half-year high, Zillow said Monday.
thenationaldesk.com
July 22, 2025 at 12:48 PM
I always enjoy talking to Cory Smith of The National Desk. We spoke yesterday about the changing housing market, including the shift to a buyer's market in formerly intense seller's markets.
#housingmarket #homeprices #mortgagerates
thenationaldesk.com/news/america...
#housingmarket #homeprices #mortgagerates
thenationaldesk.com/news/america...
Home price appreciation has slowed, but no crash looms, Lawrence Yun says to National Association of Realtors Real Estate Forecast. "Any price movement will be slight decline [or] slight increase." "Second chance" for buyers in once-hot markets Florida and Texas, where prices have fallen.
July 16, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Home price appreciation has slowed, but no crash looms, Lawrence Yun says to National Association of Realtors Real Estate Forecast. "Any price movement will be slight decline [or] slight increase." "Second chance" for buyers in once-hot markets Florida and Texas, where prices have fallen.
Housing inventory has risen, but still no surplus, says Lawrence Yun of National Association of Realtors. "We are still a little short on inventory."
July 16, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Housing inventory has risen, but still no surplus, says Lawrence Yun of National Association of Realtors. "We are still a little short on inventory."
Memories of record-low #mortgagerates die hard, and the mortgage lock-in effect dies hard. @bankrates.bsky.social's latest Mortgage Rate Sentiment survey shows that among Americans open to buying, 75% want rates to plunge below 5%.
www.bankrate.com/mortgages/mo...
www.bankrate.com/mortgages/mo...
Survey: More Americans Are Reluctant To List Their Homes, Even If Rates Drop | Bankrate
More than half of U.S. homeowners say there’s no mortgage rate that would make them comfortable with selling their home this year.
www.bankrate.com
July 14, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Memories of record-low #mortgagerates die hard, and the mortgage lock-in effect dies hard. @bankrates.bsky.social's latest Mortgage Rate Sentiment survey shows that among Americans open to buying, 75% want rates to plunge below 5%.
www.bankrate.com/mortgages/mo...
www.bankrate.com/mortgages/mo...
A few million Americans might become mortgage-eligible now that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been ordered to consider an alternative to $FICO's credit scores. But don't expect big savings. www.bankrate.com/mortgages/va...
Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac To Begin Using VantageScore | Bankrate
FHFA director Bill Pulte announced this week that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will begin using a new credit-score metric, VantageScore 4.0.
www.bankrate.com
July 11, 2025 at 8:54 PM
A few million Americans might become mortgage-eligible now that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been ordered to consider an alternative to $FICO's credit scores. But don't expect big savings. www.bankrate.com/mortgages/va...
Midsized banks are selling their branches and leasing them from new owners: “They can execute a sale-leaseback and put cash on the balance sheet. The whole banking system is predicated on taking one dollar and lending out five — but you need the one dollar.” commercialobserver.com/2025/07/sale...
For Sale-Leasebacks of Bank Branches, Stars Align
Rising interest rates and a need for capital are driving the trend, especially for midsize institutions.
commercialobserver.com
July 10, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Midsized banks are selling their branches and leasing them from new owners: “They can execute a sale-leaseback and put cash on the balance sheet. The whole banking system is predicated on taking one dollar and lending out five — but you need the one dollar.” commercialobserver.com/2025/07/sale...
I knew the onslaught of marketing following a 'trigger lead' was annoying, but I didn't realize how annoying. Soon after Bryan Dyke applied for a mortgage in mid-May, he was inundated. “Within 15 to 20 minutes, I started getting calls,” he says. www.bankrate.com/mortgages/mo...
Congress Moves To Limit Mortgage Trigger Leads | Bankrate
Homebuyers are finding themselves harassed by over-eager lenders, but a new bipartisan effort could curtail the phone calls, texts and emails.
www.bankrate.com
July 10, 2025 at 7:28 PM
I knew the onslaught of marketing following a 'trigger lead' was annoying, but I didn't realize how annoying. Soon after Bryan Dyke applied for a mortgage in mid-May, he was inundated. “Within 15 to 20 minutes, I started getting calls,” he says. www.bankrate.com/mortgages/mo...