Bene's Blog

The U.S. housing market is stuck. Millions of homeowners are clinging to ultra-low mortgage rates they locked in years ago, unwilling to sell and face today’s much higher rates. Now, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is exploring an idea that could shake things up: portable mortgages—loans that homeowners could take with them to their […]

The Federal Reserve has lowered its benchmark interest rate for the second time in a row, aiming to steady the economy as layoffs increase and the government shutdown drags on. The move brings the federal funds rate down to a range between 3.75% and 4%, the lowest level since late 2022. But while this rate […]

More than two weeks into the federal government shutdown, the U.S. housing market is showing clear signs of stagnation. Both buyers and sellers appear hesitant to make moves amid ongoing uncertainty in Washington, D.C., and this slowdown is expected to persist until the political impasse is resolved. For the week ending October 11, national real […]

More Debt, More Expensive Borrowing The recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) is set to add trillions of dollars to the national debt over the next decade. With the government borrowing more, interest rates on U.S. debt are expected to climb. And when Treasury rates rise, borrowing costs across the economy—especially mortgages—tend to […]