October 15, 2026
Same Appraisal, Higher Price?
Homebuyers may soon pay hundreds more for an appraisal, but see little improvement in the product. What UAD 3.6 Could Mean for Homebuyers.
Articles for category: Blog
Inflation Fire Pours Gas On Fed Rate Hike Expectations
Inflation rose at an annual rate of 3.7% as energy costs, primarily gasoline prices, spiked, according to today's CPI report from the BLS.
October 13, 2026
Latest Market Update
The DC real estate market is constantly evolving. Stay ahead of trends and shifts with weekly and monthly data and summaries.
October 2, 2026
The Fed’s October Rate Hike Is Losing Altitude
The probability that the Fed leaves its target range unchanged at 3.75% to 4.00% moved the other way, from 35.8% a week ago to 82.8%.
October 1, 2026
A New Credit-Score Rivalry
Getting a conventional mortgage used to require FICO credit approval. But now, the next question for lenders may be: Which credit score do you use?
Condo Intervention
Condo markets nationwide are in peril. It's time for an intervention. Fewer owners are finding buyers. Inventory has climbed, marketing times have lengthened, and a growing number of sellers are competing for a shrinking pool of purchasers.
September 24, 2026
The High-Level LLM DC Market Forecasting Shaggy Dog Story
I gave market data to one of OpenAI's highest-level reasoning models and asked it to build a 12-month probabilistic DC real estate market forecast.
September 21, 2026
The 5.9% Mortgage Rate Pipedream
A 5.9% 30-year mortgage rate is looking considerably more like a pipedream now than it did this spring. Fannie Mae now puts the average 30-year rate at 6.8%.
September 20, 2026
The 30% Condo Tax Congress Forgot to Update
Condo associations and HOAs are being told to save more money. But a 1980 tax is making that more difficult than it should be in 2026.
September 18, 2026
Has “Too Big to Fail” Become Ubiquitous?
The country's largest financial institutions have become so enormous and connected that allowing one to collapse could threaten the entire system.
September 9, 2026
Why Your Condo Purchase May Fail Due To The Association’s Insurance Policy
You're a condo buyer. You have excellent credit, plenty of income and a solid down payment. But you still can't get a conventional mortgage on the unit you want to purchase. It's not you, it's them.
September 8, 2026
Rocket’s New Redfin CEO Doesn’t Want to Be Your Real Estate Broker.
Rocket Co. chose a new CEO for online real estate brokerage Redfin Corp. and he has no real estate experience. He's a Meta data guy.