Morning Roundup (1/31/25) – Open House Tips

Good Morning! Today is Friday, January 31. Investigators found the black boxes from the Washington midair collision. Russia is closing in on Pokrovsk, a key Ukrainian city. President Donald Trump says he will impose his tariffs over the weekend.

The Mortgage Note Reports

Open Houses: Hosting successful open houses are a huge determining factor of a realtor’s success. Writer Nicole Murray has all of the dos and don’ts.

Rates Don’t Budge: Rates stayed basically flat last week, sticking around 6.95%.

Lender Expansion: John Porath joined Evergreen Home Loans to lead its expansion into the Southeast.
Quote Of The Day

“Driven by these higher rates and a persistent supply shortage, affordability hurdles still exist for many homebuyers and a significant number of them remain on the sidelines.”

Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist

In other mortgage and housing news…

Independent?: Jerome Powell said that politics had not prompted the Fed’s decision to leave a global climate-focused group, and would not affect its interest-rate calls.

PCE: The Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure, showed core prices increased as expected in December.

Lock-In Breaks: A growing number of homeowners listed their homes for sale in January, a sign that the stubborn “lock-in” effect is finally beginning to ease.

Company News: Homebuilder Trumark acquired Icon Lending in Fresno; iEmergent released four new dashboards for its mortgage platform.

Lawsuit Update: Mr. Cooper agreed to settle a lawsuit alleging that the company violated servicing laws and led borrowers into foreclosure.

Star Power: WNBA star Angel Reese paid off her mother’s mortgage as a birthday gift.