Jamie Battmer

Is Investing In Real Estate Or The Stock Market Better In 2024?

Posted on by TMN Editor
By CHUCK GREEN Where should you stow at least some of your hard-earned cash this year? Under the mattress? Hmm…. you might want to consult your financial advisor first. Of course, there are lots of options. Despite a landscape rife with unpredictability, perhaps real estate’s your cup of Java. Or maybe the stock market, for all its maddening ups and downs, floats your boat. The choice isn’t exactly as simple as deciding on one or two Splendas with your Latte, so The Mortgage Note set out to find out where experts expect to see the most returns in 2024. Taylor Kovar, CEO and founder of Kovar Wealth Management in Lufkin, Texas, doesn’t think people can go wrong investing in both. …

Is America’s Obsession With Homeownership A Good Thing?

Posted on by TMN Editor
By CHUCK GREEN As Americans remain determined to climb the homeownership ladder despite affordability challenges and a lack of inventory, the link between buying a house and success is strengthening, but that may not be benefitting society or the people who have to sacrifice to compete in the current market. Roger Valdez, director at the Center for Housing Economics, told The Mortgage Note that life in the United States has been profoundly shaped by the 30-year mortgage, and as a result, mobility and entrepreneurship have likely suffered. “There’s been a sort of desperation to get into a home and a mortgage over the last three years. The pandemic shifted people’s work and life habits in such a way that, for…