Landlords

The lock-in effect isn’t theoretical anymore. We can now quantify exactly how many homeowners are trapped by their mortgage rates, and the numbers explain why rental inventory stays tight while home sales languish. Over 30% of homeowners now carry mortgage rates above 5%. About 20% are paying over 6%. Four years ago, barely 10% of…

Last week’s winter storm did more than knock out power and close schools. It revealed something we’ve been tracking for months: the 2025 homebuying market runs on razor-thin margins where a single week of bad weather can crater mortgage applications by 14%. Here’s what happened while buyers stayed home sipping hot chocolate. The Numbers Tell…