A practical plan to protect homeowners, preserve affordability, and keep local governments functioning Florida is having the right conversation — but it’s drifting toward the wrong conclusion, with finger pointing and accusations, but it doesn’t need to be. The issue with property taxes in Florida is not that they exist. The issue is that they…

Mortgage Rates Stay Near Recent Lows as Buyers Regain Confidence The Big Picture Mortgage rates were relatively steady this week, continuing to hover above 6% . After dipping earlier in January, rates have now settled into a tighter band, giving buyers and homeowners something they haven’t had in years: predictability. We are not back to…

Mortgage Rates Hold Steady as Buyers and Sellers Adjust to a Normal Market The Big Picture Mortgage rates were relatively unchanged this week, continuing to hover in the low-6s. After the movement we saw earlier this month, the market appears to be settling into a more stable pattern. That stability is important. It allows buyers…

Mortgage Rates Dip to the Lowest Level in Over a Year as the Market Finds Its Footing The Big Picture Mortgage rates moved lower this week. According to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to 6.06%, down from 6.16% the prior week. For perspective, that same rate was 7.04%…

New Year, New Strategy: Why 2026 is Starting with a “Quiet Opportunity” The Big Picture We are one week into 2026, and the mortgage market is behaving exactly how savvy buyers want it to: boringly stable. The average 30-year fixed rate is hovering in the low-6% range (approx. 6.16% – 6.22%). While many headlines are…

A Top Ten Most Googled Mortgage Question. By Clay Edmonds One of the top mortgage questions people are Googling right now is simple on the surface, but nuanced in reality: What credit score do I need to buy a house? The honest answer is the same one you’ll hear repeatedly when it comes to mortgage…

What’s Actually Normal, What’s Changed, and How Buyers & Realtors Should Think About It If you listen to headlines long enough, you’d think the housing market is either broken beyond repair or one rate cut away from exploding again. Neither is true. The real story going into 2026 is much quieter — and much more…

What This Market Really Did — And What Borrowers Should Learn From It By Clay EdmondsCorporate Educator & Senior Loan Officer, Complete Mortgage LLCFounder & Chief Content Creator, MortgageSimplified.net The Headline Nobody Wanted to Accept The housing market didn’t break in 2025. It normalized. And normalization feels painful when people are used to extremes. 2025…

A Quiet Holiday Week — and Why That Can Be an Advantage The Big Picture Mortgage rates were essentially unchanged this week, holding near 6.30% on the average 30-year fixed.With the holidays here, markets are quiet — and that’s exactly what most buyers and sellers need right now: stability, not surprises. This week’s calm doesn’t…

The Real Answer (Not the Internet Hype) One of the most searched mortgage questions every year is simple and loaded at the same time: “How much do I need for a down payment?” The short answer most people hear is “20%.”The correct answer is “It depends.” After four decades in real estate finance, here’s the…