The Deal Desk (blog)

July 27, 2024: In the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the “frame problem” presents a significant challenge, as it pertains to determining all the relevant aspects of a scenario that must be considered in making a decision. This challenge involves recognizing and understanding all the essential details and their interactions within the given “frame” that…

July 23, 2024: Lessons from “The 4-Hour Workweek” by Tim Ferriss Productivity not Busyness: Ferriss emphasizes the importance of focusing on tasks that are high-impact and productive, rather than simply staying busy. Prioritize tasks that directly contribute to closing deals and generating revenue.  Outsourcing and Delegation: Ferriss advocates outsourcing tasks that can be done more efficiently…

July 13, 2024: The recently published 2023 HMDA report on mortgage transactions by lenders, which includes banks, savings associations, credit unions, and mortgage companies, had some interesting and revealing details: There were 4,460 lenders reporting in 2022, and 5,113 lenders reporting in 2023. (The data, however, does not specify the exact number of new mortgage…

June 6,2024: Building a new home is not as simple as buying the lot in a desirable location with a pretty view. Working with an experienced real estate agent who specializes in new home construction can make your new home dreams become a reality.  The real estate agent can help you combine the lot purchase…

May 28, 2024: There are at least three things all Mortgage Loan Officers know and can agree on. The mortgage business is a documentation business. The Docs ultimately do all the talking. And there are a lot of docs to deal with (even when everything is digitized). This is a highly regulated business. There is…

May 14, 2024: Home ownership is at 66 percent nationwide. And a huge percentage of those homeowners have fixed rate mortgages significantly below prevailing market rates. These people are effectively “locked-in” which limits their ability to make appropriate financial decisions to either upsize or down size their homes as their life circumstances change. There are…

May 8, 2024: Here are some of ways the changes in the value of the US dollar impacts mortgage interest rates:  When the US dollar is strong, it can make US investments, including mortgage-backed securities, more attractive to foreign investors. This increased demand for US investments can lead to lower mortgage interest rates as lenders…

April 22, 2024: Some ways that mortgage lenders can support Earth Day, every day