Every now and then, some well-intentioned politician, bureaucrat or housing industry leader looks at the U.S. homeownership rate and declares that something must be done to increase the number of people who own their residence – particularly those within historically...
There was a man who purchased a penguin as a pet. On his first day home with the penguin, he picked it up and said to it, “Penguin, I have a great idea. I would like you to fly around the room three times and land on my shoulder. Let’s make it happen.” The man gently...
American homebuyers have a message for those responsible in determining mortgage rates: lower those rates or we won’t purchase property. Or at least that was the sentiment in a survey conducted last month by John Burns Research and Consulting, where 71% of potential...
If you saw the 1961 film classic “West Side Story,” you will recall the opening scenes where the Jets and the Sharks engaged in an elaborately choreographed turf battle through the streets of Manhattan. But the next time you watch the film, pay less attention to the...
(This is the first weekly op-ed column from our new editor, longtime real estate and mortgage industry journalist Phil Hall.) A few years ago, I arrived home from work on a July evening and found a bright yellow square-shaped envelope in my mailbox. In handling the...
