Mortgage Insights

Plain-English guidance on rates, home buying, and refinancing from the The Lending Stars team.

Housing Industry News

Home Prices up 1.9% annually in July — energy, fuel costs loom

Sep 29, 2026 · 4:10 PM HousingWire Automation HousingWire

Seattle recorded the largest annual decline for the second consecutive month

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Housing Industry News

Home prices up 1.9% annually in July — energy, fuel costs loom

Sep 29, 2026 · 4:10 PM HousingWire Automation HousingWire

Seattle recorded the largest annual decline for the second consecutive month

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Housing Industry News

How real estate agents can build business without waiting on rates or inventory

Sep 29, 2026 · 3:37 PM Rainy Hake Austin HousingWire

This checklist prioritizes relationship reactivation, one monthly process improvement and consistent publishing that stays useful instead of promotional

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Housing Industry News

West Capital Lending hires Michael Cecero and 33-person team

Sep 29, 2026 · 3:36 PM Sarah Wolak HousingWire

The move adds about $325M in annual production and expands the company's presence in Tennessee and Missouri

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Housing Industry News

Valera Homes debuts in Houston with focus on attainable housing

Sep 29, 2026 · 3:35 PM HousingWire Automation HousingWire

Valera Homes, a sister of StoneManor Homes, launches with four communities, targeting first-time, value-conscious buyers

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Housing Industry News

A Florida agent playbook for rate pressure and longer market times

Sep 29, 2026 · 3:19 PM Darryl Davis HousingWire

ORRA data shows 53% of buyers are shopping at lower price points, while the 30-year fixed moved above 7%

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Housing Industry News

Elio Mortgage launches with $5.1M preseed funding

Sep 29, 2026 · 3:17 PM Sarah Wolak HousingWire

Motive Partners and Social Leverage led the round, with Elio planning nationwide licensing and LO hiring

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Housing Industry News

Nor’easter highlights El Niño weather risks for homebuilders

Sep 29, 2026 · 3:07 PM Richard Lawson HousingWire

NOAA projects a 75% chance El Niño peaks as the strongest since 1950, while U.S. storm losses topped $35 billion through mid-August

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Housing Industry News

Stellar MLS launches consumer portal built on BPP Cribio

Sep 29, 2026 · 3:01 PM HousingWire Automation HousingWire

The ad-free site emphasizes broker and agent attribution and is free to use on desktop and mobile browsers

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Housing Industry News

The modern lender’s playbook: Creating more confident borrowers

Sep 29, 2026 · 2:35 PM Dave Steinmetz HousingWire

New findings from the ServiceLink Loan Officer Report reveal how mortgage fee transparency and education can become a competitive advantage

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