Jason Cook NMLS 1980654 - LeaderOne Financial

Jason Cook NMLS 1980654 - LeaderOne Financial Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Jason Cook NMLS 1980654 - LeaderOne Financial, Real Estate, 4625 Valleydale Road, Birmingham, AL.

06/03/2026

Hey everyone, here is a Birmingham number worth bragging about and I mean it.

Travel and Leisure just ranked Birmingham the number two best city for first-time homebuyers in the entire country. Not in Alabama. In the whole country. Only one metro area in all of America beat us. And the reason is genuinely impressive. Fifty-six percent of homes here are still considered affordable to a median-income household. In most major cities that number is well under half. Sometimes under 20 percent. Birmingham is doing something most markets simply cannot offer right now.

And the data is backing it up in real time. Alabama just recorded 6,214 home sales in April, up over 14 percent from March and 7 percent from a year ago, with inventory up as well. That means your first-time buyers finally have selection, affordability, and national recognition that Birmingham is the place to be right now.

If you have clients sitting on the sidelines waiting for the right moment, this is the flip the script moment. Birmingham is having its moment y'all. Call me if you need help and let's get your buyers moving.

05/19/2026

Big news. Kevin Warsh was just confirmed as the new Federal Reserve chair and everyone is asking the same question: what does this mean for mortgage rates?

Here is the truth most people miss. The Fed actually controls short-term lending rates between banks. Mortgage rates are driven by the long-term bond market, inflation expectations, and investor sentiment. Those are completely different levers and a new Fed chair does not flip a switch that instantly moves your mortgage rate in either direction.

Rate decisions still go through a 12-member committee regardless of who is in the chair. And with inflation currently sitting at 3.8 percent, the Fed will likely stay patient through Warsh's first few meetings rather than making dramatic moves in either direction. The good news is that industry leaders are pointing to one word to describe the outlook under new leadership: stability. And stability is exactly what buyers need to confidently plan their next move.

If you want to know where mortgage rates are actually headed, stop watching Fed headlines and start watching the bond market. That is where the real story lives.
Follow me for more on what is actually moving the market right now.

05/15/2026

Did you know one of the benefits of getting your loan through us is we can partner with the local school of your choice and give back to the classroom? Up to $250!!!

05/11/2026

Why look at the rest when you can have the best?!

05/05/2026

Something just changed in mortgage underwriting that every real estate agent needs to know about and every buyer who has ever been told no needs to hear.

On April 22nd, HUD, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac officially rolled out VantageScore 4.0 and FICO 10T for mortgage underwriting. This is the biggest credit scoring update in 30 years and the implications for your buyer pool are significant.

Here is what changed. The new models now factor in on-time rent payments and 24 months of credit trends, giving lenders a much fuller and more accurate picture of a buyer's real financial habits rather than just a snapshot of their debt history. The result is that an estimated 5 million buyers who were previously turned down may now qualify for a home loan under the new guidelines.

Think about what that means for your business. Every past client who walked away disappointed. Every person who came close but could not quite get there. Every renter who has been paying on time for years but could not get credit for it in the traditional model. This update changes the conversation for all of them.

Now is the perfect time to reach back out, reconnect, and get those clients paired with a loan officer who understands these new guidelines and knows how to position their file correctly.

Follow me for more updates that help you grow your business in today's market.

04/22/2026

The biggest story in real estate right now is not rates, inventory, or prices. It is the ceasefire, and here is why it changes everything for buyers who have been sitting on the sidelines.

When the conflict in the Middle East kicked off in late February, oil prices spiked, Treasury yields jumped, and the spring market essentially froze in place. But the two-week US and Iran ceasefire announced earlier this month has already pulled the 10-year Treasury yield back down and stabilized energy markets. That matters for one significant reason: mortgage rates follow the 10-year Treasury. When that yield comes down, your rate comes down with it.

Freddie Mac's chief economist Sam Khater is already calling this a positive development for homebuyers that could spark a stronger spring market than we saw last year. The buyers who went quiet in March are watching this closely, and a more stable backdrop tends to bring fence-sitters right back into showings fast. Add to that the fact that Bright MLS is reporting a historic rise in inventory, which means more choices and more room to negotiate the moment confidence returns.

If you paused your home search this spring, now is the time to take another look. The window is opening back up and buyers who move with the right strategy right now are going to be very well positioned.

04/21/2026

Realtors, have you ever felt like the market is shifting faster than you can keep up? You are not alone and the solution should not take hours of your week to find.

Every week there is new data, new headlines, and new buyer behavior to make sense of. Most agents spend hours scrolling through news sites and listening to podcasts trying to figure out what is actually happening. The problem is that most of it is noise, scattered, outdated, or written for economists instead of working agents like you.

That is exactly why I created The Real Estate Edge, a short curated weekly newsletter built specifically for realtors who want to stay ahead. Every update gives you the week's most important market moves in plain language, actionable business ideas to generate more conversations, and ready to use video scripts and post captions to position yourself as the local expert your clients trust.

It is not another boring newsletter collecting dust in your inbox. It is a quick power up for your business every single week. Top agents are already using these insights to get more engagement, start more client conversations, and walk into listing appointments sharper than ever.

In this market information is not the advantage. Clarity is. Sign up here and get your first edition: https://thejasoncook.com/the-real-estate-edge

04/06/2026

Two things just happened in real estate that are worth paying close attention to right now.

First, Fannie Mae just approved crypto-backed mortgages for the first time ever. A new partnership between Better Home and Finance and Coinbase now allows borrowers to pledge Bitcoin or USDC as collateral for a loan that covers their down payment, and you keep ownership of your crypto the entire time. This is the first time a government-sponsored enterprise has ever backed a product like this, and the significance of that cannot be overstated.

According to a Redfin survey, about 13% of younger buyers have already had to sell their crypto just to fund a down payment. This changes that entirely.

Second, Realtor.com just identified the week of April 12th through April 18th as the single best time to list a home this year. Listings during that window historically get nearly 17% more views and sell about 17% faster than other weeks. Spring is when buyer activity peaks, more people are searching, more people are touring, and there is genuine urgency because families want to be settled before summer.

Whether you are buying, selling, or just watching the market, these two developments matter. Follow me for more data-driven updates on what is actually happening in real estate right now.

Great day today hosting Kimberly Benefield as she does one of the things she does best - teach! If you need CE this year...
04/03/2026

Great day today hosting Kimberly Benefield as she does one of the things she does best - teach! If you need CE this year, we’ll be having classes about once a month so you can knock them out! Let me know if you’re interested!

03/30/2026

If you have been considering buying a home outside of a major city, USDA just made a move that could seriously speed up your path to closing.

The Department of Agriculture just launched what they are calling the Rural Housing Modernization Initiative, and it changes the process in a meaningful way. Qualified lenders can now approve and close guaranteed USDA loans on their own, which means less back and forth, fewer delays, and a faster timeline from start to finish. This brings USDA in line with how VA and FHA loans already work, and if you have ever been frustrated by longer USDA timelines, that frustration is about to become a thing of the past. USDA also launched a new online portal called My RD Loan that gives borrowers with direct loans 24/7 access to their account, payments, and loan information all in one place.

Here is the best part. Nothing changed with eligibility. Same guidelines, same protections, just a smoother experience. And USDA loans are still one of the best kept secrets in home lending: zero down payment, no PMI, and now a faster process from application to closing.

If you are buying in a rural or suburban area and want to know if you qualify, send me a DM and I will check your area for free.

Address

4625 Valleydale Road
Birmingham, AL
35242

Telephone

+12054707600

Website

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