Caldwell Leona-real estate professional

Caldwell Leona-real estate professional Christopher Realty

11/25/2025

Broker believes 50-year mortgage would be ‘disastrous’ for VA borrowers
50-year loans with high LTVs could present problems when the homebuyer needs to sell and move
The discussion of a potential 50-year mortgage continues, as the Trump administration said it is one of the things they’re considering to try to help expand homebuying.

Reactions to the proposal have been mixed, with opponents citing limited ability to build equity in the property and the possibility of driving further home price inflation. Those in favor believe that any equity built up in a home is better than renting and could open the door for more homebuyers.

One area of concern about the drawbacks of a 50-year mortgage loan is government loan programs that allow borrowers to approach, and in some cases exceed, 100% loan-to-value (LTV) of the property. One broker notes this could force sellers to bring cash to the table to sell their properties.
Carlos Scarpero (pictured top), mortgage broker at Edge Home Finance, specializes in VA loans. He said that while it is unknown whether 50-year mortgages would be available in other government offerings, he doesn’t think it would make much sense in the VA loan space.

“The cons really outweigh the pros when I look at this, and especially via the VA side,” Scarpero told Mortgage Professional America. “If VA does decide to go down this path, I think it's disastrous. Here's the crazy thing if VA does go down this path. You're sitting there getting a zero-down loan at 102.5% LTV. Five years in, you only paid off the funding fee.

“Then, when you factor in realtor commissions to sell the house, it would take basically 18 years to get that thing to break even. You're basically relying entirely on appreciation and hoping the value goes up enough to sell it for years. That’s nuts to do that. When I ran the math, this is bad news for the average consumer.”

11/24/2025

NAR's Big Reset for 2026 (from RealEstateNews.com)
After nearly two years at the wheel, outgoing NAR (National Association of REALTORS®) president Kevin Sears wrapped up his marathon 679-day term with a wave of ovations and a vibe that basically said: "We survived the storm… now let's actually rebuild."

Sears' tenure started in chaos. Back-to-back leadership resignations, a bruised reputation, and a membership that needed convincing the ship wasn't sinking. But according to CEO Nykia Wright, he spent those two years doing the unglamorous stuff: balancing budgets, avoiding bankruptcy, rebuilding trust, and dragging a broken organization toward a three-year strategic plan.

The meeting also set the stage for NAR's next chapter: Kevin Brown becomes 2026 president, referral-fee transparency barely failed to pass (66.3% vs the required two-thirds), and dues will stay flat at $156 even as NAR budgets for fewer members in 2026. Oh, and RPAC (Realtors Political Action Committee) is at 86% of its $45.5M goal, so the advocacy engine is still running hot.

So why am I telling you all this? And if you're not a REALTOR®, why does any of it matter?
For mortgage folks: A more stable, better-run NAR means fewer chaotic headlines, clearer rules around compensation, and a smoother transaction pipeline, which all leads to more buyer confidence and ultimately more loans getting written.
For REALTORS®: This is the reset. New leadership, flat dues, a smaller (more serious) membership base, and a three-year plan built to rebuild trust and modernize how the whole association operates.
For regular people: When the industry stops fighting fires, buyers and sellers get a smoother experience. Cleaner processes, better-trained agents, clearer expectations around fees… all of it makes the biggest purchase of someone's life a little less confusing.
Basically… a healthier NAR = a healthier housing ecosystem, and that touches everyone from lenders to agents to the people actually trying to buy a home

11/21/2025

Foreclosures + Delinquencies: What's Really Going On? (from NationalMortgageNews.com articles HERE and HERE!)
Two big housing reports just dropped, one on foreclosures, one on mortgage delinquencies, and together they paint a picture of a market that isn't crashing… but definitely feeling the pressure of high costs.

Foreclosures:
October marked the eighth straight month of increases. Total filings hit 36,000 (up 3% from September, 19% from last year). We're still far below 2008-era peaks, but the trend is moving back toward pre-pandemic norms as homeowners face higher rates, insurance, taxes, and overall cost of living.

FHA-heavy states like Florida, South Carolina, Illinois, Delaware, and Nevada posted the worst foreclosure rates.

Delinquencies:
Mortgage delinquencies ticked up too, rising to 3.99% of all loans. The biggest trouble spot? FHA borrowers. The seriously delinquent FHA rate (90+ days late or in foreclosure) is up almost 50 basis points in a year, while conventional and VA loans stayed mostly flat.

Because rising foreclosures and delinquencies are a signal that affordability and borrower stress are building, and that makes the entire housing-finance chain riskier for lenders, agents and consumers alike. Even though it's no 2008 all-over-again scenario, the pressure is mounting and staying alert now means making smarter moves later. Experts at the MBA, ICE, and Fitch all say the same thing: expect delinquencies to rise in 2026.

11/20/2025

Clark County, NV
Wed Nov 19 2025
This week the median list price for Clark County, NV is $549,000 with the market action index hovering around 31. This is less than last month's market action index of 32. Inventory has held steady at or around 7,249.

11/19/2025

Berkshire exits D.R. Horton, adds to Lennar (from Housingwire.com)
Oh look! Berkshire Hathaway and Warren Buffett made it onto TWT two weeks in a row!

This time, the housing headline is simple but meaningful: Berkshire completely sold out of "America's Largest Home Builder" D.R. Horton (~1.485M shares / ~$191.5M) and added more Lennar (~7.232M shares / ~$910M) in Q3 2025. Buffett didn't "leave housing"… he reshaped his exposure.

Why? Because the 2025 market is "soft, incentive-heavy, and unforgiving of error." With new-home inventory stuck above 9 months' supply, builders using incentives at 5%+ of home value, and confidence staying in the low 30s, Berkshire is leaning toward the operator best built for a tougher 24–36 months.

Lennar has more "land optionality," tighter systems, and has been quicker to manage pace, price, and incentives, including loads that climbed to 13% of home value in some communities. As the article puts it, the move isn't "Horton bad, Lennar good," it's: "What wins now?"

So for those investors out there, Berkshire thinks Lennar is better positioned to handle a longer, choppier stretch, and that's a signal for builders, lenders, and anyone watching where smart money sees stability.

11/19/2025

Fannie Mae Just Made a Massive Change to Credit Requirements
Major news from Fannie Mae!

Starting November 16, they're eliminating the minimum 620 credit score requirement for loans run through Desktop Underwriter (DU). The industry is split, some love the expanded access, some worry about risk, but everyone agrees this is a huge shift.

What's actually changing? According to Selling Guide Bulletin SEL-2025-09, DU will no longer use a hard 620 cutoff. Instead, it will approve or deny loans based on a full risk assessment of the borrower's entire profile, not just one credit score.

This aligns Fannie Mae with Freddie Mac, which already made a similar move.

Why they're doing it? Fannie Mae says traditional credit models can unfairly block responsible borrowers, especially people with:
Thin credit files
Non-traditional credit histories
Limited access to revolving credit
Demographic or socioeconomic barriers tied to scoring models
Removing the minimum score allows DU to consider the actual financial strength of the borrower, not just a number.
Who benefits most?:
First-time buyers
Renters with strong payment history but limited credit
Borrowers with non-traditional or immigrant credit profiles
Communities historically underserved by rigid score cutoffs
Why some are nervous:
Will approvals increase too quickly?
Will risk-based pricing widen?
Will lenders need more documentation?

11/11/2025

To all who have served, and those who continue to serve: thank you for your sacrifice, your bravery, and your dedication to our country. We are forever grateful for the freedoms we enjoy because of you.

Address

8725 S Eastern Avenue
Las Vegas, NV
89123

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Caldwell Leona-real estate professional posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Caldwell Leona-real estate professional:

Shortcuts

Featured

Share

Category