Jonathan Moran. Realtor

05/18/2026

05/09/2026

Mortgage rates ticked up to 6.37% for the week ending May 7, a 7-basis-point increase from the prior week but still well below last year's 6.76% average. For a buyer purchasing the median-priced home of $415,000 with 20% down, the monthly payment is approximately $2,071, saving $84 a month compared to a year ago and $378 less than the October 2023 peak of 7.79%.

05/09/2026

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will now accept mortgages using a credit scoring model that counts on-time rent payments, a change that could make 7.7 million Americans mortgage-eligible and unlock an estimated $777 billion in new mortgage volume.

05/08/2026

Fannie Mae more than doubled its mortgage portfolio to $168.7 billion over the past year, buying up mortgage-backed securities on Trump's orders in a bid to lower mortgage rates for homebuyers.

04/23/2026

Big news could be on the horizon for California homebuyers later this year: a proposed $25B housing bond, the California Middle‑Class Homeownership & Family Home Construction Act of 2026, is likely to land on the November ballot. With over 900,000 signatures, the measure has far surpassed the 540,000 needed to qualify for the ballot.

Targeted to the “missing middle,” it would support the construction of new homes, lower buyers’ down payments to about 3% (with a state‑backed loan covering the remaining 17%), and spur up to 150,000 new units. Funded by revenue bonds and led by state Senate majority leader Bob Hertzberg, the initiative aims to expand supply and make homeownership realistic for working Californians. Since it applies only to newly built housing, supporters of the initiative say it could facilitate more construction and help address the state’s pervasive housing shortage.

Read more at https://on.car.org/4tvH5yE

04/23/2026

Tens of millions of prospective homebuyers may soon qualify for mortgages due to new rules. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's changes include on-time rent and utility payments in credit score calculations.