A lot of homebuyers are calling it quits after mortgage rates topped 7%.
The volume of mortgage applications for a home purchase was the smallest in 28 years last week, according to an index from the Mortgage Bankers Association released Wednesday. The seasonally adjusted index dropped by 5% for the week ending Aug. 18 from the previous week, and was 30% percent lower than a year ago on an unadjusted basis.
The retreat in applications largely reflects the recent run-up in mortgage rates, with the rate on the popular 30-year fixed mortgage surpassing 7% and pricing out many buyers.
“Applications for home purchase mortgages dropped to their lowest level since April 1995, as homebuyers withdrew from the market due to the elevated rate environment and the erosion of purchasing power,” MBA Deputy Chief Economist Joel Kan said in a statement. “Low housing supply is also keeping home prices high in many markets, adding to the affordability hurdles buyers are facing.”
Rates continue to track the movement of the 10-year Treasury yield, which have spiked on concerns that the robust economy will keep inflation too high.
According to MBA’s tracker, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate increased to 7.31% last week, the highest level since December 2000. A separate measure of rates from Freddie Mac showed that the average rate hit 7.09% last week, the highest point since the first week of April 2002 — and just the third time the rate crested 7% since then.
Rates have been on a choppy rise this summer, stifling demand as the peak homebuying season winds down.
Read more: What the Fed rate hike means for mortgage rates and loans
“We are seeing [buyers] decide to maybe stay back on the sidelines a little bit because now they’ve seen changes of $200 to $300 per month in that monthly obligation, which may be a difference maker,” Jason Mata, a mortgage professional with American Pacific Mortgage, told Yahoo Finance.
That’s apparent in the newest sales data. Closed sales of previously owned homes declined 2.2% in July from the month before — the lowest sales pace for the month of July since 2010. It also marked the third lowest sales pace in the current housing cycle, according to data released by the National Association of Realtors on Tuesday.
“Two factors are driving current sales activity — inventory availability and mortgage rates,” NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said in a statement. “Unfortunately, both have been unfavorable to buyers.”
Elevated mortgage rates are also behind some of the inventory challenges. Homeowners simply don’t want to sell their current home and give up their existing mortgage rate for one that is twice as high when they buy a new property.
That’s largely left newly built homes as the big game in town. But that’s not enough to fill in the shortfall.
As a result, home prices are rising again because supply is so low. That, in turn, makes financing even more costly.
For buyers determined to stay in the market, many are turning to adjustable-rate mortgages, or ARMs, to make the numbers work. ARM applications — which increased 4% last week — made up 7.6% of all applications last week, the highest level in five months, according to MBA.
These mortgages typically feature an initial rate that’s lower than the one on a fixed-rate home loan. The rate on the ARM typically adjusts higher after the initial fixed-rate period ends — such as after five or 10 years.
“Some homebuyers are looking to lower their monthly payments by accepting some interest rate risk after the initial fixed period,” Kan said.
For example, per Bankrate, a 5/1 ARM — meaning five years fixed and adjustable every year after — currently averages 6.50% as of Tuesday. That compares to an average of 7.62% for a 30-year fixed loan.
“I think you’re going to see more of an urgency with those that truly do need to buy because they don’t really know what to expect now from interest rates,” Mata said. “Every time you hit a new level of interest rate, it takes a bit of time for the consumer mindset to say, ‘okay, this is the new norm.'”
Janna Herron is the personal finance and real estate editor for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @JannaHerron.
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This morning (Europe time), I heard the sad news that my friend and former boss, Jim Marks, passed away. I was aware he was battling health issues the past few years, but had no idea it had gotten this bad. After meeting him during the #rebarcamp over a decade ago, his genuineness, intelligence, and warmth quickly won me over. After moving on from Zillow, I ended up joining him as Director of Marketing following my (nearly) year abroad. If there was one thing he was big on, it was the power of doing the work. As genuine and warm as they come, he epitomized caring. In fact, so much so that it became VR’s core differentiator–we cared more than the competition. And, it wasn’t a marketing charade.
Jim was a marketing legend in my book. Virtual Results (now owned/operated by Ryan Rockwood) was the first real estate website and marketing agency that built its company, brand, and reputation with performance-based results. At least that I’m aware of. The “measure (and prove) your results” mindset so many agents and brokers operate with today was a movement propelled forward by Jim.
I’ve worked for multiple owners/founders who are perfectionists; Jim was one of them. While I can’t say we saw eye to eye on absolutely everything, we did agree that striving for excellence was worth the fight and tradeoffs required to pull it off. From a 2011 blog post:
Reading [Steve Jobs biography] made me better understand Jim’s perfectionist nature when it comes to products. There are times where we’ll show him something, and his immediate reaction is “that’s crap” (not unlike Steve Jobs’ reaction to many early products shown to him by the Apple team). He doesn’t mean it’s literally crap, he means it can be better…and that we need to spend the time it takes to make it perfect. There are certainly tradeoffs; operating to perfection takes longer to ship and costs more money. But we believe it’s worth it.
On a personal level, I spent quite a considerable amount of time with Jim, his wife Lorraine, and their two vizslas at their gorgeous home on Top of the World overlooking Laguna Beach; the #marksshack he called it–as well as a couple trips out on their sailboat. He was a man of many talents, also a divemaster and expert racecar driver. I am so appreciative of having the chance to be part of their lives and thankful for their willingness to share it. My thoughts and prayers go out to Lorraine and family.
RIP, Jim. You warmed the hearts of so many and will be deeply missed.
Welcome to NerdWallet’s Smart Money podcast, where we answer your real-world money questions. In this episode:
Learn why a broken appliance doesn’t have to drain your savings, and how to fight financial fears to enjoy your money.
This Week in Your Money: Should you repair your appliance instead of replacing it? Hosts Sean Pyles and Liz Weston delve into the latest data from Consumer Reports and share handy tips that could end up saving you money and reducing electronic waste. They also discuss the “right to repair” movement and what it could mean for appliance owners in the future.
Today’s Money Question: Sean talks with Jenna, a 29-year-old listener in St. Louis, about how to overcome her financial fears and start enjoying her money more. They discuss how her upbringing may have led to her feeling the need to exert more control over her spending than she needs to at this stage in her life, and they share ideas for how to let go of some of that control in order to enjoy life more fully. They also delve into different methods of budgeting for hobbies, “lifestyle creep,” and saving for long-term goals like a down payment on a house.
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Episode transcript
Liz Weston: Sean, what would you guess makes up the majority of e-waste?
Sean Pyles: Electronic waste, you mean? I’m guessing computers, iPhones.
Liz Weston: Not a bad guess, but those actually make up less than 10% of electronic waste. The majority comes from appliances, and most appliances end up rotting in landfills where they release various poisons into our environment and contribute to climate change.
Sean Pyles: Oh, well, that’s depressing.
Liz Weston: This episode we’re going to give our listeners tips to extend the lives of their appliances to keep that from happening.
Sean Pyles: Welcome to NerdWallet’s Smart Money podcast, where you send us your money questions and we answer them with the help of our genius Nerds. I’m Sean Pyles.
Liz Weston: And I’m Liz Weston.
Sean Pyles: Listener, you’ve got money questions, and we’ve got a boatload of genius Nerds to answer them. So send us your money questions.
Liz Weston: You can leave us a voicemail or text us on the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373, that’s 901-730-NERD. You can also email us at [email protected].
Sean Pyles: This episode, I chat with a listener about how they can overcome their financial fears and start enjoying their money more. But first, Liz and I are talking about how you can save money and cut down on electronic waste by being good stewards of the machines that come into your life. So, Liz, you just wrote a column about how to decide whether to repair or replace an appliance, and apparently Consumer Reports has changed their advice on this matter. What’s the latest?
Liz Weston: OK. Well, the old-school advice was to think about replacing an appliance if the repair cost would be 50% of a new unit. But then Consumer Reports took a closer look at all the data they collect from members, and those members bought over 500,000 appliances between 2012 and 2022. Once they crunched the numbers, they came up with interactive tools that you can use that take into account the cost of the appliance, how long you’ve owned it, its remaining useful life and the cost of the repair.
Sean Pyles: That’s pretty cool. So before you and I got on this recording, we were talking about how you have a 17-year-old refrigerator and that let you put this tool to the test. Do you want to tell us about that?
Liz Weston: Well, yeah. It was 17 years old when it started making this funny noise and I thought, oh, yay. I get to replace it. I get to have a nice French door version. It’s going to look great. But I called in a repairman just to try to be semi-responsible, and he wound up replacing the compressor, repairing it for less than $200. That was eight years ago, so now that refrigerator is 25 years old and it’s still plugging along.
Sean Pyles: Wow. OK. So you used this tool. Did it approve of your decision to repair this very old fridge?
Liz Weston: It did not, but sometimes I think stuff is worth repairing, even if it doesn’t make strict financial sense, just to keep things out of a landfill.
Sean Pyles: Totally.
Liz Weston: As we mentioned at the top, big appliances like dishwashers and refrigerators and smaller appliances like coffee makers and blenders make up a big chunk of e-waste. And in fact, the number of small appliances that we Americans toss in the trash quadrupled between 1990 and 2018, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Less than 6% is recycled.
Sean Pyles: Yikes. This makes me think about how, like many financial decisions, there’s so much more than the dollars and cents to consider when you’re trying to figure out what to do with an appliance. I’m a big advocate of repairing your belongings if you can, even things like clothes and shoes. There’s also a right to repair movement that’s trying to encourage manufacturers to make it easier for us to fix our own products.
Liz Weston: Yes. I just had this whole saga trying to get a vacuum cleaner repaired that convinced me first, I’m never going to buy this brand again because they make their units incredibly hard to fix. And second, I should always talk to a repair person about what brand to buy next because the repair folks at the vacuum shop know what’s well-made and what’s not and which products the manufacturers make impossible to repair. So asking them what they recommend and what they have in their own homes really will help guide me for my next purchase. And by the way, some repair shops will take your old appliances and rehabilitate them for sale or at least use the parts to fix other units. So that’s another option when you’re replacing an old appliance.
Sean Pyles: Oh, good to know. OK, so I want to talk about another type of machine — one that just about every person has, whether they’re a homeowner or not — an electronic that many of us, myself included, seem helplessly addicted to, and I’m of course talking about our phones and tablets and computers for that matter. For so many years, many of us have been duped into the annual or biannual upgrade of these devices, and this is wild to me considering the price tag. Like if you replaced your washing machine every year because a new model came out that had shinier buttons or something, people would look at you like you had a screw loose. And yes, that is an appliance pun.
Liz Weston: Good one. OK. Well, Sean, what do you suggest people do?
Sean Pyles: Well, my motto for my phone at least is if it ain’t broke, don’t replace it. And if it is broke, try to fix it first. Here’s how I approach that in practice. First I get AppleCare for my phone, because I am an Apple fanboy unfortunately, and that lasts two years. Something usually happens to my phone around the two-year mark, so I do try to get it replaced with a new one before my AppleCare is up. I did that last year and I was able to get a new phone for no additional charge beyond what I had already paid for my AppleCare.
Liz Weston: Oh, nice.
Sean Pyles: Yeah, it worked out pretty well for me. But now that I’m living in the wild and dangerous world of not having a warranty, I have a solid case on my phone and I may be less reckless with my phone than I was when I had a warranty, which means I’m no longer texting in the shower.
Liz Weston: OK. But what about when something does go wrong with your phone, are you going to try to swap it out or try to repair it?
Sean Pyles: It depends on the issue. If it’s something like a battery going kaput, I can get that replaced for under $100 by Apple, and that is a heck of a lot less expensive than a new phone. But if something more catastrophic happens, like it falls out of my pocket and is run over by a bus, I will probably replace it.
Liz Weston: Just as an aside here, so it used to be you couldn’t replace the battery, so you can now?
Sean Pyles: You can have your phone serviced by Apple and they will swap it out for you. Although that actually brings up a good point. There is a new program from Apple that allows you to do self-service, but it’s in its early stages right now, and also repairing your own phone isn’t very easy, I’ll say, from experience. Years ago I had an old iPhone 4 that had a very shattered screen, and I tried to replace that screen myself. I ended up doing it, but when everything was assembled again, I found myself with about five extra screws that I had no idea where they went to. So yeah, next time my phone breaks, I will bring it into professionals.
Liz Weston: That’s a good idea.
Sean Pyles: Well, I’m always curious to hear how others approach this, whether to repair or replace devices from phones to dishwashers. Listener, if you have any strong feelings about this, let me know. Text me or leave a voicemail on the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email me at [email protected]. And that wraps up our This Week in Your Money segment. Today’s money question is up next, stay with us.
This episode, I’m talking with a listener, Jenna, who’s 29 and lives in St. Louis, Missouri. She has some questions about her financial anxieties and how to shake them. Jenna, welcome to Smart Money.
Jenna: Hi, Sean. So nice to be here.
Sean Pyles: It’s great to have you on. To start, I’d love if you could describe your financial situation in general right now.
Jenna: Sure. My husband and I recently moved to St. Louis last year. Before that and during the pandemic he was in law school, and so we were on one income going through law school during an uncertain time. And so he graduated. We moved, and now we have two incomes, no children, renting in St. Louis and trying to figure out what our financial lives look like with both of us working. We obviously have some financial goals to fulfill over the next couple of years, but the markets are a little bit uncertain right now, so we’re trying to navigate a balance of spending and enjoying being in a city and being young, but also saving for those larger ticket items down the road.
Sean Pyles: Got it. How long have you now had two incomes in your household?
Jenna: Oh, since August of 2022, so less than a year.
Sean Pyles: And how do you feel like that changed the way you’re managing your household finances on a monthly or even daily basis?
Jenna: For me, I think I had this idea that we would live on one income and completely save the other one, and my husband looked at me like I was crazy. And so I think for me, it’s been an exercise in releasing the control that I held on to so tightly for so many years and trying to maybe look at a larger apartment or go to a concert that maybe we wouldn’t have previously, and just try to enjoy some of the entertainment aspects that we’ve been cutting back so much on over the past couple of years. We want to enjoy our 20s and our 30s and being in a fun city, we can do that now. And so he’s been really good about being the other side of the coin, where I am the aggressive saver and calculate all of the things about retirement and down payments for a house, and he’s more of let’s try to enjoy it. Money is not only something to control, but it’s something to use as a tool, and so I’m trying to get more into that mindset.
Sean Pyles: Yeah. Well, one thing I’m hearing is that it seems like you and your partner have a really well-balanced dynamic and that you have an ongoing dialogue about your money, and I do love to hear that. I feel like you kind of need a little bit of both in a relationship. Like in my relationship with my partner Garrett, I would say I’m maybe a little more of the spender, willing to buy some new clothes, willing to go on a maybe more expensive vacation. And Garrett is saying, “Hey, we really need to save for this specific goal. Maybe we don’t need to eat out tonight.” And I’m like, “OK, that’s a fair point.” But I think it’s nice to have that back and forth. But I want to go back to a word you’ve mentioned a couple times now, which is “control.” In your original question to us, you mentioned that you have some financial anxiety that is tied to the way you control your finances. Can you talk about that a little bit?
Jenna: Sure. I think also something that I’m learning is how people grow up affects how they handle money maybe when they’re older. Growing up, I am from a rural town in Missouri, part of a blue-collar single-parent household and money was something that was not abundant, so to speak, and we were very conscious about how we spent it. And so growing up, I was rewarded for being able to be frugal and think through financial decisions strategically and have a level head about it. And it was always something that I thought I was being very, I guess, logical about, and I wasn’t using emotions at all. Turns out I was absolutely using my emotions. They were just emotions of control and anxiety of what happens if something out of my control happens and I don’t have the resources to do it.
So now whenever we have funds to do something with, I always want to control it to try to see what I can do with it, see what’s the most I can stretch it, and how I can utilize it to the best of my ability and be very resourceful. So it’s been something that I’ve been trying to work on because it’s not something that I want to continue by any means. But I think also you look at the news, is a recession happening, is it not happening? The housing market is a little bit crazy. And so in my mind, what I always seem to default to is if I can control something, then things are going to be OK, but that’s not always necessarily the case.
Sean Pyles: It’s great that it sounds like you’re giving every dollar of yours a job. That’s something we talk about a lot on Smart Money, and that can be a really empowering way to manage your finances. But you at the same time maybe don’t want your sense of control coming from a place of fear and maybe a fear stemming from a financial context in which you no longer live. When you were younger and money was tight, even going back to a year ago when you were living off of a single income, maybe that mindset was a right one. Things were tight, you wanted to save more money, you didn’t have a lot coming in. The world is precarious and scary. So I think you aren’t unjustified in a lot of those feelings because the idea of control is in some sense an illusion. We can do everything right, but no one really knows what the future holds.
So for me, the way I try to find a balance between those things, because I have similar fears sometimes, is that I like to focus on improving the conditions that I can control, like saving aggressively and limiting my spending. And I think that might be a way where you can try to exert an appropriate amount of control, but still find ways to enjoy what you have earned because you are working hard for the money, you’re spending your life earning this money, you need to then turn around and find ways to have it enrich your life, right?
Jenna: Exactly. And that’s something that my partner talks about constantly as well, is yeah, money is a tool, like I mentioned, and I don’t want to squirrel away money for retirement, as an example, and get to my 60s and not be able to do the fun things that I could have done in my 20s if I had just loosened up a little bit. So it is a balance, and it’s just been 20 years of this mindset, and so it’s definitely going to take a couple of years or so to try to find a middle ground. I don’t think it would be healthy for me to swing all the way on the other side of the pendulum and be a big spender, but also there is a balance to strike with this for sure.
Sean Pyles: Yeah, of course, to your point, you’re not going to totally change and rewrite the script of 20 years of viewing and interacting with money overnight. But it is important to think about how you can adjust your habits and financial outlook to get to a point where you feel better about the way you’re viewing money and interacting with it. And one of the best ways to adjust your money mindset is just to get super clear about those patterns and behaviors that you do want to change. So you can think about what those are for you and write them down, and then try to be really intentional in your day-to-day life and be aware of when you are feeling those feelings that you don’t like and doing those things that you want to change. And that can be difficult to do in the beginning, but it’s a really useful skill to break entrenched habits that you’ve established over 20 years.
And so when you do find yourself acting or thinking in a way that you don’t want, grasp that moment and think about that feeling in a full-body way. Think about the sensations that you have when you’re feeling anxious about money or you are putting something back on the shelf because you’re feeling hesitant about buying it. What is that for you? Being able to diagnose those feelings can be a good step toward recognizing them coming on and then changing the script in that moment. And maybe you are buying whatever it might be or you’re going to that concert and you’re able to enjoy the money that you’re earning a little bit more.
Jenna: That’s so funny that you say putting something back on the shelf that I initially grabbed. That happened over the weekend and my husband made me get the thing that I —
Sean Pyles: Oh, yeah.
Jenna: Yeah, I have curly hair, it was this very fancy, special curly mousse, and it was three times the amount that I would normally spend, and my husband made me get it. He’s like, “You’re getting this. I know you want it. It’s happening.” And it was great. So I think having people around you that can check you, and I’m obviously in a committed relationship, we share accounts, but sometimes friends don’t want to talk about money, but I think having someone be a little bit accountable to you to help you figure it out and guide you along that path is really helpful because it’s almost subconscious.
Sean Pyles: That’s so interesting. It seems like you have a really supporting partner that just knows you so well. So I love that for you. And this also is bringing to mind for me, ideas around lifestyle creep, and sometimes it’s framed as a really negative thing. Like, oh, you’re spending beyond your means because you have a higher salary. In this case, it seems like you could maybe afford to have a little bit more lifestyle creep. When I first got a pretty sizable raise earlier on in my career and I realized, “Hey, I’m tired of buying these $20 T-shirts at these fast fashion stores that disintegrate in a year or two.” I would rather invest in something that is higher quality and will last me longer, and that I really appreciate, even if it was twice the amount of what I typically felt comfortable spending money on.
Jenna: Yeah, I’m glad you brought that up as well, because I was listening to a financial podcast over the summer and they talked about lifestyle creep, and the host mentioned something about, I don’t want to live like I lived in college. I don’t want to live in a one-bedroom apartment —
Sean Pyles: You’re an adult.
Jenna: — next to the train tracks. Yes, I’m an adult, I make adult money, I have adult benefits. I should be able to discern what is the most important and where my priorities are and adjust accordingly at different stages of life. And so I think for people who may have control or anxiety, it just may take longer to balance that out and adjust that out over time. Whereas my husband was not concerned at all about lifestyle creep. If anything, he thought of it as a good thing and I’m still adjusting to it. So yeah, I agree, I think lifestyle creep has a bad rap, but in some ways it is necessary for mental health, for stability. So you know that you worked hard for a raise or you worked hard to change jobs, and we worked hard to get him through school and this is the final destination or the reward of all that hard work.
Sean Pyles: And it’s a day-to-day way where you can embody the idea of living for today while planning for tomorrow. Yes, you are putting away money for retirement. Yes, you have a savings account that you’re contributing to, but what are those things that you’re going to appreciate over the weekend? Are you going to go out to that nice brunch? Are you going to have a good date with your partner? What are those few things that you are just going to say, “This is for me, I’m enriching my life with the money that I earn.” And one thing that you and I talked a little bit about before was that you’re interested in getting a hobby that you could spend some money on. Can you talk about what that might be and how you are maybe working that into your budget?
Jenna: I think growing up, I didn’t really have many hobbies, and if I did have hobbies, they were pretty low cost, like something I could get at the library or something my friend was doing that I tagged along with. So I didn’t really have my own hobbies, which sounds crazy, and I want my own and I want to be able to formulate those. And so yeah, this summer I’ve gotten really into gardening. So I bought the nicest tomato cages I’ve ever seen in my life, which —
Sean Pyles: Some of them can be very beautiful.
Jenna: Yes.
Sean Pyles: I am a gardener, as you maybe know, listening to the podcast. So I also know there’s a lot of money that can be spent on gardening gear.
Jenna: Yes, the nice pots, the extra nice soil to make sure my tomatoes grow well because they’re a little needy and all those things. And I went to a local garden shop, paid for tomatoes that were a little bit more than what they would’ve been at maybe a larger box store. So I felt good about giving back to my local community. And so that’s something as well, whatever hobbies that I end up doing, I want to be sure that they’re rooted in supporting local businesses. I want to make sure I know where my money is going and supporting the families in my community. So that’s been something that’s been interesting and it’s paid off. My garden is doing really well, and so I think I found my new thing.
And so I typically try to have a summer hobby and a winter hobby, and I think my winter hobby, I might get into baking, and that can really go down a rabbit hole with what you can spend on baking, I’ve already learned. So it’s really good, it’s really healthy, and I’ve noticed it impacts other areas of my life. I mean, I can maybe have a stressful day at work, go out and garden for 30 minutes, so it’s worth it. And it’s taken me a while to understand why and how it’s worth it, but ultimately I think I needed to prove to myself that it’s worth it, otherwise I would’ve just kept doing, I don’t know what I was doing before, not hobbies. I guess I was reading and maybe watching TV.
Sean Pyles: Hearing you say that it’s worth it really makes me feel good, because it’s so true. When you find something that you really care about, you want to spend your time doing, whether it’s learning a skill like gardening or baking, and you begin to see yourself bear the literal fruits of it, in the case of gardening. You realize how much bigger it can make your life, that you have these different interests that are allowing you to connect with your community, to create things that you can share with your loved ones, in the case of gardening.
So that’s just fantastic to hear, but both of those hobbies can get really expensive. And I’m wondering if you’ve thought about how you are pacing purchases like this because with some things like gardening, yes, you want those tomato cages, yes, you want to get the really good soil, but there are some things that you can maybe actually get for cheaper at a used hardware store, like hoses, for example. Those things get dirty immediately and it’s pretty easy to find a cheap one elsewhere. So how have you thought about being frugal when it comes to approaching your hobbies?
Jenna: So I bought this very, very nice soil at the gardening store, and turns out my local parks and rec department has a compost pile right next to my local gym that I had no idea about. And so going forward, I’ll definitely be utilizing that. It’s free to the public, which is a wonderful service. And so utilizing that going forward, but also I think I might try to harvest the seeds from my tomato plants and reuse them next year, instead of buying plants that are already started and maybe try to do seedlings, starting in maybe, I don’t know, March or February. That’s a whole different ballgame. I didn’t feel confident enough in my gardening skills this year to try that, but maybe this year it could work.
Sean Pyles: That’s great. Well, I want to zoom out a little bit and talk about some of your longer-term financial goals and how you can maybe take steps now to work toward them, even if that means maybe allocating more money from your paycheck to a savings bucket than you would maybe previously have felt comfortable doing. So you’ve mentioned that you are interested in buying a house. Are you and your partner currently saving for a down payment right now?
Jenna: Yes. Yeah, very aggressively as well. But the housing market is still very active and doesn’t seem to be slowing down, so we are probably going to be saving longer than what we anticipated. We’re trying to buy a house right now; it’s not going very well, if I’m being candid with you.
Sean Pyles: It’s hard.
Jenna: Yeah, we’re looking at maybe trying next year or even the year after. There are worse things in the world than renting for a few more years than what you anticipated. So with that, maybe we were saving very aggressively for that and we will still continue to save, but I’ve thought about to maybe allocate towards a nice vacation or a place we’ve never been before, and just try to enjoy life in the meantime because the time will pass anyway, so I want to make memories while we still can. A year ago, I would have thought that’s crazy, we need to save as much as possible for it. But I think our experience with the current housing market is like, well, sometimes it’s very much outside of your control, and that’s OK. Instead, we’ve looked at a couple of places to go next spring or so and try to utilize some of those funds instead of just for the house.
Sean Pyles: Yeah, I think that’s great. Have you looked into any sort of first-time home buyer programs in your state? Because each state has their own programs.
Jenna: We have, and we don’t qualify. In Missouri, they’re very income-based and we are very fortunate in some ways we don’t qualify for them, which is totally understandable. Those should go to people who need them the most.
Sean Pyles: So, Jenna, can you also talk with me about your current savings and debt situation right now?
Jenna: Yeah, so my husband was very fortunate to graduate without any student loan debt. So we don’t have any debt to speak of, either consumer wise or education wise. And so we’re able to save pretty aggressively for the things that we kind of pushed off while he was in school. So that could be anything from a new car to his retirement accounts, a house down payment and all those things. So we understand that we are in a very fortunate position to be able to do those things at our age. A lot of our friends aren’t in that position, so we don’t take that for granted. And with that, I mean, we are a little behind, I guess, technically, because he was in school for so many years, and so in some ways we are trying to play catch up, but that is easier to do without any debt.
Sean Pyles: Yeah, I would say being behind or ahead is an illusion in some ways.
Jenna: Fair enough.
Sean Pyles: You’re just where you are and that’s fine.
Jenna: Yes.
Sean Pyles: Everyone has their own pace; that’s how I think about these things. But I have another question for you around your savings, since you mentioned that you are able to save. How do you approach savings accounts? Do you have a high-yield savings account? Do you have savings buckets like we talk about a lot on the podcast? What do you and your husband do there?
Jenna: Yeah, it depends on the term of the savings that we’re trying to reach, I guess. So for shorter term, like a car, for instance — we’re trying to buy a new car for him — we have a shorter-term savings account that’s just at our bank, and so we’re hoping to buy a car in the next two months here. But for longer-term things like a house down payment, we are in a high-yield savings account. So it depends on the item, and also we want to possibly take a trip to Europe in the next five years, so that’s a longer-term thing, obviously, and that’s also in a high-yield savings account.
Sean Pyles: OK, great. We stress these accounts a lot because especially right now, the yields are so fantastic that if you have money in them, it’s really working for you in a way that if it’s sitting in a more traditional non-high-yield savings account, it just wouldn’t be doing as much for you.
Jenna: A quick question on that. So are high-yield savings accounts recommended regardless of the time frame that you have to save or does it matter?
Sean Pyles: It’s a personal preference, but I use high-yield savings accounts for everything, even regular pots of money that I have to pay my credit card balance monthly. And with student loan payments resuming, I recently opened up a new high-yield savings account, so I have my money for my monthly amount that I’m paying for my student loans dedicated into that fund. So for me, it helps me break out the way I have different pots of money allocated, those savings buckets that we discuss a lot. So you can do it for a short-term goal, it is earning you more on a regular basis than a traditional savings account would. I don’t see much of a downside of having any savings at all in a high-yield savings account because it can be pretty accessible in a pinch.
Jenna: OK. That’s good to know. I think I had just assumed that that was for kind of a longer-term savings goal, but it seems advantageous regardless of what the savings goal is, short term or long term.
Sean Pyles: Yeah, I mean otherwise you could just be leaving money on the table, and I always advise people against that.
Jenna: Yeah, exactly.
Sean Pyles: OK, great. Well, Jenna, now that we’ve talked about a few ways that you’re thinking about changing your money habits and your mindset, and will be working toward your longer-term and even shorter-term financial goals, do you have any thoughts around how you might work to lessen some of the financial anxiety that you feel and really enjoy your financial success?
Jenna: Oh, that’s a great question. I think continuing to invest in things that matter to me, whether that is gardening or maybe giving to organizations that I feel passionately about or know what I’m working towards when I’m working towards a goal at work. Great that I’m getting possibly a raise, but is that raise just going to maybe invite me to be more stringent with my money, or is that going to be a raise that I can utilize to do something for myself or for my community? So I think changing the mindset that I have about money, again, into it being more of a tool or something that I can utilize to make my life maybe a little bit easier, more enjoyable, and enjoy the people around me, versus something that I feel like is scarce, that I’m fearful about it.
I think it might help for me to maybe not check the news so much. I can’t control the federal interest rates or what the Fed does at all really, and no one really knows what’s going to happen in the future. And so I try to be informed about what’s happening in the world, but sometimes you can be a little bit too informed to where that causes you to overthink and have anxiety about things that you cannot control or maybe don’t even impact you.
Sean Pyles: Yeah, you have to know when you need to step away and maybe go tend to your garden and touch some grass, as the kids say.
Jenna: Right, exactly. So it’s twofold, I think changing my mindset into where money is a tool more than something to control, and maybe not look at the news so much. So we’ll see where that goes; I might delete some apps off my phone.
Sean Pyles: I think that’s a good piece of advice for everyone, regardless of your financial situation. But I’d love to hear about how intentional you’re being around your mindset and your habits, whether it’s for news consumption or for managing your finances, because those two things are so interlinked. When you are trying to establish a new habit, whether it’s being able to enjoy your money more or saving more money, you need to think about the way that you’re going to get there psychologically. What is it going to take you to overcome any sort of hurdles that you have? And then what are the actual physical day-to-day tasks that will allow you to bring that goal to life? And then once you start building on that, whether it’s saving more or enjoying your money more, it just becomes easier to do overall. And you’ll be surprised how far you can come just by regularly working on these things. Well, Jenna, thank you so much for talking with me.
Jenna: Yeah, thank you, Sean. I listen to the podcast regularly and I always find something to take away from it, so I’m just happy to be a part of it.
Sean Pyles: Well, that makes me really happy to hear, and please keep us posted on how things go for you and your husband.
Jenna: I will, yeah. Thank you so much.
Sean Pyles: And that’s all we have for this episode. If you have a money question of your own, turn to the Nerds and call or text us your questions at 901-730-6373, that’s 901-730-NERD. You can also email us at [email protected]. Visit nerdwallet.com/podcast for more info on this episode. And remember to follow, rate and review us wherever you’re getting this podcast.
This episode was produced by Liz Weston and myself, with help from Tess Vigeland. Kevin Tidmarsh and Kaely Monahan mixed our audio. And a big thank you to the folks on the NerdWallet copy desk for all their help.
Here’s our brief disclaimer. We are not financial or investment advisors. This nerdy info is provided for general educational and entertainment purposes and may not apply to your specific circumstances. And with that said, until next time, turn to the Nerds.
Whether you live in a studio apartment, duplex or loft, making the most of your space can feel daunting, particularly with all your varied activities. How do you create specific areas for working, crafting, reading, relaxing and entertaining while retaining a sense of peace, tranquility, design and order?
The answer is room dividers! From elegant curtains to vintage beads from the ’60s, there’s a perfect solution, no matter your decorating style. Did someone say modern farmhouse fan? Today’s country cottage room dividers and sliding barn doors create the perfect blend of ambiance and functionality.
Let’s get creative and explore the top 11 room divider ideas and determine which is right for your special place.
How can you use room dividers?
Room dividers offer a way to break up your space while adding to the décor. They’re used to increase privacy, creatively section off an area and even maximize storage. Some incorporate heavy materials, like doors and repurposed wood, while others use light, sheer materials. With some creative ingenuity, you can even use bookshelves, artwork and shutters.
Whether you want to separate space in your living room, bedroom or kids’ room, these room divider ideas will inspire you to act!
11 room divider ideas for inspiration
If you’re looking to create a space for your unique hobby, a private oasis or your ideal area for entertaining, these room dividers can take you there.
1. Oversized artwork for the creative
Do you enjoy wandering through museums or find yourself stopping to appreciate street art while your friends yawn or continue walking? If so, you may possess the creative gene, one who explores the world through the eyes of an artist.
An oversized piece of art suspended from the ceiling with hooks makes a modern prominent visual display that will appeal to the artist within while creating separation. Make sure to check with the property manager before hanging things from the ceiling.
2. Hanging beads or macramé for bohemian chic
Bohemian style revolves around the natural world while emphasizing an eclectic free spirit with bold colors, designs and textures. The boho culture came alive in the ’60s and ’70s in the U.S., as did beaded curtains and wall hangings. Today, the possibilities are nearly limitless, from bamboo beads to crystals and carved wood.
If you appreciate the style but are unsure about hanging beads, hanging macramé offers another unique divider. Macramé uses different knotting techniques to create a textile and is very boho chic.
3. Repurposed barn doors for modern farmhouse flair
Nothing shouts modern farmhouse flair more than a repurposed barn door on sliders. You can keep the costs way down by finding an old barn door, cleaning it up and using one of the many hardware kits designed for this popular room divider.
If you like the rustic look, consider recycled wooden pallets put together with hinges. Attach paintings or photographs to make it uniquely yours.
4. Hanging curtains to create an elegant oasis
Draperies pulled back with elegant ties create a certain mystique. What lies beyond the veil? Consider a sheer weave underneath a solid fabric for extra elegance. Suspend a curtain rod from the ceiling and use hooks or rings to attach the material.
You can instantly create a little reading nook, corner office or dressing room by using a curved shower rod in the corner of a room. For a more modern design, trade in the curtains for ceiling-mounted shades. Shades offer sheer opacity that lets in filtered light or opaque fabrics for total privacy.
5. Open shelving units or bookcases for double duty
Do you seek out used bookstores or feel a smile spread across your face when you walk into a library? Then, imagine a divider filled with books, knickknacks and plants. Bookcases break up a room while adding additional storage. A win-win!
Shelving units are also great if you have kids sharing a bedroom. It creates a sense of privacy that children appreciate and offers storage for toys, books and art supplies. You can configure floor-to-ceiling pole shelving in numerous ways, and it doesn’t require a supporting wall. You can even add a built-in desk to one side of the shelving unit.
6. Plants for healthier air and an influx of nature
From hanging plants to palms, these beautiful room dividers offer a lush backdrop, life and a dose of oxygen. They may also provide a sense of calm. A systematic review in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that indoor plants may lower blood pressure, reduce stress and improve academic or career achievement.
Consider tall plants that grow well in medium light, like dracaenas, snake plants, peace lilies and palms.
7. Repurposed large clothing racks for the environmentally conscious
Repurposing and reuse are on the rise as newer generations instill a more sustainable and eco-friendly mindset. With that in mind, what could be better than transforming a clothing rack into a room divider?
Consider hanging indoor plants on it for an open feeling. You can even interlace string that hanging plants and vines attach to, creating a wall of green. Hanging curtains or tapestries offer more privacy and a burst of color, texture or an intriguing design.
8. Bifold doors for flexibility and creativity
Bifold doors fold in and out, making them perfect for a room divider. You can even repurpose bifold closet doors using three or four panels and some hinges. Finish with woodland blue chalk paint for a weathered look.
Another ingenious use of bifold doors is painting them with chalkboard paint. Now, you have a blank canvas to create your own designs or favorite sayings. It’s also a great solution for kids drawn to the blank slates walls provide.
For those who appreciate fairy lights and a touch of whimsy, consider placing branches into panel-sized frames and stringing them with twinkle lights.
9. Folding screens for the impromptu interior designer
Do you find yourself rearranging furniture at a moment’s notice and switching artwork on a whim? You may possess an interior decorator who loves to break free in spontaneous bursts of passionate design. What could be easier to incorporate into your latest decor than folding screens on casters? These movable room dividers let you open and close them effortlessly and redecorate whenever the urge strikes.
You can also use folding dividers that rest on the floor. If you lean toward Asian-inspired design, traditional Japanese folding shoji screens are made of rice paper and wood-framed panels.
10. Reclaimed or salvaged shutters for a vintage look
Reclaimed shutters hinged together offer an ideal divider. Various kinds of wood, such as alder, cedar or basswood, create different aesthetics. Keep the slats open to let in the natural light and closed for complete privacy.
11. Linen fabric for simplicity
The minimalist design aligns with the power of simplicity. And there’s nothing much simpler than suspending sheer linen fabric. You can keep the material straight and neatly aligned by creating a hem on the top and bottom and inserting rods before hanging it from the ceiling.
Consider a natural color if sticking to a minimalist or biophilic design. Otherwise, a pop of color can bring a whole room together.
Choosing your room divider
As William Morris, a well-known 19th-century designer and artist, said, “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. ” When selecting a room divider, consider how you’ll use it and the design you’re going for.
If you’re wearing a smile after making your selection, chances are good you’ve found the perfect match. The same goes for the right apartment. Find it now.
Broker Pricing, Non-QM, Lead sourcing, Tech Products; STRATMOR on Employee Culture; The Fed and Rates
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Broker Pricing, Non-QM, Lead sourcing, Tech Products; STRATMOR on Employee Culture; The Fed and Rates
By: Rob Chrisman
7 Hours, 34 Min ago
For those attending the Western Secondary, remember, it never rains in Southern California. Except for now. Here’s one person who won’t be seeing So Cal any time soon, and dare I say, every honest person in our biz is happy when this happens. Daniela Rendon, 31, was a Miami real estate broker but was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for stealing $381,000 in COVID relief funds, wire fraud, money laundering, and identity theft. Rendon probably won’t care too much about what the Federal Reserve does while she’s working in the laundry room or serving up oatmeal, but the Fed will probably restate, through Chairperson Powell speaking at the end of the week, its intent to keep interest rates high for an extended period to make sure inflation does not flare up again. In other legal and compliance news, Freedom Mortgage’s RESPA Consent Order with the CFPB is getting some attention from Mortgage Musings author and attorney Brian Levy. (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s is sponsored by PHH Mortgage. For over 30 years, PHH Mortgage has provided industry-leading mortgage services and helped countless homebuyers and homeowners find financing solutions to meet their needs. Hear an interview with Arrive Home’s Matt Pettit on down payment assistance programs and the push for more affordable housing.)
Lender and Broker Software and Services
If you’re in Dana Point for CMBA Western Secondary, you may be able to spot a blue whale lobtailing or a playful pod of dolphins on the water. But inside the Waldorf Astoria, there is ample opportunity for a type of spectating to help you run your business better. On Wednesday at 11 am PT, grab a seat for the engaging session, “How is Technology Providing Efficiencies in the Secondary Market.” Jay Arneja of SimpleNexus, an nCino company, will be weighing in on a wide range of technology options that can make your firm nimbler during a time of market volatility. If you can’t make the show, check out this blog on how different types of eClosings can save you $160-$440 per loan.
Nationwide Appraisal Network (NAN) is thrilled to announce that it has made the 2023 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America for the fifth time. This accomplishment is a testament to its sustained commitment to excellence and growth. The Inc. 5000 recognition underscores NAN’s dedication to providing top-notch appraisal services and fostering innovation in the industry. Through its unwavering commitment to client satisfaction and technological advancement, the company is proud to have achieved this milestone for three consecutive years, demonstrating resilience and adaptability in a dynamic market landscape. “We are honored to once again be recognized on the Inc. 5000 list as we continue to grow at an extraordinary pace, even after 19 years in business. This achievement reflects the hard work of our team, and their commitment to deliver concierge-level service for our valued clients on every order” said Steve Sussman, Chief Business Development Officer.
It’s been an impressive year for Flagstar Bank, a business that now has nearly $119 billion in assets, thanks to the merger with New York Community Bank and acquisition of certain lines of business from Signature Bank. Flagstar continues to expand their products and services for their customers, further highlighting that their commitment to the mortgage space is just as strong as it has been for the last 35 years. The newest addition to the Flagstar mortgage family is the Specialized Mortgage Banking Solutions (SMBS) group. This team of seasoned financial professionals focuses on deposit gathering and customized treasury management services and products for all types of businesses connected to mortgage loans. Structured Cash Management Services from SMBS is designed to simplify and streamline operational costs and improve your cash position. At Western Secondary this week? Be sure to connect with a Flagstar team member to learn how their many offerings can help your business thrive in today’s market.
Free report: These growing borrower segments present opportunities for new business in 2023’s market. Wondering how to fill your pipeline when loan volume is scarce? New data from Maxwell gives lenders an exclusive look into home buyer groups taking on higher rates head-on. Did you know, for instance, that the share of 18 to 24-year-old borrowers has increased by 18 percent year-over-year? Now is the time to cater to these rising home buyers. For exclusive data and actionable takeaways, click here to download Maxwell’s Q2 Mortgage Lending Report.
Take Advantage of LoanStream’s Summer Specials to help you Grow that Pipeline! NON-QM Special for Purchase, Refinance & Cash-Out Programs. 50 BPS Price Improvement on all 740+ FICO Non-QM Programs (Special may not be combined with Select Non-QM Programs). Only Non-QM Special available for Correspondent. Prime Special: 35 BPS Price Improvement on Government Purchase Loans, 35 BPS Price Improvement on Government and Conventional High-Balance Purchase, Refinance and Cash-Out Loans (Specials are not available for use with DPA loans and cannot be combined together or with Select Loan Promotions. Restrictions apply. For loans locked 8/1/2023 through 8/31/2023. Visit LoanStream for more information or speak with your Account Executive.
“In this market, hustle is everything. You can’t afford to waste a single dealor a single minute. That’s why ReadyPrice has launched its innovating new Shop, Lock, & Deliver loan exchange platform, designed to help independent mortgage brokers like you save time and money. Now you can shop competitive loan offerings from multiple lenders, get rate lock guarantees in real time, receive underwriting findings, and deliver the borrower’s complete loan file to lenders and all on a single platform, at no cost to brokers. It’s the industry’s most powerful universal delivery portal, and it’s already helping brokers around the country thrive and compete in even the toughest market environments. Multiple lenders. One platform. Zero b.s. Check us out today.”
STRATMOR on Employee Culture
Have you visited a Chick fil A restaurant lately? When the employes say, “It’s my pleasure,” and not just “you’re welcome,” you believe them. They seem genuinely happy to serve their customers, and their happiness makes their customers smile. Maybe the mortgage industry can learn something from this fast-food giant’s approach to employee engagement. In his August Customer Experience Tip, STRATMOR Group’s MortgageCX Director Mike Seminari addresses how lenders can build a vibrant, positive employee culture that begets a world-class customer experience. He suggests three steps lenders can take to foster an employee-prized culture that can’t help but make for a better customer experience. Check out the new Customer Experience Tip, “Happy Employees, Happy Customers: A Page From a Fast-Food Giant’s Playbook.”
Capital Markets
Stocks and bonds both fell last week as healthy economic data drove the narrative that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates higher for longer, though prices stabilized on Friday. After settling Thursday at its highest level since November 2007, the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield fell back below 4.3 percent but still logged its fifth straight week of higher rates, once again proving that rate predictions should be taken with a grain of salt.
The steady rise in yields is making investors nervous because past surges have at times proved destabilizing for markets. With the 10-year yield still well below the level of short-term rates set by the Fed, some analysts see room for the benchmark rate to keep climbing. Bond yields continued to rise across the board, extending an upswing that began nearly three months ago at the beginning of the summer. The latest FOMC minutes, which stressed that additional interest rate hikes might be needed, nudged rates even higher. Investors are still sizing up how rising yields compare with stock valuations, but the immediate consequences might be more apparent in the housing market. LOs everywhere know that 30-year fixed-rate mortgages solidly topped 7 percent on the latest developments, marking the highest level seen in more than 20 years.
Fed Chair Powell speaks at the end of the week, and is expected to highlight some of the progress made in combating inflation but stay on script with his most recent commentary about the need to stay vigilant. Some think Powell leaves enough of a hawkish edge that the door remains open to more rate hikes. Certainly, he is likely to reiterate the Fed’s commitment to its 2 percent inflation target and to push back (implicitly or explicitly) against the degree of rate hikes that markets are pricing for next year.
As the Federal Reserve looks to restore its dual mandate of price stability and maximum employment, originators are looking at long-term mortgage rates in the U.S. reached a two-decade high. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate hit 7.09 percent, a level not seen since April 2002, crimping both sales and refinancing activity. Back then, the average U.S. home price was roughly $187,000 versus $416,000 today. Despite elevated mortgage rates, there is activity amongst potential home buyers, especially in the new home market where builders have been offering seller concessions, rate incentives, and price cuts to move inventory. New home building permits increased in July to a 930,000-unit annual pace.
And our market has taken note of troubling data out of China. This adds to the hawkish rhetoric from Federal Reserve officials and has investors rethinking the economic landscape which led to last week’s Treasury rout. That rout pushed 10-year yields close to their highest point since 2007. It has also spurred a debate over why the bond market has turned dangerous. Economic activity continues to expand and has led many analysts to shift their outlooks regarding possible contraction. However, monetary policy lags (e.g., the time it takes before central bank tightening fully works through the economy) are longer now. The reasons include fewer variable rates on U.S. debt relative to a few years ago, businesses’ reluctance to let go of workers after the pandemic shortages, and the Fed’s large balance sheet that currently contains over $8 trillion in assets.
If Fed officials think interest-rate hikes are going to impact the economy sooner than in actuality, that means the Fed is very likely to keep rates too high for too long, raising the risk of a larger-than-expected decline in growth, and eventually, inflation. Pricing in futures markets now implies that the first Fed Funds rate easing won’t come until the Spring of 2024. The minutes from the Fed’s July meeting echoed those sentiments as well as noted that upside risks to inflation remain which would necessitate further tightening. For now, the message may be as important as any action as interest rate markets resign themselves to adjust to a higher for longer mindset.
After last week closed with a rally in bond markets due to China debt and financing concerns, this week brings the Kansas City Fed’s Jackson Hole Economic Symposium over Thursday to Saturday, with Fed Chair Powell scheduled to speak on Friday. Economic data releases are mostly second tier including regional Fed surveys, housing data, durable goods orders, S&P Global PMIs, and Michigan sentiment. Supply consists of the usual T-bills, as well as $16 billion 20-year bonds, $24 billion reopened 2-year FRNs, and $8 billion reopened 30-year TIPS. With no economic releases of note scheduled today, we begin the week with Agency MBS prices worse .125-.250 and the 10-year yielding 4.29 after closing last week at 4.25 percent.
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First is fundamentally changing the real estate industry. We believe that operational excellence will be key to our success and will be driven by constant improvement as well as bold game changing innovations.
As one of our early engineers, you’ll help guide key design, architecture, and technology decisions. You will be a part of our platform team, helping us to build a platform to support our customer-facing and internal applications. You will help us to scale the system to meet the needs of our expanding userbase. This includes driving the product roadmap, bringing “design thinking” on product features, coordinating development efforts across the team, and working with the front-end team to ensure that our efforts are aligned.
What you bring to the table
* 5+ years of developing Rails applications in production :
* SQL and relational database experience (not just using a database through an ORM)
* Experience in building APIs (REST at least, GraphQL a plus)
* Passion for startups and building products that will be used to change the face of real estate
* Generalist mindset, excited to jump into many parts of the stack to ship working software
* You can develop features without hand-holding in Rails, diving down into the database level as needed
* Clear, effective communication skills, both written and verbal
* Experience with agile practices, including TDD/BDD, continuous delivery, object oriented design, etc
* Comfort with asynchronous development: pull requests, chat, email, etc
Extra bonus points for
* Sidekiq (or another background job system integrated with Rails)
* GraphQL experience
* DevOps skills (Ansible and/or AWS cloud a plus)
* Front-end experience (especially React)
* Mobile development experience
* Proficiency in GitHub flow
* Experience with pair programming (remote or in-person)
* Open source contributions, side projects and gems (edited)
Now is your chance to become part of a world-class, industry leading organization that touts the #1 real estate brand in the world! RE/MAX is a business that builds businesses. We, alongside booj, our award-winning technology company, specialize in providing the tools, training and tech to our real estate network, which includes RE/MAX and Motto Mortgage franchises, agents, brokers and consumers. Join us and build a career where your contribution is heard, your innovative ideas are valued, and hard work and collaboration truly makes a difference.
RE/MAX LLC, Motto Mortgage and booj are an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion, as well as non-discrimination in employment. All qualified applicants receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, veteran status, disability unrelated to performing the essential task of the job or other legally protected categories. All persons shall be afforded equal employment opportunity.
Pricing, Internal Audit, CRM, Home Insurance, Lead Generation Tools; Comp Survey; MBA’s Cost Per Loan Stats
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Pricing, Internal Audit, CRM, Home Insurance, Lead Generation Tools; Comp Survey; MBA’s Cost Per Loan Stats
By: Rob Chrisman
Fri, Aug 18 2023, 10:49 AM
As numbers approaching a thousand head to Orange County, CA, for the California MBA’s Western Secondary, keeping an eye on the remnants of a hurricane, it is not an easy lending environment with mortgage rates at 20-year highs, firmly in the 7’s. Thomas Edison believed, “Vision without execution is hallucination.” Many owners of lenders and vendors had very good vision and execution some years ago when creating their companies. But thinking that 2020 and 2021 would continue indefinitely would have been classified as a hallucination, and obviously things have become much more difficult with many wondering where things go from here. I don’t have a crystal ball, but a certain percentage of those owners who deferred being serious about exploring a sale, waiting, until after the cycle was obviously on the downside, they’ve perhaps undermined an opportunity for negotiating more favorable deal terms. It can be argued that the smarter entrepreneurs engaged in company sale negotiations while industry mindset is mostly driven by prosperity. (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s is sponsored by Richey May, a recognized leader in providing specialized advisory, audit, tax, technology and other services to the mortgage industry for almost four decades.)
Lender and Broker Software and Services
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“Salesforce is committed to partnering with mortgage lenders to drive their technology transformation with modern solutions that are already in practice and serving many of the top mortgage lenders in the country. As part of its efforts to drive the industry forward through the adoption of a modern tech stack, Salesforce identified UMortgage to establish the precedent of utilizing its mortgage and lending software to its fullest potential to facilitate better client experiences. Using customized task management systems and automations within Salesforce, UMortgage has been able to achieve 300% year-over-year growth and near-perfect 95 net promoter score (NPS), an indicator of a best-in-class client experience. Check out the following link to learn more about the innovative technological systems that are helping UMortgage Loan Originators maximize their lead generation & conversion. With an investment in intuitive solutions, UMortgage is driving the mortgage industry towards a better future that enables brokers to thrive.”
We’re hearing that lenders are ramping up their tech stacks and (most importantly) focusing on the quality of the data powering that technology. If you’re considering taking your company’s tech stack to the next level, look for a property data provider that delivers the most comprehensive data through the best channels to meet your unique business needs. That’s why we’re highlighting First American Data & Analytics and its repository of more than 8+ billion recorded documents. First American is more than just a data provider. It offers end-to-end solutions for the mortgage lifecycle. From detecting fraud and risk to providing valuation solutions, First American powers lenders to make informed, data-driven decisions. If you’re ready to have access to the most accurate, complete, and current data, reach out to the team and get a data sample now.
“Lenders, the home insurance market is facing unprecedented volatility. We want to hear if it’s affecting your business and the closing process. Take our five-minute survey to share your thoughts. As a thank you, you can select to be entered to win a $100 Amazon gift card, compliments of Matic Insurance. Click here to begin the survey. Matic is a home insurance marketplace built for the mortgage industry. Learn how mortgage enterprises can implement a new revenue stream that helps borrowers navigate the insurance buying process. Book a demo today.
Wholesale lending is undergoing a transformation that will leave those who cling to outdated processes behind. Using bargain CRMs as electronic phone books or even worse, spreadsheets to track brokers, is a clear sign that your sales process is holding you back. Modern CRM technology like OptifiNow provides a comprehensive, out-of-the-box solution that helps wholesale lenders create a sales and marketing process that drives broker engagement and significantly increases loan volume. Download our guide to finding the right CRM for wholesale lenders to learn how to transform your wholesale business and stay ahead of the competition!
What’s an internal audit anyway and do you need one? An internal audit acts as a third line of defense for your mortgage operation. It provides comprehensive assurance based on the highest level of independence and objectivity to evaluate the effectiveness of management’s internal controls. This function should advise your mortgage operation on plans to achieve the company’s strategic, operational, financial and compliance goals. An effective internal audit should go far beyond just checking a compliance box; it should be an integral part of protecting your company. If you want to ensure you’re adhering to regulatory requirements and demonstrating good faith business practices, a Richey May internal audit is a good fit. If you’re looking to be Fannie Mae approved in the future or want to maintain your approved status, it’s required. If you’re unsure whether you need an internal audit, ask one of Richey May’s experts today or learn more here.
Pricing Products and Programs
“Lender Price introduces Composable Pricing UI, an innovative user interface that empowers lenders to effortlessly customize their pricing engine using No Code or Low Code options. With a variety of skinning options and increased flexibility, Lender Price users can now easily create a personalized pricing experience with an abundance of options to choose from. Surpassing the limitations of single UI platforms seen with competitors, the era of rigid, one-size-fits-all PPE’s is over. With a flexible pricing engine like Lender Price, users now have the ability to tailor their interface based on their individual needs and preferences. Composable UI represents a paradigm shift in digital lending technology UX, liberating both individuals and organizations from the constraints of single UI platforms,” said Dawar Alimi, Lender Price CEO. “With an abundance of options and unparalleled flexibility, users can personalize and take charge of their pricing experience.” Email us or request a demo today.”
In this market, hustle is everything. You can’t afford to waste a single deal or a single minute. That’s why ReadyPrice has launched its innovative new Shop, Lock & Deliver loan exchange platform, designed to help independent mortgage brokers like you save time and money. Now you can shop competitive loan offerings from multiple lenders, get rate lock guarantees in real time, receive underwriting findings, and deliver the borrower’s complete loan file to lenders and all on a single platform, at no cost to brokers. It’s the industry’s most powerful universal delivery portal, and it’s already helping brokers around the country thrive and compete in even the toughest market environments. Multiple lenders. One platform. Zero b.s. Check ReadyPrice out today.
STRATMOR Comp Information and Survey
Yesterday I published, “What do underwriters and processors and LOs make? STRATMOR has the information, spelled out in a recent Perspectives piece.” Several wrote to say that there is a wide disparity in pay based on experience, at every level, and that averages may not be telling the whole story. Point well taken, although the drop in volume/units has not been matched by the drop in personnel. Stay tuned…
Information is critical in making payroll decisions. STRATMOR Group’s Compensation Connection® Study provides valuable insight into compensation components, incentive plan structures, role specifics and more, aggregated by company type, annual volume, and region. Prior three-year trending is also included on most metrics. Get the compensation data you need: sign up for the Fall 2023 Compensation Connection® Study today!
Lenders can Relive the 2nd Quarter of 2023
Spoiler alert: Losses continue but at a slower pace. The MBA has crunched the numbers of those surveyed and calculated that independent mortgage banks (IMBs) and mortgage subsidiaries of chartered banks reported a pre-tax net loss of $534 on each loan they originated in the second quarter of 2023, an improvement from the reported loss of $1,972 per loan in the first quarter of 2023.
Marina Walsh, CMB, MBA’s Vice President of Industry Analysis and overall good person, summed up the Quarterly Mortgage Bankers Performance Report. “After 11 consecutive quarters of increases, origination costs declined by over $2,000 per loan. Volume picked up during the spring homebuying season and additional personnel were shed. However, the substantial cost savings per loan was not enough to put the average net production income in the black… Production losses were less severe than the previous two quarters and net servicing financial income was strong. Additionally, most mortgage companies in our survey managed to squeeze out an overall profit during one of the toughest times for the mortgage industry.”
Once again, servicing income helped big time. Think about that as companies sell it off. When the MBA looked at both production and servicing, 58 percent of companies were profitable last quarter, an improvement from 32 percent in the first quarter of 2023 and 25 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022. Still, the average pre-tax production loss was 18 basis points (bps) in the second quarter of 2023, compared to an average net production loss of 68 bps in the first quarter of 2023, and down from a loss of 5 basis points one year ago. The average quarterly pre-tax production profit, from the third quarter of 2008 to the most recent quarter, is 47 basis points.
“Total production revenue (fee income, net secondary marketing income and warehouse spread) decreased to 328 bps in the second quarter, down from 358 bps in the first quarter. On a per-loan basis, production revenues decreased to $10,510 per loan in the second quarter, down from $11,199 per loan in the first quarter.
“The purchase share of total originations, by dollar volume, increased to a study high of 89 percent in the second quarter. For the mortgage industry as a whole, MBA estimates the purchase share was at 80 percent in the second quarter, with the average loan balance for first mortgages increasing to $343,386 in the second quarter, up from $329,159 in the first quarter.
It ain’t cheap to do a loan. “Total loan production expenses (commissions, compensation, occupancy, equipment, and other production expenses and corporate allocations) decreased to $11,044 per loan in the second quarter, down from a study-high $13,171 per loan in the first quarter of 2023. From the third quarter of 2008 to last quarter, loan production expenses have averaged $7,236 per loan.
“Servicing net financial income for the second quarter (without annualizing) was $94 per loan, up from $54 per loan in the first quarter. Servicing operating income, which excludes MSR amortization, gains/loss in the valuation of servicing rights net of hedging gains/losses, and gains/losses on the bulk sale of MSRs, was $105 per loan in the second quarter, up from $102 per loan in the first quarter.”
For all the stats, there are five Mortgage Bankers Performance Report publications per year: four quarterly reports and one annual report. Contact Falen Taylor (202-557-2771). The reports can also be purchased on the MBA’s website.
Capital Markets
At this point it can be argued that the Fed doesn’t want to see higher long-term rates. But bond yields continue to rise across the board, impacting mortgage rates of course, continuing an upswing that began nearly three months ago at the beginning of the summer. In fact, the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury (US10Y) closed at 4.25% on Wednesday, the highest level since 2008. The upward march this week follows the release of the latest Federal Open Market Committee minutes, which stressed that additional interest rate hikes might be needed.
“With inflation still well above the Committee’s longer-run goal and the labor market remaining tight, most participants continued to see significant upside risks to inflation, which could require further tightening of monetary policy… Participants generally noted a high degree of uncertainty regarding the cumulative effects on the economy of past monetary policy tightening... and emphasized the importance of communicating as clearly as possible about the Committee’s data-dependent approach to policy and its firm commitment to bring inflation down to its 2% objective.”
Stronger-than-expected economic data continues to pour in, helping stock market prices, especially if you think the Fed to end its hiking cycle soon. Others say 10-year yields above 4 percent still present a good buying opportunity, in contrast to the potential rewards from pricey stocks and multiples that might not be as appealing. But it seems that bond investors have shifted to a “higher-for-longer” narrative coming out of the Fed, causing nominal rates and real rates to keep moving higher. Not good for housing affordability.
Strong economic data continued yesterday with initial jobless claims -11k and Philly Fed beating expectations by 22 points. That helped to lift benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yields above 4.30 percent as MBS once again sold off across the coupon stack. The recent surge in U.S. mortgage rates to anywhere between 10-month and two-decade highs, depending on who you ask, has pushed housing affordability to the lowest level in nearly four decades. Yesterday also brought another troubling sign for the Chinese economy as Beijing authorities are said to have told state-owned banks to step up intervention in the currency market in a push to prevent a surge in yuan volatility.
With no major data releases or Fedspeak today, the market will be left to its own devices. We begin the day with Agency MBS prices better from Thursday afternoon by .250, the 10-year yielding 4.22 after closing yesterday at 4.31 percent, and the 2-year at 4.91: yield curve inversion is alive and well without a recession.
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The 10-year yield closed today above my key level of 4.25%: Does that mean mortgage rates will hit 8%? To understand what’s happening, here’s how I look at the bond market and mortgage rates in my forecast for 2023.
In my 2023 forecast, the range on the 10-year yield was between 3.21%-4.25%, emphasizing that the bond yields can go lower than 3.21% only if the labor market breaks — which would require jobless claims to go over 323,000 on a four-week moving average.
That 10-year yield channel equates to 5.75%- 7.25% mortgage rates. And since the labor market isn’t breaking and the economy is doing well, mortgage rates are at the higher end of my range for this year. In fact, mortgage rates today were as high as they have been since December of 2000.
The big surprise in 2023 has been that the spreads with mortgage rates got worse, not better — all due to the banking crisis.
As you can see in the chart below, spreads were getting better, then the banking crisis hit and they got worse. This new variable is our 2023 reality until the Federal Reserve cries uncle.
Now let’s look at the 10-year yield: We closed today at 4.28%. For intraday action, I wanted to see if we could reach the highest level of last year at 4.34%. We didn’t, and in fact, yields headed lower toward the end of the day from the high peaks. For now, keep an eye out for that 4.34% level because breaking above that could cause more short-term bond selling.
As we can see below with a longer timeline chart, the 10-year yield has stayed in my range this year for 99.9% of the time. Considering where the economic data has been recently, it makes sense that we are at the higher end of the range because there is no recession in the data lines currently.
The critical time was early this year when it looked like the bond market wanted to go lower due to the banking crisis, but my Gandalf line (the red line below) held. I believe as long as the economy isn’t breaking, the 10-year yield shouldn’t go under 3.37% — and the chart below shows that line has held up eight times.
I started forecasting 10-year yield ranges and mortgage rates in the previous expansion: It was a very boring channel. Every year starting from 2015, it was the same forecast; the 10-year yield would be between 1.60%-3% which meant mortgage rates between 3.50%-4.75%, roughly.
As the chart below shows, before the COVID-19 recession, bond yields mostly stayed in that range, although there were times between 2015-2020 when they broke below 1.60% and over 3%. Currently, we are slightly above 4.25%.
When COVID-19 hit, I had a 10-year yield range for the recession at -0.21%-0.62. My COVID-19 recovery model began on April 7, 2020, as the 10-year yield was above 0.62% on that day.
In 2021, even though I was calling for higher mortgage rates because home prices could explode higher, the 10-year yield forecast was 0.62%-1.94% with an emphasis on creating a range between 1.33%-1.60%. That happened and we spent a good amount of time there in 2021.
In 2022, my 10-year yield call peaked at 1.94%, but I said that if global bond yields rose, we could hit 2.42%. March of 2022 brought a Fed pivot and the Russian invasion of Ukraine and we were off to the races with bond yields getting as high as 4.33% intraday in 2022.
So will mortgage rates go to 8%?
The inflation growth rate has been falling, but my bond yields range for 2023 was based on the economic data staying firm, meaning if economic data gets better, yields should be at the higher end. This week’s economics data, retail sales, and industrial production data beat estimates and the Atlanta GDP data is at 5.8%. The economic data hasn’t just stayed firm — it’s gotten better so bond yields are now above the range.
We also have to consider the Federal Reserve. The Fed now believes its policy is restrictive, which wasn’t case last year, so this is a reason why they’re not talking about more aggressive rate hikes.
How much higher can bond yields and mortgage rates go before the Fed starts talking about it? Hopefully, this chart below gives you an idea, because if the inflation growth rate cools even more, the Fed might step in to cut rates or stop their balance sheet reduction, which is another form of tightening policy.
So, can mortgage rates hit 8%?
Yes, they can, but it would require the economic data to stay firm. Short-term, as long as the economy outperforms, 8% is in the works. However, you can see the limits of mortgage rates now because the Federal Reserve has told us they believe their policy stance is restrictive. They don’t want to push the lever too much because one of their goals is to keep the Fed funds rate higher for longer.
The one thing that can change the Fed’s mindset is the labor market breaking, but for now they don’t have to worry about that.
Inside: Dreaming of ways to make money fast as a woman? Stop dreaming and take action. These are genius ways of making money online and at home.
Making money fast is crucial for maintaining a comfortable lifestyle, especially in the face of rising living costs. It can be the key to financial stability, providing additional funds to support and enjoy your lifestyle.
As a woman, you need to know how to make money fast.
This isn’t just about getting rich quickly. It’s about women gaining the freedom to live independently without financial constraints.
The feeling of financial security lessens stress; not having to worry over unexpected expenses plays a big role in your overall well-being.
This is what you want to do – make money fast!
Good news! You are in the right spot and I’ll show you my favorite ways to make money online.
Get into the right mindset, ladies! Making money fast isn’t just possible, but also liberating.
How can I make easy money ASAP?
Making easy money quickly can be achieved in various ways that utilize your skills and knowledge.
First and foremost, consider your own skills and expertise, and determine whether they could apply to jobs like cake baking, childcare, bookkeeping, house cleaning, or freelance writing.
This will tell you the easiest way for you to make money quickly. For me, I prefer to trade options in the stock market. Whereas someone else may choose babysitting or dog walking.
You need to find how to make money fast and we will help you with that decision.
Why Making Money Fast is Important
1. Makes it possible to live comfortably 2. Enables you to afford the best quality of life 3. Gives you the freedom to pursue your dreams 4. Gives you the freedom to live without financial constraints 5. Provides you with security and safety 6. Freedom to give back to your community 7. Freedom to choose how you spend your time 8. Opportunity to take risks and start a business 9. Provides you with a sense of power and control 10. Live without financial worry
This post may contain affiliate links, which helps us to continue providing relevant content and we receive a small commission at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read the full disclosure here.
Are you passionate about words and reading?
If so, proofreading could be a perfect fit for you, just like it’s been for countless of readers! Learn how you can create a freelance business as a proofreader.
Check out this free workshop!
Bookkeeping is the most stable, reliable & simple business to own. This is how to make a realistic income -either part-time or full-time.
Find out TODAY if this is THE business you’ve been looking for.
How can I make a lot of money in hours?
Making income in a matter of hours for a woman is entirely feasible with a blend of freelancing, leveraging gig economy platforms, and capitalizing on your skills or assets. Here’s a quick guide for you:
Consider freelancing: Establish your writing, graphic design, or programming services on platforms like Fiverr or Upwork.
Dive into the gig economy: Sign up for TaskRabbit, Airbnb, or Turo to start earning.
Try online tutoring or content selling: Proficient in any subject or have strong graphic design skills? Go for tutoring or sell your content.
Indulge in buying & selling: If you’re good at purchasing low and selling high, then swap clothes or furniture, or even stocks.
Take online surveys or join market research groups on sites like Swagbucks for a rapid source of income.
Remember, time management is crucial for balancing multiple streams at once. Don’t forget to schedule wisely!
How to Make Money Fast as a Woman
No matter who you are, making money can be tough. But if you’re a woman, it can feel impossible.
From getting paid less than men for the same job to having a harder time getting promoted, the deck is often stacked against us.
Just so you know that making quick money in one day won’t happen overnight.
So, I’m going to tell you the best ways to make money fast as a woman.
1. Sell Services
Selling your skills or expertise is a fast, viable way to earn money. It’s all about utilizing what you already know to provide value to others.
Identify your marketable skills, such as cake baking, freelance writing, bookkeeping or even organizing spaces.
Brainstorm which of these services people could pay for.
Remember, you can tap into both physical tasks, like house cleaning or pet-sitting, and digital ones, like creating digital printables or offering consulting in your field of expertise.
Expert Tip: Launch your service with a few testimonials, helping to build trust with potential customers from the get-go.
2. Freelance
Freelancing is a savvy way for women to stack up earnings fast, offering flexibility and complete control over the workload. It’s a ticket to dodge conventional office politics and punch above your earning potential.
Start by identifying your freelance niche. You can be a writer, graphic designer, or anything you’re skilled at. Many people use their transferable 9-5 skills to side hustle.
Then, create your profile on platforms like Fiverr, Upwork or Guru – be sure to showcase your accolades.
Set your rates, then start connecting with clients looking for your talent.
Remember, success in freelancing is driven by quality and consistency. So, sharpen your skills and always exceed your client’s expectations.
Freelancing may start as a side gig, but with dedication, it can grow into a full-time job.
3. Become a Product Reviewer
Being a product reviewer is an intriguing job opportunity for those who enjoy sharing candid feedback about their experiences with various products.
As a product reviewer, you are required to assess products often sent to you from diverse companies.
Your role involves providing a comprehensive review that could range from making an unboxing video to writing a detailed article about the product’s features and performance.
This kind of job requires an unbiased perspective and the capacity to articulate your thoughts and experience in a detailed, user-friendly manner.
Companies value this form of direct feedback as it provides them with significant data about their product’s strengths and weaknesses as perceived by an end-user.
4. Virtual Assistants
As a woman, becoming a virtual assistant could be your fast lane to earning a substantial income.
This is especially a great option if you’re excellent in organization and time management along with the need for flexibility.
For many becoming a virtual assistant with no experience is possible. And very lucrative.
Finally, for your best shot at success in this field, taking a course to improve your learning curve is extremely helpful.
Potential to earn up to $43,000 per year.
5. Sell Your Crafts
Ladies, have you thought of turning your love for crafts into a profitable venture?
Find out what crafts are in demand. The higher the demand, the more profitable it would be to make and sell these crafts.
Remember, profitability hinges on what you sell and how much you sell. Happy crafting!
While you are limited on what you can earn by what you can make, it is possible to make money doing something you absolutely enjoy.
6. Stock Trading
Stock trading may seem daunting but it can be a quick route to financial independence, especially for women.
With the right tools, information, and mindset, you can swiftly navigate the market and amplify your earnings. In fact, this is something Teri Ijeoma did herself.
Educate yourself on the basics before you invest. This is exactly what I did and my investment has paid off.
Always be aware of the risks involved in stock trading and proceed cautiously. However, building up an investing education is a wise decision.
Learn how fast can you make money in stocks.
7. Babysit
Babysitting is a versatile side hustle offering flexible hours and good earning potential.
It’s an ideal opportunity if you’re seeking quick, extra income and enjoy children.
Obtain optional certifications like CPR and first aid to enhance your appeal. Visit platforms like Care.com, Sittercity, or Urbansitter to create your profile and connect with clients.
8. Transcriber
One field that remains highly overlooked is transcription.
A transcriptionist listens to audio files and converts them into written documents.
Gain a thorough understanding of the industry. Check out this free webinar to get the basics right.
Consider specializing in legal or medical transcription. These niches often fetch higher wages.
You could easily make $3000-$4000 monthly, working on your own schedule.
Remember, practice and precision can help you achieve a lucrative transcription rate.
9. House Cleaning
Cleaning can be a rewarding gig, especially if you like tidying spaces.
Despite recognizing the need for a clean home, many people often struggle to find the time or energy to routinely clean their homes. This is where the prospect of a housecleaning business arises.
Busy homeowners, parents juggling work and childcare, elderly individuals needing assistance, and even businesses needing regular cleaning services are all potential clients for a housecleaning business. This demand provides a consistent income flow for those offering cleaning services.
In fact, individuals transitioning into this field of work can negotiate their wages with clients, potentially earning more than $15 an hour based on the complexity and demands of the job.
10. Sell Printables on Etsy
Selling printables is an effective and lucrative method to generate passive income.
Once printables such as planners, calendars, and journals are designed, created, and listed for sale on platforms like Shopify or Etsy, they can consistently produce income without requiring continual input or maintenance.
According to several experts, one of the keys to making substantial profits from printables is to differentiate your products.
Building upon this idea of making money from printables, the free Printables Workshop by Gold City Ventures offers comprehensive insights into the process of creating and selling aesthetically pleasing printable products online. This accessible course can be an excellent starting point for beginners looking to navigate the printables market.
Selling printables on Etsy might be the perfect venture for you!
11. Dog Walking
Looking for a fun-filled way to make some quick bucks?
Dog walking could be the right side hustle for you, especially if you’re an animal lover.
Easy to find jobs for dog walking.
Suitable for people with flexible schedules.
Offers an active way to earn money.
Option to select your rates with platforms like Rover.
High demand especially due to increasing pet adoptions and busy pet owners.
You can work when you need to and not take clients when you don’t want too.
12. Make Money Blogging
Blogging is a popular and prevalent way to earn money. Many blog owners are women who want the flexibility to earn significant money at their own pace and schedule.
Earning money through blogging allows you to focus on something you’re passionate about. Any topic that can provide value to an audience can be blogged about. Targeting a niche that has been overlooked by existing blogs can increase your blog’s potential earnings.
Starting a blog doesn’t require formal training, but it does require a willingness and ability to write effectively for an audience.
By employing monetizing avenues, like affiliate marketing and advertising, a blogger can boost their earning significantly.
Despite the vast number of existing blogs, the industry is very accommodating toward new voices, especially female voices. Thus, knowing how to monetize a blog can offer women many opportunities.
Remember, blogging is not just about earning fast bucks, it also needs consistent efforts. It’s rewarding but can start slow.
13. Ride-Sharing
Ridesharing is an excellent opportunity for women looking to make fast money. With apps like Uber and Lyft, you can earn an income simply by offering transportation services.
Here are a few tips to increase your earnings:
Consider driving during peak hours, weekends, or during special events to cash in on higher demand.
Choose busy locations such as city centers and nightlife spots to increase your chances of getting rides.
Maintain good customer service and ensure safe driving to uphold your rating and receive more ride requests.
14. Office Cleaning
Considering the hustle and bustle of the daily grind, office cleaning can be an untapped treasure trove for women seeking quick cash. Given the high demand and flexible hours, it’s an ideal source of extra income.
You must identify office premises needing cleaning services. Reach out to the owners or management, and propose your services.
Think about offering your services to offices in your local area. It’s a fast way to make extra money while managing your other commitments.
15. eBay Arbitrage
Looking to earn some quick money? eBay Arbitrage could be the game-changer you need.
Aimed mostly at women who love shopping, it’s about buying products cheaply and selling them on eBay for a profit.
First, hunt for bargains in thrift stores, sales, or online markets.
Go with high-demand items; electronics, collectibles, or brand sneakers are a good start.
Then, create your eBay store and list your finds at a competitive but profitable price.
Track each item’s demand through keyword research and buyers’ reviews.
Remember to calculate potential profits inclusive of shipping costs and eBay fees.
Armed with the right strategies, you can start earning with eBay in no time!
16. Freelance Writing
Did you know your writing passion can become a quick buck-making engine? That’s right, freelance writing is a gold mine you ought to tap.
First, identify a writing niche you love. It’s easier to excel when you’re passionate about your work.
Continually hone your writing skills. The more you practice, the better you become and the more valuable your skills. Finally, don’t be shy to market your skills. Reach out to small businesses and startups—they often need freelance writers.
Remember, quality over quantity will earn you a solid reputation in the long run. Now, go turn those wordy wonders into wealth!
17. Online Surveys
Curious about making a quick buck? Engaging in online surveys can be a fast money-making method just for you!
You don’t earn a huge amount per survey but when taking multiple surveys, it will add up fast.
Here are the top legit survey platforms:
Use your free time wisely. Take surveys during work breaks or leisure hours.
Redeem points for PayPal cash or gift cards.
18. YouTube Channel Building
Building a YouTube channel can be an interesting and rewarding venture.
It provides an incredible platform to share your content, express your creativity, and engage with a global audience. Whether you want to showcase your talents, teach something unique or simply entertain, having a YouTube channel opens up many opportunities.
Effective engagement with your audience is vital.
Last but not least, patience is something you will need in abundance. Building a successful YouTube channel takes time, so don’t lose hope if you’re not seeing immediate results.
Remember, there’s no limit to what you can achieve with your YouTube channel. It all comes down to how creatively you can use this platform to engage with your audience and grow your presence.
19. Bookkeeper
In our increasingly digital age, online bookkeepers are in high demand, with more businesses choosing to move their financial operations to the online platform. This shift in business operations has created a robust opportunity for those trained in bookkeeping to tap into the market and earn income while working from the comfort of their homes.
To be successful as web-based bookkeeper, you need to be well-organized and have previous experience dealing with numbers. However, even without a formal accounting education, individuals can take advantage of online learning platforms like Bookkeepers.com to learn and sharpen their bookkeeping skills for free.
Becoming a virtual bookkeeper is not just a fantastic full-time job opportunity; it’s also an excellent side hustle for women and mothers proficient with numbers. It provides flexible hours and allows the freedom to work from anywhere, making it ideal for those juggling multiple responsibilities.
The financial compensation for an online virtual bookkeeper is quite significant. On average, bookkeepers can earn at least $50000 a year helping business owners manage their finance and bookkeeping online.
20. Start a Dropshipping Store
Dropshipping is a viable option with low startup costs that lets you run an online store without handling any physical products.
There is still plenty of time to get into the dropshipping business.
Start by deciding what products to sell. Find a niche you’re passionate about for a higher chance of success.
Remember, a successful dropshipping venture involves effective marketing as well. So invest time and effort into perfecting your advertising tactics.
21. Do Clerical Work
Clerical work offers flexible, remote opportunities for women to make quick money.
With adequate admin experience and internet access, you can explore roles like Virtual Assistant, Online Data Entry Professional, or Court Transcriptionist.
This is one of the best non phone work from home jobs.
Experts tip: Perfection and punctuality are key. Attention to detail and meeting deadlines can make you stand out.
22. Resell Clothes
Reselling clothes online is a savvy way to turn your clutter into cash, especially if you love digging for hidden gems.
It’s a popular method for fast cash flow, with Poshmark and Facebook Marketplace being perfect platforms. One of my friends is very successful with this!
Begin with your own closet, and sell kids clothes they have outgrown too.
Reinvest your earnings, by buying second-hand clothing to resell can boost your profits.
Don’t forget quality. Run a quick check for authenticity and brand labels.
Visuals sell. Stage items and capture high-res photographs.
Providing a great customer experience is key, ensuring prompt shipping and maintaining politeness.
Play your cards right, you could earn anywhere between $100 to $1,000 a month or even reach a six-figure yearly income.
23. Do Home-Based Child Care
Home-based child care is a viable option to earn money, leveraging the natural maternal instincts and caregiving skills of many women. It can be a lucrative side hustle and a means to financial independence.
This is especially a great avenue to pursue when you are already at home raising your own children.
Make sure to follow any state regulations about running a daycare out of your home.
Begin by determining the number of children you can handle at a time, taking care not to overbook.
24. Podcasting
Podcasting is a wonderful opportunity for delivering narratives. It enables you to weave compelling stories while inspiring, instructing, or simply entertaining your listeners.
The unique format of podcasting lets you connect with your audience on a personal level. They listen to your voice, engage with your thoughts, and feel a stronger connection to you.
By starting a podcast, you are joining an increasingly popular trend, with the global number of podcast listeners has grown to 464.7 million listeners in 2022 (source).
Podcasting also opens up doors for networking and collaboration. You can invite experts, artists, or like-minded individuals as guests on your show, thus expanding your network.
There’s a potential to earn from podcasting. With affiliate marketing, sponsorships, and advertising, the commercial possibilities of podcasting are extensive.
25. Merch by Amazon
“Merch by Amazon” is a print-on-demand service that allows you to design and sell your merchandise.
It’s a great money-making alternative as it offers massive exposure and doesn’t require any upfront costs.
One of the significant advantages of using Merch by Amazon for passive income is that you are not required to maintain inventory or deal with shipping. Amazon handles these aspects, allowing you to focus on the creation process and customer satisfaction.
Amazon’s royalty system ensures that you get paid instantly whenever your merchandise is purchased. This allows you to earn money passively with every sale.
When your designs meet the current market trends and the preferences of your customers, they are more likely to be popular, leading to an increase in sales, hence, higher passive income.
26. Become an Influencer
Becoming an influencer is a smart, quick way for women to make money. While most people just stumble upon becoming an influencer, you can decide to pursue this avenue.
With earning potential that is unlimited, this opportunity is flourishing, requiring no specific degree or job experience.
Remember, platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube reward new, engaging creators.
Dedication and consistency could lead you to major earnings where you make thousands for each post.
27. Work as a Translator
Having mastery in more than one language opens up a world of opportunities, particularly in the realm of translation services. The ability to translate language effectively and accurately is a skill that’s in high demand in the current globalized world.
A top benefit of being a freelance online translator is the flexible work environment. You have the freedom to choose when, where, and how much you want to work. This flexibility for work-life balance is more appealing now than ever, especially in the unsteady job market.
Freelance translators also have access to a wider client base. Unlike full-time translators who work for specific organizations or agencies, freelance translators can work with various clients from all over the world, widening their potential income streams.
The need for translators is projected to grow substantially. In the United States alone, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employment for interpreters and translators will increase by 20% from 2021 through 2031, which is much faster than the average for all occupations.
Among other freelance professions, translation can often provide a more stable income.
As most sectors including education, legal, business, medical, and technological firms continue to globalize, they regularly need translators to bridge the language gap, making freelance translation services a steady income source.
31. Become a Flipper
Becoming a flipper is a high-return, low-investment way to make money fast. It involves buying low and selling high, perfect for those wanting a profitable side hustle.
Here are actionable steps to kickstart your flipping journey:
Identify items to flip: Popular options include toys, clothes, electronics, books, and furniture. Pro-tip: Sell things you have around your house to start risk free.
Choose a selling platform: Sell locally via Facebook groups or Craigslist, use reselling apps like Decluttr, or open an online store on eBay.
Price it right: Pricing items competitively garners buyer interest and maximizes profit.
Learn more: Free webinars, like Flipper University and the Flea Market Flipper, offer insights for a successful flipping business.
Remember, flipping can be more than just a side hustle; it’s a potential full-time career.
32. Micro-Tasking
Micro-tasking offers a quick way for you to earn money by completing short and simple tasks.
As its popularity grows, so does the list of platforms where you can find micro-jobs. Here are the popular platforms.
This allows your the flexibility to work whenever you want. Plus no special skills or degrees are needed.
Just note… This is not a stable income source
Tips for Finding the Best Way for You to Make Money
As you can see, there are many different ways to make money fast as a woman.
You can find the best way for you by considering your skills, interests, and the amount of time you have available.
Here are some helpful tips to make sure you are earning money quickly.
1. Identify Your Skills and Offerings
You’re already gifted, let’s transform those skills into fast cash.
Make a list of your skills, passions, and expertise; you can tap into anything from programming to knitting.
That is where you want to start.
From personal experience, I can tell you it is way easier to work on a side hustle or business when you are passionate about the topic.
Remember, the digital world is your playground, so play, innovate and cash-in.
2. Research the Best Ways to Make Money
Now, that you know the skills and experience, look at the list above and determine which ones match up.
You will need to spend time watching a free webinar to learn more.
Compare different money-making ideas. From part-time jobs to freelancing, there’s a plethora of options. You need to pick what works best for you.
Remember, generating a consistent income requires effective strategies and the right mindset. So choose wisely!
3. Try Different Ways to Make Money – Not Just 9-5 Jobs
It’s vital to explore different money-making strategies as a woman for financial stability and independence.
Just because one avenue didn’t work out doesn’t mean you should throw in the towel.
Remember, the key to success is perseverance, so pick something you’re passionate about and stick to it. Try not to jump from one idea to another out of impatience; success takes time.
Also, as your revenue increases, start building a lifestyle business for passive income.
4. Focus on the Things You Are Good at
Unlock your financial potential by recognizing and utilizing things you’re excellent at.
To cash in fast:
Identify your standout skills. These could range from writing, fine arts, math, e-commerce to digital marketing or even passions such as sports and hobbies.
Assess the viability of earning via your skills. Research shows that the digital economy is filled with opportunities.
Exploit platforms that cater to your expertise. For freelance gigs, you can try platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, or Guru.
There are so many ways to make money online as a beginner. So, indulge in the digital playground, embrace exploration and innovation, and let your skills earn for you.
5. Find Opportunities That Allow You to Work Flexibly
You can choose when to work and when not to, rather than being constrained by a 9 to 5 workday. The flexibility to create your schedule means you can operate at your most productive times, whether that’s early in the morning or late at night.
Working from home or any location across the globe enables a better work-life balance, reducing stress and improving productivity. This is particularly beneficial for those who have families or are committed to other obligations.
When working for yourself, you may have the potential to earn more than traditional salaried roles.
Lastly, making a living from your passion is huge!
You are being paid to do what you love anywhere, anytime which is rare and precious.
6. Consider Specializing in a Niche Subject
Specializing in a niche subject can elevate your earning potential quickly, owing to smaller competition and a personalized audience.
Being a subject matter expert in a specific area can provide you with an edge over your competitors.
Specializing in a niche can help you stand out and garner a dedicated audience, ultimately leading to faster earnings.
Remember, the key to making money faster in your specialized area is persistence and patience. It may take time to build a strong following, but once you do, the financial rewards can be substantial.
Stick to your chosen area, continuously learn and improve, and consistently deliver high-quality content to make your mark in your chosen niche.
7. Take Advantage of Trending Opportunities
Jumping on trending opportunities can be a gold mine, especially for women who want to make money fast from home. These ever-evolving trends tap into various skill sets, interests, and experiences, potentially translating into a lucrative gig.
For many, it may have been TikTok when the company first started.
Remember, the digital world holds limitless potential. Just needing to innovate and execute your ideas!
8. Invest in the Right Tools and Equipment
The key to making money, either online or offline, is making an informed investment of your time into the right tools, equipment, and learning resources.
While this can initially seem like an expenditure rather than a money-making step, it is, in fact, a cornerstone of your financial growth strategy.
Investing time in learning and increasing your knowledge base is vital. This could mean spending your time reading about new insights in your area of work, attending webinars, or enrolling in online courses. The ROI of this proactive learning is immense.
Consider this an opportunity or a catalyst that speeds up your journey toward substantial income generation and financial freedom.
9. Commit to Consistent Efforts
Commitment to consistent efforts is the cornerstone of any successful endeavor, more so when running your own side hustle.
One of the fundamental principles for making money is the dedication to keep improving your craft, always learning, and always evolving.
This continual effort involves a long-term commitment to staying updated with the latest writing trends, styles, and industry standards.
With persistence and patience, the fruition of your investments will lead you toward the fulfillment of your financial dreams.
10. Utilize Social Media Platforms to Promote Your Business
Social media platforms are powerful tools for business promotion, and when used strategically, they can lead to fast monetary gains.
Understanding how to effectively utilize these platforms can drastically enhance your chances of making quick bucks.
Start by creating a robust online presence for your business on various social media platforms. Remember, consistency is key to building your brand.
Engage with your audience frequently and respond to their comments. This boosts engagement on your posts.
Post content that is engaging, relevant, and aligns with your business values.
Always monitor your performance using social media analytics to understand what works best for your audience.
Which side hustles for women have you tried?
Personally, here are the side hustles I have done or currently do:
Stock Trading as a swing trader
Online Content Creation
Social Media Influencer
Online Consulting
Pet Sitting or House Sitting
Teaching Dance Lessons
Personal Organizer
However, I know many people that have tried the ones listed above.
So ladies, which of these enticing hustles appeals to your skills and schedule the most?
FAQ
Stay-at-home moms have numerous opportunities to earn money from the comfort of their homes. Plus being able to bump up your household income while juggling parenthood is the perfect combination.
Find the best jobs for moms specifically!
Any of these opportunities requires dedication and consistent effort, but with time they can all yield substantial returns.
Thankfully, there are many ways for women to make money online.
Above we covered all of the interesting ways and many are online.
Remember, opt for an avenue that suits your skills, interests, and time availability.
Well. the answer to this will depend on who you speak with.
Personally, I find ways to build passive income with your side hustle as the best option. Then you aren’t trading your time for money.
As a woman, many opportunities are right at your fingertips. The most popular and profitable include:
Start a blog: With consistent readership, you can make thousands from ad revenue and sponsored content.
Virtual assistant: Services can fetch around $10-30/hour.
Social Media Management: Businesses are willing to pay up to $1000-2000 per month for proficient managers.
Bookkeeping: On average, freelance bookkeepers earn around $34/hour.
Selling products online: Sites like Etsy, Amazon FBA, or your own platform can earn you a substantial income with a successful shop.
Trading Stocks or Options: by improving your investing knowledge, you can quickly increase your net worth.
Remember – it all starts with a step. Your side hustle could turn into a full-time passion!
This is How to Make Money from Home as a Woman
In conclusion, as a woman, there are plenty of genius and fast ways for you to make money.
The article underlines the significance of grabbing the reins of your financial future.
Through the strategies shared – including investing in stocks, working from home, or using budgeting hacks, you can boost your income significantly.
One of the concepts, I’m big on is making sure you know how to make your money work for you.
With wise decisions and being open to possibilities, your financial independence is within reach.
Remember – the ball is in your court, so make sure to take that shot and score your financial goals. It’s high time to cash in on your potential!
Know someone else that needs this, too? Then, please share!!
School can be a place of growth and learning, but certain subjects can feel like a burden for many students. From the complexities of Math and Calculus to the seemingly dry topics of History and Literature, students often dread a range of subjects. In this article, we look closely at some of the most universally hated school subjects, examining what makes them so challenging and why students often dislike them. Whether you’re a student or just looking to understand the perspectives of those who are, this article provides insight into the struggles and frustrations of the modern-day student.
1. Math
There’s no denying that Math is one of the most hated subjects in the world. While math is logical and follows distinct rules, people tend to hate it because of the intense and complex calculations, notes and often lack of really good explanations by the teachers.
2. Physical Education
This is one of the most hated, especially for out-of-shape students. It’s hard to exercise, stretch, run, jump, and play other sports when you’re out of shape, and regardless of how fit you are, it’s always harder to exercise than chill with some video games.
3. History
When you hear history, what comes to mind is usually boredom! Many students wonder why they should have to learn about what a bunch of old people did in the past. That’s what students think of when they hear “History Class”, and to some extent, they’re right; it can be a total bore if it’s taught as a list of facts to memorize for a test. Perhaps more than other subjects, having an interesting teacher can make or break your history class.
4. Literature
Literature is by far one of the most subjective topics in school because there are fewer hard-and-fast rules, as there are in science, math, and history. Also, because you would have to read and understand the full book for each of the exams, homework can be lengthy and challenging. The questions are deep, and students need to read between the lines before attempting to answer the questions. Some students love literature, but for those who don’t, it can turn into a big challenge really quickly.
5. Philosophy
Philosophy is by far one of the most challenging and boring at the same time because it just asks questions, raises questions, and can be so confusing all at once. Philosophy has even fewer rules than literature and is intended to leave students with more questions than answers. While it can be really interesting and pushes students to think well, philosophy is not a favorite subject.
6. Psychology
This can be similar to philosophy, but it deals with studying and understanding mental processes, which could be often referred to as a science. Still, it’s a very complicated one that depends a great deal on knowing the ins and outs of human nature. Psychology is more of a science of thinking, but even though so many students can’t quite wrap their heads around it, it greatly benefits society.
7. Chemistry
Chemistry is a major science subject with a lot of twists and turns, which can be quite difficult to understand, especially if you don’t have a great teacher. Chemistry is one of the sciences that involves a lot of math, so it’s a double whammy; if you hate math, you might not like chemistry. The bottom line of this subject basically becomes self-study which can be quite difficult for some students.
8. Calculus
Hailed as the most hated subject by college students, advanced math and calculations leave many students confused. There’s a lot of material to calculus, and professors have to move quickly, so anyone who doesn’t already have a good grasp of the subject or doesn’t keep up on their homework can easily get confused and left behind by the rest of the class.
9. Social Studies
Social studies is a subject very similar to history, but it studies the way that laws, social responsibilities, and culture all play into each other. Social Studies deals with man and his environment, so it has a lot of both history and the ways that people interact with the world around them, almost like a combination of history and psychology. If you struggled with one or both of those subjects, then social studies might be challenging for you.
To wrap things up, the most hated school subjects vary from student to student, but there are some that seem to be universally disliked. Whether it’s the subjective nature of literature or the confusing theories in philosophy, these subjects can make the learning experience a challenge for many students. But for all the students out there who are struggling with their least favorite subject, remember that perseverance and a growth mindset can help you overcome any obstacle.
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