Home prices keep climbing, the housing market got a major legislative update, and mortgage rates ticked up slightly last week. Here’s everything you need to know for the week of July 13th, 2026. [Read more…]
Mortgage Rates Edge Up as Housing Act Becomes Law | Mortgage Porter Weekly
July 13, 2026 by Leave a Comment
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act: What it Means for Washington State Homebuyers and Homeowners
July 12, 2026 by 1 Comment
Congress just passed the largest federal housing package in a generation, and it became law on July 11, 2026, without President Trump’s signature. If you’ve been feeling the squeeze of high home prices here in King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties, you’re probably wondering whether this changes anything for you. Here’s a plain-English breakdown of what’s in the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, and what it realistically means for our local market. [Read more…]
Questions Your Mortgage Loan Officer Should Be Asking You
July 11, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This is a companion piece to my post on 10 Questions You Should Ask a Loan Officer Before Working with Them. That post covers what to ask me. This one covers what I’ll be asking you — and why.
Once you’ve chosen a loan officer, the process shifts — now you’re the one answering questions. If it feels like a lot, that’s normal. Good underwriting is thorough because it protects you from closing on a loan you can’t comfortably sustain, not because anyone’s trying to trip you up. [Read more…]
Rent vs. Buy in Puyallup: A Case Study
July 10, 2026 by 1 Comment
If you’re a first-time homebuyer in Puyallup, you’ve probably run the mental math more than once: rent is lower than a mortgage payment, so isn’t renting the “safer” choice? It’s a fair question — and the honest answer is that the monthly payment is only part of the story. To actually compare the two, you need to factor in what happens to your money over time: home appreciation, the equity you build through your loan paydown, tax benefits, and how rent increases every year while a fixed-rate mortgage payment doesn’t. [Read more…]
Aging in Place in Washington: Homeowners Have Options
July 8, 2026 by 1 Comment
Editor’s note: This post was inspired by a recent HousingWire interview with Cameron Carter, CEO of Rosarium Health, on why aging in place is shifting from a lifestyle preference to a financial necessity. You can read the full interview here.
Aging in Place Is Becoming a Financial Necessity, Not Just a Preference
For years, “aging in place” has been talked about as a lifestyle choice — the version where you simply prefer your own kitchen to a facility dining room. That framing is changing. In a recent HousingWire interview, Cameron Carter, founder of health-tech startup Rosarium Health, made the case that aging in place is increasingly driven by cost and capacity, not preference: skilled nursing and assisted living have gotten more expensive, and in some states the wait list to get into preferred institutional care runs two to three years. People aren’t just choosing to stay home — in many cases, they’re staying home because there’s nowhere else to go yet. [Read more…]
