Blog
What we're seeing in the market, how loan products actually work, and what the headline rate quote isn't telling you.
Loan Programs
October 19, 2026 · NewThe most common question we get — answered eleven times.
Easy loans, hard loans, small loans, jumbo loans. Government, bank statement, DSCR, renovation, reverse, seconds, HELOCs. All yes — powered by Rate's in-house portfolio platform. Y sí, en español también, with a team that speaks your language from application to closing.
Closing Costs
October 13, 2026Most of PA splits 2%. The outliers more than double it.
The 50/50 split is custom, not law. Philly's at 4.578% and it isn't even the most expensive — Pittsburgh and Reading tie at 5%. The full outlier map, the real-dollar swings, and the calculator that knows all 47 local rate variations.
Market Pulse
September 27, 2026A nor'easter outside, a bond storm on the screens.
The 10-year Treasury just hit its highest level since 2007 and mortgage rates followed it up. No sugarcoating — but storms pass, people keep buying homes through them, and buyers with a structured plan win while everyone else hides indoors.
Appraisals
September 21, 2026Goodbye "gross living area." Goodbye 1004. Mandatory November 2.
UAD 3.6 and the new URAR redefine housing's most basic terms, collapse five forms into one, and restructure 94% of the appraisal's data. What it really means for turn times, costs, and your closing calendar — plus the credit-report fee saga that shows what a true cost problem looks like.
Market Pulse
August 29, 2026The Fed can stay stubborn. This market isn't waiting for permission.
Two straight months of cooling inflation, a hawkish first Jackson Hole speech from Fed Chair Warsh — and a Philadelphia market Zillow ranks 6th hottest in America, with local jobs and demand doing the heavy lifting.
Local Market
August 16, 2026 · NewMillennial homeownership here nearly doubled in five years.
Up 92% vs. 74% nationally — beating every major Northeastern metro. Incomes outrunning prices 2-to-1, rowhomes as the entry point, and 386,000 young homeowners who ignored the doom headlines.
One Philly Mortgage
August 1, 2026 · NewFirst program of its kind launched by a city — and Philly Rate was at the table.
Inside the PHDC working session with Mayor Cherelle Parker: a $450K sales price cap, 3% down, no mortgage insurance, subsidized below-market 30-year fixed rates — stackable with DPA down to as little as 1.5% out of pocket.
Policy Update
July 19, 2026 · NewThe most housing-focused law in decades, decoded for the street.
Counseling accountability, a real appraisal-dispute process, small-dollar mortgage relief, community bank competition, and a CBDC ban through 2030 — section by section, with what it means in PA, NJ, and DE.
Down Payment Assistance
July 5, 2026 · NewAssistance funds at record highs — and a path in for as little as $1,000.
As federal funding pulled back, states, cities, nonprofits, and private funds pushed homebuyer assistance to a record 2,679 programs nationwide. What's stackable in our region — and how the right structure shrinks your out-of-pocket to four figures.
Market Pulse
June 29, 2026 · NewRates eased on inflation news. Then Warsh changed the game.
A friendly inflation print gave rates room to breathe, and Kevin Warsh ran his first Fed meeting — taking a hammer to the dot plot. What it means for homebuyers, realtors, and loan officers.
VA Loans
June 5, 2026 · NewA simpler appraisal. A clearer path for Veteran buyers.
Detached sheds, post-1978 peeling paint, and several certifications come off the list. What changed May 1, what stayed, what was never an MPR issue — plus how Rate's HONOR group and $70M+ in waived VA lender fees show up for Veteran borrowers.
Policy Update
June 2, 2026 · NewThe biggest condo-lending reset since Surfside.
Lender Letter LL-2026-03 rewrites project standards and insurance requirements. What's already in effect, what kicks in this August, and the 10%→15% reserve change that lands in 2027 — itemized for realtors and buyers.
Market Pulse
May 30, 2026 · NewRates holding the range. Inventory loosening in the suburbs.
30Y fixed at 6.53%, 10Y around 4.45%, Fed in pause mode. What's moving in Philly, South Jersey, Northern Delaware, and Northern Maryland — and what to tell clients this week.
Rate Education
A dangerous question if not prepared.
Quotes can vary by 3% on the same day for the same buyer. How a "low" rate hides points and junk fees — and why APR is the consumer disclosure that levels the playing field.
Products
DSCR, bank statement, asset depletion, non-warrantable condos.
The old Fannie/Freddie box doesn't fit every buyer. A plain-English tour of the in-house products Rate underwrites, closes, and funds directly.