Accunet Mortgage & Realty Show 6-7-25

Accunet Mortgage & Realty Show 6-7-25

This week on the Accunet Mortgage and Realty Show, Brian and David Wickert break down a surprisingly strong May jobs report—roughly double the expected new jobs—and why good news for the economy spooked both the bond and stock markets. With the Fed funds futures markets now pricing in real odds of a rate increase by year-end, the guys put today’s mortgage rates in perspective: a 30-year fixed around 6.49% feels worse only because of the “recency effect.” Dial back a few years to when rates were 7.99% and today looks pretty good. Then it’s story time from the front lines of southeastern Wisconsin’s still-hot housing market. Brian shares a tale of a one-bath, one-car Brookfield home that drew 30 showings but zero opening offers—and what happened next. They dig into the rise of waived home inspections (one big brokerage reports 56% of accepted offers skip them), why sellers might actually want buyers to inspect, and some example CYA addendums protecting agents. Plus: a real client wins with an escalator clause and an appraisal waiver—and the reading-comprehension showdown over netting out buyer-agent commissions. The recurring lesson? Know how to read.

Accunet Mortgage & Realty Show 5-23-26

This week’s episode covers the surprising disconnect between mortgage rates and buyer motivation. David Wickert and Tim Holdmann open by noting that despite rates sitting near recent highs and only “whisperings of peace” in the Middle East, Accunet clients flooded their inboxes this week with accepted offers. The takeaway: people buy homes when they’re ready to, headlines be damned. The hosts dig into why closing speed matters more to sellers than buyers often realize, and they demystify “skipping” your first mortgage payment, explaining how interest paid in arrears can mean weeks before payments begin. Two real client stories anchor the episode. First, a retired client whose lake home burned down weighs a construction loan against a simpler cash-out second mortgage on his primary residence, a lesson in balancing fiscal optimization against real-life headache. Second, Tim recounts advising an 83-year-old client toward a competitor’s portfolio loan for a new-construction condo that couldn’t yet qualify for Fannie/Freddie financing.  The throughline: character is who you are when you’re not doing the loan. Honest advice builds relationships that outlast any single transaction.

Accunet Mortgage & Realty Show 5-16-26

David Wickert and Tim Holdmann tackle the gap between scary rate headlines and what actually matters in real-life home buying. Friday’s bond market move pushed monthly payments on a $400K loan up just $56 — hardly the “rates skyrocket” doom the click-bait crowd was selling. For serious home shoppers, fewer competing offers is actually a silver lining. Tim shares the story of repeat clients expecting twins (going from man-to-man to zone defense) who closed despite the rate shift, plus an Illinois condo buyer using a strategic June 1 closing date as their competitive edge — sometimes speed and certainty beat dollars. David walks through a four-kid family wrestling with the timing puzzle of buying before selling, and the “softly breathing into the phone” moment when clients realize their 20% down payment plan depends on a sale that hasn’t happened yet. Plus: the trade-off conversation with a client choosing to make a $100,000 larger down payment to save $700/month — why wealthy people think in assets while everyone else thinks in monthly payments, and why your personal comfort level is always the right answer, even when the math suggests otherwise.

Accunet Mortgage & Realty Show 4-26-26

Brian Wickert and David Wickert break down a strong March in the Milwaukee metro housing market, with closed purchase units up 13.5% and fresh listings up 11%. They dig into why timing now matters more than price in a digital world where every qualified buyer sees a new listing within minutes of it hitting the market. Brian and David share three real client stories from the week: a Platteville first-time buyer who landed a home after the seller’s three-week-old listing went stale; a Wauwatosa buyer who came in strong with a no-appraisal-needed offer at 25% down but lost to a competitor who waived inspection; and a creative Waukesha County couple who mailed letters to homeowners and locked down a 100-day closing with $7,000 in seller concessions. David closes with a Duplex 101 segment covering 5% down conventional financing, FHA’s 3.5% down option for 2-4 unit properties, reserve requirements, and how appraiser-determined market rent (with a 25% haircut) can help you qualify even before a tenant moves in.

Accunet Mortgage & Realty Show 4-18-26

David Wickert and Tim Holdmann break down why rates are no longer the headline-grabber clients think they are. Life happens — twins on the way, a bigger yard, aging parents, a move to Florida — and the right house matters far more than chasing a perfect rate. As David and Tim put it: upgrade the mortgage later, but get the house now. The duo dig into the one-year lender-paid temporary rate buydown, explaining how front-loading your savings into the first twelve months of a mortgage often makes more sense than spreading it thin across thirty years you probably won’t keep the loan for anyway. They share real client stories, including a homeowner halfway through a buydown who now has the chance to reset the clock at no loan cost — cake, meet fork. Plus: a Wisconsin homeowner headed to Florida learns there’s a smoother way to fund the purchase than liquidating retirement accounts and triggering a tax bill. The answer was sitting in his Wisconsin equity the whole time. Mortgage consulting, Accunet-style: ask more questions, learn before prescribing, and always give clients choice.