Loan officers are going to Washington

For a hundred years, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) has moved mortgage policy in Washington. Last Wednesday, it brought 50 loan officers with it.  Loan officers are going to Washington. For a hundred years, that sentence had not been true. For a hundred years, the MBA has been the mortgage i

When standard DSCR falls short: What real estate investors should know about no-ratio financing

More investor deals are getting harder to finance cleanly on standard DSCR, not always because the investment is weak, but because current rents do not tell the whole story. That pressure is showing up in the numbers. ATTOM’s March 2026 Single-Family Rental Market Report found that potential rental

The Ground Lease Dilemma—Affordability Engine or Ticking Time Bomb?

The ground lease may be the real estate industry's "break glass in case of emergency" tool. The arrangement works by separating a structure from the dirt underneath it—cutting the costs for the developer and the eventual resident. Though this decoupling creates a much-needed entry point to an imposs

She Taught Private Swim Lessons at Home for 7 Years. Then the City Shut Her Down After a Neighbor’s Complaint.

The twin joys of swimming and teaching have always been central for Libby Souder. For years, the Columbia, SC, resident gave private swim lessons to local children in her backyard pool, which was more accessible and comfortable than public pools, especially for young children and those with disabili