🦃 Turkey Comas & Mortgage Dramas

Thursday, November 27, 2025 | Happy Thanksgiving! 🍂

🎁 Today's Lender Promos & Opportunities

💰 Looking for a loan for ANY property? We've got you covered. Fill out this quick form and let's make it happen! Whether you're buying your dream home or that fixer-upper you've been eyeing, we'll connect you with the right lender.

🏠 Investment property specifically? Even better! Drop your info here and we'll match you with investment property specialists who know the game inside and out.

🏖️ STR/Airbnb loan? Listen, short-term rentals are where it's at right now. Connect with an STR loan specialist who lives and breathes vacation rentals.

📊 Today's Rate Rundown

The Thanksgiving Gift That Keeps on Giving? Lower Rates! 🎯

While you're stuffing your face with stuffing (meta, right?), mortgage rates are doing something actually worth celebrating. According to Mortgage News Daily, we're sitting at some seriously attractive levels right now:

• 30-year fixed: Around 6.22% - that's basically kissing the lowest levels since late October! 💋
• 15-year fixed: Hanging around 5.47% - looking pretty dang good
• The vibe: Rates have been playing nice all week, dropping steadily

Fun fact: These are effectively near 3-year lows. Let that sink in while you're deciding between pumpkin and pecan pie. 🥧

💡 What this means for you: If you've been sitting on the fence about refinancing or buying, this Thanksgiving might be giving you an actual reason to be thankful. Markets are closed today for the holiday (everyone needs a turkey break), but Friday could be interesting. Pro tip? Lock in these rates while everyone else is still in their food coma. 😴

🏡 Housing Market Tea ☕

The Great Florida Cooling-Off

Okay, so remember when everyone and their grandma was moving to Florida during the pandemic? Well, plot twist: The Sunshine State is now home to 7 of the 10 coolest (read: declining) housing markets in the country. 😬

Cape Coral is down 7.1% year-over-year, and compared to the 2022 peak? Try a 13% drop. Ouch. The culprit? Rising insurance costs (hello, hurricane alley 🌀), property taxes that won't quit, and the reality that maybe living in eternal summer isn't worth the property insurance premium that rivals your mortgage payment.

But wait, there's a silver lining: For STR investors who've been priced out? This could be your moment. Market corrections = opportunity for the savvy buyer who knows how to play it right.

Sellers Are Throwing in the Towel 🏳️

Here's something wild: Sellers are pulling their homes off the market at the fastest pace in nearly a decade. Why? Because homes are sitting there for 60+ days looking sad and lonely, and prices are getting squishy.

Translation: If you're buying, you've got leverage. Sellers are getting tired, and tired sellers make deals. 💪

The Midwest is Having a Moment 🌽

While Florida does its thing, the Midwest is quietly crushing it. Detroit home prices? Up 7.4% to a median of $290K. Lansing-East Lansing? Up nearly 10%. The secret sauce? Affordability + solid local economies + buyers who are over paying $800K for a starter home in sunny paradise.

🎲 The Fed Rate Cut Drama

So here's where it gets spicy. Remember when a December rate cut was basically a sure thing? LOL, not anymore. 🎢

Current odds of a cut: Basically a coin flip at around 50-50 (was 98% likely a month ago!)

What happened? The government shutdown created a data blackout, the September jobs report showed surprising strength (119K jobs added vs. 50K expected), and Fed officials are suddenly singing from different hymn books. Chair Powell basically said "a December cut isn't a foregone conclusion—far from it." Translation: Don't hold your breath. 😤

The tension: Inflation is still at 3% (Fed wants 2%), but the job market is showing cracks. The Fed's trying to do a balancing act while riding a unicycle. Blindfolded. In a windstorm.

For mortgage shoppers: Don't wait for a Fed cut to pull the trigger. Mortgage rates already dropped before the last two Fed cuts. The market price stuff in ahead of time. Today's rates are pretty stellar already—take advantage!

💰 Money Moves: Personal Finance Tips

Post-Thanksgiving Financial Hangover Cure 🍷

If you're reading this on your couch in sweatpants surrounded by leftovers, good. Now let's talk about making some smart money moves before the year ends:

1. Max Out That 401(k) Before Dec 31 📅
You've got about a month left to contribute to your 401(k) for 2025. The limit is $23,500 (or $31,000 if you're 50+). Even if you can't max it out, at minimum grab that employer match. It's literally free money, people.

2. The "Sinking Fund" Hack for Holiday Stress 🎄
Future you will thank present you: Set up a separate savings account for holiday expenses. Throw $100-200 a month in there starting NOW for next year's holidays. No more January credit card regret spirals!

3. Refinance Check 🔍
With rates where they are, run the numbers on your mortgage, car loan, or student loans. The Fed's been cutting rates, which means you might be able to refinance and save serious cash. Every $50/month in savings = $600/year = a nice vacation fund. ✈️

4. The Auto-Pilot Savings Trick 🤖
Set up automatic transfers from checking to savings. Start small—even $25/week = $1,300/year. You won't miss what you don't see, and your savings account will thank you.

5. Credit Card Balance Transfer Play 💳
Carrying high-interest credit card debt from all that holiday shopping? Look into 0% balance transfer cards. Move that balance, pause the interest bloodletting, and actually make progress paying it down.

🎯 Quick Win: Before you start any major financial moves, check your expenses from this year. Most people spend 20-30% more than they think. Knowledge is power (and savings). Download your bank statements and see where your money actually went. You'll be shocked.

🎁 More Ways We Can Help

🏗️ Cost Segregation Study = Tax Savings 💸
Own an investment property? A cost seg study could save you five figures or more on taxes. It's basically finding money hidden in your property's depreciation schedule. Get a free estimate here and see what you're leaving on the table.

🛋️ 0% Interest Furnishing for Your STR 🏖️
Want to upgrade your short-term rental but don't want to drop $20K upfront? We've partnered with a funding company that offers 0% interest financing for furniture, renovations, and amenities. Apply here and level up your property without the cash flow hit.

🦃 Thanksgiving Thought

While you're listing what you're thankful for today (family, health, that the in-laws are leaving tomorrow 😅), maybe add "sub-6.5% mortgage rates" to the list. Three years ago, these rates would've seemed like a pipe dream. Context is everything, folks.

Whether you're shopping for a primary residence, investment property, or that STR empire you've been dreaming about—now's actually a pretty great time. Don't let analysis paralysis keep you on the sidelines while you wait for the "perfect" rate. Perfect is the enemy of good, and good is what we've got right now. 📈

💌 That's it for today!

Have a fantastic Thanksgiving. Eat too much pie. Take a nap. And if you're thinking about making a real estate move, we're here when you're ready.

See you Friday! (If we can get off the couch 🛋️)

— The Lending Letter Team

Mortgage rates move fast. So do we. 🚀