So many factors are involved in determining when and how much to raise rates. The Central Bank overnight rate, where banks around the world lend money to each other, will be rising, putting pressure on and elevating mortgage rates. The 10-Year bond yield is going up, causing what the consumer pays to go up too. Financial markets get nervous when worldwide events are occurring, so they raise rates to slow down borrowing or tighten restrictions on lending money, thus covering their risk. Supply chain issues are pushing prices higher, creating inflation. All of these, combined with numerous other elements, are influencing what happens in the mortgage market and affecting what is available to loan seekers. Will this upward movement in rates shift the market away from the recent refinancing trend towards more home purchasing?

Solar and alternative energy sources are the wave of the future. The seemingly endless bureaucratic red tape creates a measurable delay between the collection of that energy and the distribution to consumers. Are the existing energy companies that rely on more traditional energy sources putting obstacles in the way of more widespread alternative energy collection and use? Should there be increased governmental incentives to help those traditional energy producers convert their existing fossil fuel plants to harness solar, wind, and other energies, reducing our carbon footprint? Jeff’s guests this week include:

– Michelle Wilde, VP of Sales at Orion Lending, discusses down payment assistance programs.

– Clint Brown from Atlas, Inc. gives Jeff an overview of solar energy options.