The FAIR Plan’s 29.1% increase took effect October 15. Here’s what it does to an Orange County escrow, your loan approval, and your listing.
Author Archives: Jaleesa
Rates held at 7.40% while OC closings fell 24% in a week. Inventory is back over 5,000 — but discounts narrowed on both ends. What I’d do now.
Loan, appraisal, investigation — all 17 days in the California RPA. Here’s what removing each one actually commits you to in an OC escrow.
Rates hit 7.40%, a three-year high. OC inventory slipped under 5,000, pendings fell again, and the luxury discount narrowed. What I’d do now.
Orange County’s 2026 conforming limit is $1,249,125. Here’s what changes at one dollar over it — reserves, down payment, appraisals and lock strategy.
Rates hit 7.28%, OC pending sales fell to the lowest level since February, and 43% of listings have cut price. What I’d do this week.
Now California Has Declared One Too. Here’s What It Means for Our Sand and Homes. I grew up in the Netherlands, where my family’s home sits 18 feet below sea level. When you come from a country where managing the ocean is literally a matter of daily survival, you view coastal threats through a very […]
I’ve been waiting to see which breaks first this fall: our prices or our buyers. This week we are getting closer to the answer. Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey put the 30-year fixed at 7.03% on September 24, up from 6.95% the week before and 6.30% a year ago. The 15-year fixed moved to […]
Every few months I meet a buyer who has already designed the house in their head. Second story, bigger deck, glass wall facing the water. Then they learn about the coastal development permit. If you’re buying a coastal home in Orange County -Laguna Beach, Dana Point, Corona del Mar, Newport Beach or San Clemente- with […]
Last Wednesday the Federal Reserve did something it hasn’t done in quiet some time. It raised rates. The Fed lifted its benchmark by a quarter point on September 16, to a target range of 3.75% to 4.00%, on a 12–0 vote. As Redfin reported, Chair Kevin Warsh put it simply: “We removed a dose of […]







