Chris Falbo - CrossCountry Mortgage

10/14/2026

More financial freedom isn’t always about accumulating more.

Sometimes, it’s about creating the flexibility to enjoy what you’ve already built.
My colleague down in PA, Anthony Byrnes, recently put a name to a risk we don’t discuss enough: Regret Risk.

A sound retirement plan should protect against running out of money. It should also help clients avoid postponing every trip, family visit, home update, or meaningful experience until the healthy years are gone.

Protect tomorrow—without forgetting to live today.
For some homeowners, thoughtfully incorporating housing wealth may be one option worth evaluating.

Great perspective, Anthony.

10/14/2026

Aging in place is about more than modifying a home. It’s about planning early—while homeowners still have choices.

Aging in Place conversations are a good reminder for advisors to ask:

🏠 Will the home continue to meet the client’s needs?
🤝 Who belongs in their support network?
📋 How will future home, care, and living expenses be handled?
🧭 Could housing wealth appropriately support the larger retirement plan?

For some eligible homeowners, a reverse mortgage may be one option worth evaluating. It won’t be right for everyone, which is why these conversations should include the homeowner, their family, and trusted advisors.

If you have a client who wants to remain at home but hasn’t mapped out how, I’m happy to be a resource.

10/12/2026

10/09/2026

The rate shock is accelerating—and retirement planning just got more expensive.

📈 30-year mortgage: 7.28%
📊 10-year Treasury: above 5.3%
🏠 FHA: transitioning to a new appraisal framework

Housing finance is moving fast.

And when the cost of money rises, one question matters even more:

Where should the next dollar of retirement come from?

🔹 Investment account?
🔹 IRA?
🔹 HELOC?
🔹 Reverse mortgage?
🔹 Home sale?

There is no universal answer.

But there is one takeaway:

Housing wealth deserves a seat at the planning table.

The equity is still there.

Accessing it is simply becoming more:

⚡ Rate-sensitive
🧩 Product-sensitive
🧠 Planning-intensive

For advisors, this is not about picking a mortgage product.

It is about determining which asset should fund the next dollar of retirement—and which assets may be better left alone.

10/05/2026

When Things Get Loud, Leadership Gets Quiet: Who has been the steady voice in the room when you needed one most?

09/30/2026

Social Security’s purchasing power has eroded, leaving retirees with less real income than a decade ago.

When purchasing power shrinks, retirement planning has to work harder. Home equity can help expand the options.

Learn more at https://www.nrmlaonline.org/.../report-social-security...

09/24/2026

Delayed homeownership has long-lasting financial impacts. Fewer years to build home equity, fewer chances to be mortgage-free by age 65, and paying a mortgage later in life. See how it adds up in our article: http://spr.ly/6047BG633B

09/16/2026

When the Retirement Plan Needs Another Move, Play the Reverse Card. 🔄

Most mortgage conversations start the same way. This one goes in reverse.

For homeowners who are 62 or older (55 or older in certain states), it’s a different kind of mortgage conversation—one that starts with what they’ve built, not what they need to borrow, and the opportunities that may come with staying put.

For advisors, the question isn’t simply, “Does my client need a mortgage?”

It may be: “Could home equity give the retirement plan another move?”

Can I share the strategy I plan to use when I turn 62? It’s a lot different than you think.

09/07/2026

Happy Labor Day!

Today celebrates the work we do and the reasons we do it. You’re a big part of our why, so thank you for making every hard day worth it.

Good Work Builds More Than a Living. It Builds a Life.