Eric Swenson - Mortgage Loan Officer

12/09/2025

Why Move-Up Buyers Feel Stuck

I’m seeing this more and more lately. Move-up buyers are excited for a new home, but the logistics of selling first and buying second create some tough choices.

One option: try to stage and show the home while still living in it, keep everything show-ready, and hope the timing of both closings line up perfectly.

The other option isn’t much better: sell first, move into temporary housing, pack and unpack twice, store all your belongings, and absorb the extra costs that come with two separate moves.

It’s easy to see why so many buyers feel stuck before they ever get started.

Realtors feel this pressure too. The whole process turns into a juggling act—timelines, showings, contingent offers and two transactions that rarely land the way clients hope.

There are ways to help buyers move forward with less stress and fewer roadblocks, but it all depends on the buyer’s situation. If you’d like to talk through the strategies that can prevent the “two-mortgage problem,” eliminate contingent offers and give everyone more control over the move-up process, I’m happy to explain what’s possible.

11/20/2025

5.0 star review received on Experience.com for Eric Swenson by Michael J M - I'm a uneducated and very difficult client and Eric still treated and gave me the best help and worked for me... I would recommend him to anyone and I personally will never use anyone other than him.

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11/10/2025

Every week I read the same reports everyone else does — consumer confidence, retail forecasts, home sentiment, GDP projections. The headlines all point to the same thing: the American consumer is tired, but not tapped out - cautious, but still spending.

Here’s what that really means if you’re trying to make financial or housing decisions right now:

People are adjusting, not panicking.
We’ve lived with higher prices long enough that inflation fatigue has replaced inflation fear. Households are still spending — just more deliberately. That mindset carries over into housing: less FOMO, more “does this make sense for me?”

Affordability is the real story.
Rates get the attention, but it’s the total monthly cost — price, taxes, insurance — that’s creating hesitation.

Sellers are getting a reality check.
Homes are sitting longer, price cuts are common, and buyers aren’t rushing the first weekend anymore. That’s not a crash — it’s balance returning.

Debt is the quiet drag.
Credit cards and auto loans keep inching up. Many households are carrying 8–10% blended rates across debts. I’m seeing more people focused on restructuring and flexibility, not just refinancing.

Optimism isn’t gone — it’s just grown up.
After three choppy years, consumers are still working, spending, and planning. It’s not blind optimism anymore — it’s earned confidence.

10/29/2025

It’s Fed Day — but what does that actually mean for you?

The Federal Reserve is widely expected to cut its short-term rate by a quarter point later today — a move the markets have already priced in. But here’s the part that matters: the Fed’s decision doesn’t directly lower mortgage rates. Their rate affects things like credit cards, home equity lines, and car loans more immediately.

Mortgage rates are driven mainly by the bond market and those investors are paying close attention to what the Fed says just as much as what it does. If today’s message sounds confident about inflation and the economy, we could see rates hold steady or even improve slightly. If the tone feels more cautious, markets may wait for more data before making any big moves.

The bottom line: this is part of a longer story about affordability and stability — not an overnight shift. What matters most is having a plan that works whether rates move up, down, or sideways.

If you want to talk through what today’s decision might mean for your situation — whether it’s buying, refinancing, or restructuring debt — I’m happy to help make sense of it.

10/27/2025

Market Recap + Look Ahead

The market stayed pretty steady last week — mostly because there wasn’t much new data to move it. The government shutdown has slowed economic reports and even last week’s inflation update didn’t shake things up much. Mortgage rates have been hovering near the same range for a while now.

This week, all eyes are on the Fed. A small rate cut is already expected, so the real question is what they’ll say next — about inflation, the economy, and how confident they feel about the path forward.

For now, it feels like we’re in a “wait and see” moment. If you’re wondering how that plays into your plans — whether it’s buying, refinancing, or just keeping tabs on the market — I’m happy to talk through it.

10/07/2025

Bridging the Affordability Gap

We often talk about interest rates and home prices — and together, they shape what most people can afford. But the bigger story right now is the growing gap between what people can afford and what’s actually available in the marketplace. For many buyers, that gap is what’s keeping their plans on hold.

Prices remain high, inventory is limited and most of what’s being built today sits well above the entry-level range. Even well-qualified buyers are finding that what they can afford on paper doesn’t line up with what’s available in real life.

This isn’t just a market problem — it’s a bigger-picture issue that touches how we build, plan, and finance housing. Other countries and cities have tackled it with creative approaches: repurposing old buildings into housing, using community land trusts to lower land costs, offering preapproved “pattern book” home designs to speed construction and encouraging mixed-income neighborhoods through smart zoning. Each strategy has the same goal — create more attainable paths to ownership and stability.

There are also financial tools designed to help close the gap. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac both offer programs that allow qualified buyers to purchase with lower down payments, flexible income guidelines and reduced mortgage insurance. Pairing those with local down payment assistance programs or community second mortgages can make the difference between waiting and owning.

None of these options solve affordability by themselves. Together, they open doors that might otherwise stay closed. When more people can put down roots, the whole community grows stronger.

If you’ve been thinking about how to make that next step affordable, I’m always happy to talk it through.

10/03/2025

Lately I’ve been hearing people say they’re feeling stuck in their homes. And honestly, I get it. If you locked in a 3% mortgage a few years ago, the thought of trading that in for something closer to 7% today feels like a non-starter.

That’s what people mean when they talk about being “locked in.” Some folks are still moving — because life happens, families grow, jobs change — but this dynamic helps explain why the number of homes for sale feels so low right now.

The good news? Even in this kind of market, people are making moves when it makes sense for them. Sometimes it’s about looking at the numbers differently, sometimes it’s about timing and sometimes it’s just about life needing more space.

👉 If you’re feeling a little stuck too, I’m always here to talk it through if you want.

10/02/2025

The federal government is now in a shutdown, and it leaves many people wondering: what does this really mean for me?

The truth is, most daily life carries on. Mail still gets delivered. Social Security checks still go out. But some areas do slow down: loan processing tied to federal agencies, certain permits or approvals, and access to economic data that helps businesses make decisions. And the longer the shutdown lasts, the more those ripple effects start to build.

What’s happening in Washington can feel frustrating because it creates uncertainty without clear timelines. But here’s the takeaway — in times like this, the best move is to stay focused on your goals while leaving yourself room to adjust if circumstances shift.

👉 If you’d like to talk through how to prepare for the unexpected, I’m here to help.

09/30/2025

With all the talk about a government shutdown, it’s natural to wonder what it could mean for you. A shutdown may not cause big swings in rates, but it can still create ripple effects that touch the process of buying or refinancing a home.

That might look like delayed economic reports, slower processing time or extra hiccups if your loan depends on certain federal programs. For most people, it just means things could take a little longer or feel less certain than usual.

The best way to handle that is by planning ahead — building in a little extra time, staying flexible and being ready when the right opportunity comes along.

👉 If you’d like to talk through what that could look like in your situation, I’m here to help.