Hayes Home Mortgage, LLC

08/25/2026

So happy to be able help our clients get into a larger home for their family and into a new school district for the kids. Big shout out to Jeanie Fischler Williams, Kestin Kim-Proudfoot eXp Realty, and Laurie Wood with Lawyers Title Oregon for making this such a smooth transaction. 🙌😊

08/14/2026

Rates may still be elevated in a general sense, but by the end of the week, they were as low as they've been since July 17th. If we have one thing to thank, it was this week's inflation data.

Things didn't start out on an optimistic note, however. Bond yields (which correlate with interest rates) moved sharply higher with oil prices on Monday as hopes for a U.S./Iran peace deal faded and risks increased of a prolonged blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Thankfully, prices stabilized by Tuesday morning and the bond market began positioning for the week's two key inflation reports.

Rates may still be elevated in a general sense, but by the end of the week, they were as low as they've been since July 17th. If we have one thing to thank, it was this week's inflation data.

08/12/2026

Another smooth transaction helping our clients move into a new home that better suits their growing family!

08/07/2026

Mortgage rates moved lower almost every day this week with most of the help coming from war-related headlines and a last-minute boost from the jobs report.

Rates are driven by bonds and the bond market dynamic is surprisingly simple these days. Oil price volatility is a constant source of inspiration with rates generally moving in the same direction as oil. Additional considerations include the usual suspects like big-ticket economic reports and any notable updates from the Federal Reserve.

Mortgage rates moved lower almost every day this week with most of the help coming from war-related headlines and a last minute boost from the jobs report.

07/31/2026

If there's one thing to know about this week's rate movement it's that it left us almost exactly where we were last Friday. How we got there felt a bit more dramatic at times.

The week began on a hopeful note following Sunday's news of a pause in the fighting in Iran. Oil prices moved lower in response and rates followed. Those good vibes lasted all the way through the first half of the week. It wasn't until Wednesday afternoon's Fed announcement that we saw a meaningful reversal. To make matters worse, it wasn't really a logical reversal at first glance.

If there's one thing to know about this week's rate movement is that it left us almost exactly where we were last Friday. How we got there felt a bit more dramatic at times.

07/10/2026

For 3 months, they were almost inseparable. Then in June, they went their separate ways. Now oil and rates are back together in July, for the most part.

Specifically, movement in oil prices was highly correlated with movement in rates (represented below by 10yr Treasury yields) after the onset of the Iran war. The reasoning was simple: higher fuel prices implied higher inflation, and higher inflation tends to result in higher rates.

06/12/2026

Happy to help our client close on her new home to start the next chapter of her life. Thanks to Chris Bonner at Neighbors Realty and Will Murphy, Realtor for making this such a smooth transaction all around!

06/12/2026

Since late March, markets have had repeated opportunities to play deal or no deal when it comes to ending the Iran war. Sometimes we won. Sometimes we lost. This week's installment was touch and go, but ultimately a winner.

A quick recap of the underlying nuts and bolts:

The Iran war caused oil prices to spike
Higher oil implies higher inflation
Higher inflation begets higher rates

Since late March, markets have had repeated opportunities to play deal or no deal when it comes to ending the Iran war. Sometimes we won. Sometimes we lost. This week's installment was touch and go, but ultimately a winner.

05/29/2026

Some news stories called out this week's mortgage rates as being the highest since last August, and while many of them came out only yesterday, this is really old news from last week.

Both the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) and Freddie Mac release weekly mortgage rate surveys on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. These well-regarded reports have been around so long that many news outlets continue treating them as the definitive word on weekly mortgage rate movement. But reality is more nuanced.

Some news stories called out this week's mortgage rates as being the highest since last August, and while many of them came out only yesterday, this is really old news from last week.

05/22/2026

This week ended up being the most volatile for interest rates since late March. By Tuesday, the average mortgage lender was at the highest level in more than 9 months. But ultimately, Friday's rates ended up the same as last Friday's.

This week ended up being the most volatile for interest rates since late March. By Tuesday, the average mortgage lender was at the highest level in more than 9 months. But ultimately, Friday's rates ended up the same as last Friday's.