Cameron Watson-Lariscy, Lending Heights NMLS #659073

10/26/2026

I keep hearing the same story from condo owners. Their dues jumped, a special assessment showed up, or they can’t sell because the building doesn’t qualify for financing anymore. Every one of those problems was sitting in the HOA documents before they closed.

I’m not saying don’t buy a condo. I’m saying know what you’re buying into. This new post covers which documents to request and how to read them, whether you’re financing or paying cash.

When you buy a condo, you’re buying into a budget, a board, and every repair they’ve put off. Here’s which HOA documents to request and how to read them before you commit.

10/21/2026

“When are rates coming down?”

I get asked this almost every week, and I understand why. But this year showed exactly why it’s the wrong question to build a purchase around. In February, rates hit 5.98% and people held out for lower. By mid-October they were at 7.40%.

I wrote up the question I’d ask instead, and why the Fed meeting isn’t the signal most people think it is. Link in the comments.

Clients ask me every week when rates are coming down. This year showed why nobody can answer that, and why the better question is whether the payment works today.

09/16/2026

Here's something most buyers have never thought about: the appraisal form used on every conventional home purchase hasn't changed since 2005. That's about to end.
Starting November 2nd, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are retiring that old form for a new one that collects more data, more photos, and more detail on the property, right down to room-by-room condition. It's the biggest change to how appraisals get done in two decades.
Right now, during the transition, both the old form and the new one are in use, and every appraiser in the country is learning the new system at the same time. A survey of 900 appraisers this year found most expect turnaround to run a day or two longer than normal while they get used to it.
So if you're buying this fall and your appraisal takes a little longer than expected, or your appraiser is asking more questions than usual walking through the home, that's why. It's not a red flag on your file, it's just the industry relearning its own process.
Comment APPRAISAL and I'll send you the New Appraisal Guide, or message me directly if you'd rather just ask your question.

09/16/2026

Here's something coming for listing agents that's easy to miss until it costs you a closing.
Starting November 2nd, every conventional appraisal going to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac has to follow a new data standard called UAD 3.6. The short version: appraisers used to be able to fill in small gaps with reasonable assumptions. Bedroom count looks right, square footage looks close enough, move on. Under the new standard, they can't do that anymore. If something's missing or doesn't match the tax record, they stop and ask for documentation before they can finish the report.
That sounds like a small thing until it happens on one of your listings. A four-bedroom home with no permit on file for the conversion isn't a shrug anymore — it's a hold that can add a week or more to your closing timeline while someone tracks down the paperwork.
If you're listing anything this fall, it's worth getting ahead of this now rather than finding out mid-transaction.
Comment APPRAISAL and I'll send you The New Appraisal Rules — What Changes November 2nd, or feel free to message me directly if you'd rather just talk through a specific listing.

09/14/2026

AGENTS!! - If you plan on closing deals after November 2 you NEED to know about this!!

Most agents I talk to have no idea this is happening. On November 2, the appraisal form that's been standard for 20 years gets retired, and every conventional appraisal after that date has to use a completely different reporting process. Early word from appraisers is that it's taking longer and costing more, and the agents whose deals get hit hardest are going to be the ones who didn't see it coming. If you've got closings scheduled for Q4 or into next year, you need to read this article and know what to expect.

Link in caption

08/27/2026

If a lender gives you a rate before pulling your credit, that number isn't really yours yet.
Your actual rate depends on your credit score, your down payment, your debt-to-income ratio, and the loan program you qualify for. A phone-call quote, before any of that's been verified, is really a quote for a hypothetical borrower with perfect numbers — not necessarily you.
I saw this play out with a client who was quoted 6.25% over the phone. Once we actually ran his numbers, his real rate came back at 6.875% — an extra $187 a month, same lender, same day.
If you're getting quotes right now, it's worth asking what those numbers are actually based on before you compare them against each other.
Comment LOAN and I'll send you the Home Loan Estimate Guide, or message me directly if you'd rather just ask about your specific situation.

08/26/2026

Here's something worth knowing before you start shopping for a mortgage: the rate you hear on the news was never going to be your rate.
That number is a national average, priced for one specific type of borrower — usually someone with a 740-plus credit score putting 20% down on a single-family primary residence. Your actual rate gets built from five separate things: your credit score, your down payment, the loan program you use, whether you're living in the home or renting it out, and the type of property itself.
I saw this play out with two people who called me the same morning, both asking about that "rate in the news." Same type of home, same 20% down — but one had a 760 credit score and the other had a 680. That gap alone, on a $400,000 loan, came out to about $4,500. And that's before factoring in anything else. If the property were a rental instead of a primary home, or a two-unit instead of a single-family, the cost moves again, separately from the credit score.
If you're thinking about buying sometime this year, it's worth understanding that the number you hear in the news is a starting reference point, not a quote for you specifically.
Comment ROADMAP and I'll send you the Roadmap to Homeownership, or feel free to message me directly if you'd rather just ask your question.

08/25/2026

Here's something a lot of buyers don't realize: two people can walk into the same lender on the same day and lock completely different mortgage rates. It's not because the market moved between their appointments.
A mortgage rate isn't a flat, posted number everyone gets quoted. The lender starts with a base rate, then stacks adjustments on top based on you specifically — your credit score, your down payment, your loan type, even the kind of property you're buying. Those are called loan-level price adjustments, and each one either adds to your rate or takes away from it.
I see this play out constantly. A borrower with a strong credit score and 20% down on a single-family home might lock well below 6.5%. Another borrower, same lender, same week — lower score, 5% down, a two-unit property — locks well above it. Same lender, same rate sheet, over a full point apart.
So if you're planning to buy sometime this year, keep that in mind the next time you hear a headline rate on the news. That number is a starting point, not your number. Your actual rate gets built from your file.
Comment LOAN and I'll send you the Home Loan Estimate Guide, or message me directly if you'd rather just ask your specific question.

08/25/2026

Someone told me they got quoted a rate over the phone in under two minutes. No credit pull, no questions about their down payment. That number wasn't real, and here's the part that should bother you more: it's not because anyone lied to her.

Full article below in the comments

08/24/2026

When someone asks me what rates are right now, I have to explain that there isn't one answer — and it usually catches people off guard.
Rate isn't a flat number that everyone gets quoted the same way. It's priced to you individually: your credit score, your down payment, your loan type, even the property you're buying. Two people can call the same lender on the exact same morning and walk away with completely different numbers, and neither one is wrong. They're just different borrowers with different risk profiles.
I saw this happen with two buyers in the same week. Same lender, same day. One had a 760 credit score and put 20% down — his rate came in at 6.375%. The other had a 680 score and put 5% down — hers came in at 7.125%. Three-quarters of a point apart, on the same loan program, same lender, same day. That's not the market shifting overnight. That's the risk profile moving.
If you're planning to buy sometime this year, the rate you see quoted online isn't really "the" rate — it's a starting point built on a best-case profile that may or may not be yours.
Comment ROADMAP and I'll send you the Roadmap to Homeownership, or message me directly if you'd rather just ask about your specific situation.