Episodes
177
Latest episode
Jun 2026
Language
EN
Podcast by MBS Highway
Elevated energy and gasoline costs pushed inflation higher in May, while existing home sales reached their fastest pace of the year. Three themes stand out from the latest data: rising energy costs driving broader inflation, home sales posting their strongest showing of 2026, and jobless claims drawing renewed attention.
The MBS Highway National Housing Index fell 9 points in June 2026, dropping from 47 in May to 38. Buyer activity declined sharply from the previous month, while price direction reversed its slow but steady climb.
Labor market data paints a resilient picture, while home price forecasts highlight the long-term opportunity in homeownership. May's jobs report surprised to the upside, ADP figures signaled broader hiring gains, and additional labor data supported that outlook. On the housing side, long-term home price forecasts put the value of homeownership on full display, giving buyers and clients a compelling reason to act despite affordability headwinds.
April brought a mixed economic picture: inflation ticked higher and remained above the Fed's target, new home sales came in below expectations, and GDP and unemployment data added further texture to an uncertain macro backdrop. Against that softness, long-term home price appreciation forecasts continue to reinforce the wealth-building potential of homeownership.
In this session, we break down how the Loan Comparison tool turns complicated loan scenarios into clear, side by side conversations your borrowers actually understand. You'll see how to explain options with confidence, build trust from the first meeting, and close more deals as a result.
In this episode of On the Highway, Scott Brixen breaks down the latest Case-Shiller National Home Price Index data for March 2026. Listen as he walks through which cities are feeling the most pressure, where prices are still holding up, and why the Case-Shiller methodology makes this data worth paying attention to in the first place.
April saw a slowdown in single-family housing construction even as signed contracts for existing homes rose for a third straight month and beat expectations, while the Federal Reserve's April meeting minutes highlighted disagreement among policymakers over the path forward, with key takeaways including cooling single-family construction, a slight uptick in builder sentiment, continued climbing in pending home sales, a policy divide revealed in the Fed minutes, and a pulse check on unemployment claims.
On this episode of On The Highway, Bridgette Hardonk talks with Mary Vaca, a process-driven loan officer who left corporate tech at 40 and has hit President's Club every year since 2020, including a $16M quarter in a market no one's calling easy. Mary shares the playbooks behind the numbers: how she preps clients for rate dips months out, why she walked away from chasing social media stardom, the listing-agent move that keeps referrals coming back, how she uses AI to handle greedy clients, and the time-blocking system that lets her run a top-producing business while showing up for three kids, CrossFit, and family.
Inflation accelerated in April at both the consumer and wholesale levels, complicating the outlook for interest rate cuts, while existing home sales posted a m…Inflation accelerated in April at both the consumer and wholesale levels, complicating the outlook for interest rate cuts, while existing home sales posted a modest increase. The latest data also offers a snapshot of trends in consumer spending and the labor market.
The MBS Highway National Housing Index rose 5 points in May 2026, climbing from 42 in April to 47. Buyer activity rebounded sharply from last month’s rate-driven pullback, hitting exactly 50 — the expansion threshold — while price direction continued its slow but steady climb.
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