Mortgage Market -

Back at Sterling & Finch, the tension snapped. A notification chimed—the latest CPI data was out. It was hotter than expected. Elias watched in real-time as the 10-year Treasury yield spiked. Within seconds, the mortgage software updated: the national average had just ticked up another fifteen basis points. "There goes the spring buying season," Sarah sighed.

Across town, in a cramped two-bedroom apartment that felt smaller every day, Marcus and Elena were living the data points on Elias’s screen. They had a "pre-approval" letter that felt more like a ticket to a lottery they were destined to lose. mortgage market

"Seven and a half percent," Marcus whispered, staring at a spreadsheet. "If we buy that fixer-upper in the suburbs, the interest alone is more than our current rent." Back at Sterling & Finch, the tension snapped