Rates Hit 7.28%. Wall Street Wants Your Paid-Off House.

Mortgage rates just jumped to 7.28% on a 30-year loan, the highest in almost three years, and Freddie Mac still called conditions "favorable." Matt starts by putting a price on it: on a $400,000 loan, that's about $250 a month more than last year's rate, roughly $3,000 a year your buyer has to find somewhere, and it comes back to you through the offer. He explains the standoff holding prices up (owners with cheap old mortgages refusing to move), what happened the last time this played out in 2022 and 2023, and why you should price your next move before you count on your sale. Then he digs into the "home equity investment," the no-payment, no-interest cash deal showing up in mailboxes and online, and why Wall Street money is pouring into it. Lawsuits from AARP's lawyers and the Massachusetts Attorney General say these deals are loans in disguise: one 80-year-old took $97,256 and owed nearly $375,000, and one lawsuit puts the real rate at about 34% a year. Matt explains why a paid-off house sits at the top of their list, how the bill can land on your kids, and the simple checks that keep your equity yours: search your county records, get every number in writing, and stack it against a regular loan.

Links Matt mentions in the episode:

Keep your name off your deed with an anonymity trust -> https://hidemyequity.com

Get a free credit evaluation from Creative Credit Solutions (sponsor) -> https://creative.credit