Walker & Dunlop CEO: We're in a much better mortgage rate landscape than we have been in some time

Interest Rate and Housing Market - Anticipated Federal Reserve rate cut is expected to influence mortgage rates, with the rate on a 30-year mortgage already hitting a three-year low [1] - Nine rate cuts since 1980 during non-recessionary times may not significantly impact the long end of the curve [4] - Lower rates or reduced building costs are necessary to address the housing affordability crisis in the United States [7] - Lower rates will be very accommodative to the housing sector, including both single-family and multi-family [9] Housing Construction Costs and Tariffs - Survey indicates that the cost of manufacturing single-family homes has not increased due to tariffs [9] - Inflation has been removed from single-family and multi-family construction industries, with costs currently flat [10] Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - FHFA director has focused on growing the top and bottom lines of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to prepare them for going public [13] - The government aims to maximize returns to taxpayers while avoiding increased borrowing costs for consumers during the IPO [14][15] - The expectation is that the federal government will maintain some form of guarantee to reassure investors and keep consumer borrowing costs stable [15][16] Commercial Real Estate - New York City is experiencing a renaissance with people returning to the office [17] - There's growing interest and potential opportunities to invest in San Francisco's commercial real estate market [20][21]