Doug Katz's (dmkatz) Blog

I am looking to partner with charities to provide their members/donors a thank you benefit for contributing.  I know the importance of charities and, in this time of economic challenges, any thank you benefit provides your donors a tangible acknowledgment of their support.  Please see my program ...

Short-term - FLOAT as markets a currently favorable to secure a better rate, but I recommend close monitoring of the market to take full advantage. Long-term - FLOAT on belief that weakness in the economy will continue supporting the possibility in continued low rates Click here if you would like...

Short-term - LOCK closing in less than 7 days as the Federal Open Market Committee meeting and Treasury borrowing will pressure rates.  If closing between 7 -15 days, I recommend that you FLOAT as the market fundamentals are still too weak for recovery. Long-term - FLOAT on belief that weakness i...

Father's Day brings to my mind two very different aspects of fatherhood.  The first from Sigmund Freud says that "I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection."  Unfortunately, more often than not, being a dad feels more like the subject of a French prov...

The Federal Homebuyer's Tax Credit has been extended for servicemen and women, as well as federal employees who served abroad in 2009.  The extension is for one year and ends for military and federal employees who served abroad for at least 90 days from January 1, 2009 to May 1, 2010, as well as ...

This week was marked by a reversal of the recent declining trend and higher rates by the end of the week. While they did not shoot into the stratosphere, rates did move steadily up as optimistic and opportunistic investors began to move money back into the equities markets.  The main economic dat...

The rate lock conundrum is the basis of angst for every borrower that I have ever had. After all, this is a choice that is going to have an effect on your finances for a considerable amount of time. On the one hand, there is desire to secure the best possible rate, which requires exposure to risk...

I am often asked should I lock or should I float by my clients.  This is a very difficult question as the determining factors that define rate movement have their own unique drivers tied to overall economic sentiment.  Understanding one simple relationship is the key to the lock decision and, act...

Let me begin by saying that interest rates are important to any real estate transaction. To say otherwise would be naïve. But too many times rate emerges as the primary or even the single driving factor in the decision of which lender to choose. This low cost approach can be a very perilous road ...

Your Lincoln Park loan is in underwriting.  This term often strikes fear and confusion into the hearts of borrowers and REALTORS®.   Multiple manifestations can come to mind. Some envision a great and powerful wizard, the Oz of lending, who shapes an arcane process where the future of a buyer's d...