Hot Hand: Nima Ghamsari in the Beverly Hills home where he has worked during the pandemic as his business exploded and his software powered nearly a third of the US mortgage market Image: Ethan Pines for Forbes Among the big surprises of the pandemic economy was the housing boom. As fleeing city dwellers and cramped work-from-home families bid up the price of spacious suburban homes, rock-bottom interest rates enticed existing homeowners to refinance in record numbers.