HousingWire

On today’s episode, Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler talks with Lead Analyst Logan Mohtashami about the strong jobs report and what it means for mortgage rates. Related to this episode: Top 5 Trending: Want more from Sarah? Don’t forget to subscribe! The HousingWire Daily podcast brings the full picture of the most compelling stories in the housing market reported across HousingWire.

President Donald Trump on Friday demanded that the Federal Reserve cut interest rates, threatening to halt trade with countries with which the U.S. runs a trade deficit if the central bank does not comply. Trump made the comments in a Truth Social post after a stronger-than-expected August jobs report showed employers added 162,000 jobs, nearly triple the 56,000 jobs economists had forecast. The unemployment rate held at 4.1%.

Fay Group has acquired VanDyk Mortgage Corp. to expand its presence in the conforming mortgage market, the companies announced Friday. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. “We see significant opportunity in expanding Fay’s presence in the conforming mortgage market through VanDyk’s Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae capabilities,” Fay Group said in a statement.

[Editor’s note: This is Part 3 of a three-part series exploring disruptions, potential solutions and homebuilding’s business impacts of recent immigration enforcement initiatives. Part 1 is here, and part 2 is here.] U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests surged to record levels in June and July, with substantial enforcement activity continuing into August.

Jobs Friday for August came with a bang to the upside, with 162,000 jobs created, positive revisions and an unemployment rate of 4.1%. All that — and the 10-year yield barely budged. In fact, we’ve had a lot of dramatic events this week and yields haven’t done much today, even with oil prices elevated and diesel prices back to yearly highs. The truth is, a lot is priced into the bond market now and it’s getting harder and harder to push yields — and mortgage rates — much higher.

Bill Pulte took to social media this week to say the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is “seriously considering” the adoption of a bi-merge credit report while also “studying” the usage of just one credit report to reduce costs for borrowers. “Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion have been overcharging Americans for far too long. This will end soon. We are seriously considering bi-merge, and stronger solutions (SAFER and SOUNDER).

The U.S. labor market added a surprising 162,000 jobs in August, according to data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Total nonfarm payroll rose by 162,000 positions, while data for July was revised up by 44,000 jobs, from -23,000 to +21,000 jobs. In total, the estimates for the prior two months were revised upwards by a combined 55,000 jobs. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.1%, with 7.0 million people unemployed.

The next useful layer of housing data is hyperlocal: subdivisions, developments, buildings and competitive sets that can matter more to an individual property than broad geographic averages. “Real estate is local” may be the industry’s most durable cliché because it is true. The problem is that local can still be remarkably broad. A city contains ZIP codes. A ZIP code can contain multiple neighborhoods.

Investors accounted for 27% of U.S. single-family home purchases from March through June 2026, down from 28% at the end of the first quarter, according to a Sept. 3 analysis from Cotality. The decline follows a typical seasonal pattern, as owner-occupant buyers become more active during the summer months. Investor activity, however, remains above the levels seen during much of the 2010s, when investors generally accounted for less than 20% of single-family purchases.

SERHANT. has expanded its Fort Lauderdale footprint by adding Chad Bishop and the Chad Bishop Group, a top-producing team that departs One Sotheby’s International Realty, the company announced Thursday. The Fort Lauderdale-based group brings more than $600 million in career sales volume, including $80 million closed in the past 12 months, according to the announcement. In 2025, the team closed 82 transaction sides totalling $36.96 million in sales volume, according to RealTrends Verified data.