With mortgage rates still hovering near multi-decade highs, homeowners are opting to hold onto their ultra-low first mortgages. Instead of refinancing, they’re tapping into their equity through home equity loans and HELOCs to finance renovations, cover tuition, or consolidate high-interest debt.  Lenders are stepping up with a broader menu of second-lien products to meet this […]

Rhode Island real estate professionals are criticizing two new taxes that will increase costs for Ocean State homeowners, including a levy dubbed the “Taylor Swift tax.”  State lawmakers last week approved a $14 billion fiscal year 2026 budget, which now awaits Gov. Dan McKee’s signature. Included in the proposed budget is a 63% increase in

The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act (H.R. 2808) late Monday, bringing a national ban on abusive trigger leads one step closer to reality. The move was widely applauded by mortgage trade groups. The House’s action follows the U.S. Senate’s approval of a similar bill (S. 1467) on June 13.