RESOURCES: Home Financing Resource (HFR) Certification

Thank you!

Thank you for taking the Home Financing Resources class with me — I love the opportunity to help REALTORS® become better at what we do and better at serving consumers. Every time we work to be better, we elevate our industry, and that matters.

Below are some helpful links from, as well as some recommended reading; the links are from the HFR Student Manual, but the recommended reading list is my gift to you. I hope you will pick up some (or all!) of these books — either the physical copies or the audiobooks — and make it a goal to learn a little more, every day!

HELPFUL RESOURCES and WEBSITES FROM TODAY’S CLASS

• OptOutPrescreen.com – allows you to opt out of “trigger leads,” firm offers of credit and insurance
• CME Group – Fed Watch tool that predicts the likelihood of The Fed raising or lowering interest rates
• Freddie Mac PMMS (Primary Mortgage Market Survey) – Compares historical 15- and 30-year mortgage rates
• Market Watch – tracks the U.S. 10-year Treasury Note
• MortgageNewsDaily.com – tracks the daily mortgage rate, other helpful mortgage news
• FHFA
  • Conforming Loan Limits Map
  • HPI (House Price Index)
• Credit Bureaus
  • Equifax
  • Transunion
  • Experian
• Loan Limits
  • USDA (effective March 2025; may reset for 2026)
  • FHA – this page allows you to look up the FHA loan limit for your city/state
  • VA – talk to a lender; VA County Loan Limits were revised in 2019 and do not apply to every eligible borrower
• CFPB – Your Home Loan Toolkit

NAR Resources

• Findings from NAR Research: https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics
• Latest NAR Research News: https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics#news
• NAR News and Articles on Financing and Credit: https://www.nar.realtor/financing-credit

Links from the Endnotes

• National Association of REALTORS® Research Group. “2024 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report.” 2024. https://www.nar.realtor/sites/default/files/documents/2024-home-buyers-and-sellers-generational-trends-04-03-2024.pdf?_gl=1*n1gr97*_gcl_au*MTE1OTU4OTU1NS4xNzEyMzQ1MTIw%0D

• Miranda, Shauneen. “How Much Owning a Home Really Costs in the U.S.” Axios. September 11, 2023. https://www.axios.com/2023/09/11/us-homeownership-total-cost
• Lee, Medora. “FHFA Ends Debt-to-Income Ratio Mortgage Fee. How Homebuyers Will Benefit.” USA Today. May 11, 2023. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2023/05/11/fhfa-cancels-dti-mortgage-fee-what-it-means-for-homebuyers/70208501007/
• Amadeo, Kimberly. “Mortgage History, Types, and Impact on the Economy.” The Balance. October 30, 2021. https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-a-mortgage-types-history-impact-3305946
• Emmons, William. “The Past, Present and Future of the U.S. Mortgage Market.” Central Banker. July 1, 2008. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/central-banker-6284/summer-2008-603099/past-present-future-us-mortgage-market-586514
• Cannato, Vincent. “A Home of One’s Own.” National Affairs. Spring 2010. https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/a-home-of-ones-own
• Green, Richard, K., and Susan M. Wachter. “The American Mortgage in Historical and International Context.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 19, no. 4 (2005): 93–114. https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/089533005775196660
• Robinson, Kenneth. “Savings and Loan Crisis.” Federal Reserve History. November 22, 2013. https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/savings-and-loan-crisis
• Olick, Diana. “How Dodd-Frank Changed Housing, for Good and Bad.” CNBC. July 16, 2015. https://www.cnbc.com/2015/07/16/how-dodd-frank-changed-housing-for-good-and-bad.html
• Calhoun, Michael. “Lessons from the Financial Crisis: The Central Importance of a Sustainable, Affordable, and Inclusive Housing Market.” Brookings Institute. September 5, 2018. https://www.brookings.edu/research/lessons-from-the-financial-crisis-the-central-impor­ tance-of-a-sustainable-affordable-and-inclusive-housing-market/
• Graham, Kevin. “Historical Mortgage Rates: 1971 to the Present.” Rocket Mortgage. April 18, 2024. https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/historical-mortgage-rates-30-year-fixed
• Adams, Michael. “Understanding the Federal Funds Rate.” Forbes. April 20, 2024. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/investing/federal-funds-rate/
• Lee, Charlie Y. “Window to the Law: Working with Appraisers.” National Association of Realtors. December 28, 2018, video, 4:11. https://www.nar.realtor/window-to-the-law/working-with-appraisers
• Freitas, Taylor. “FHA Loans: Definition, Requirements and Limits.” Bankrate. April 23, 2024. https://www.bankrate.com/mortgages/fha-loan-requirements/
• Folger, Jean. “FHA vs. Conventional Loans: What’s the Difference?” Investopedia. May 20, 2023. https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/082616/whats-difference-between-fha-and-conventional-loans.asp
• Fannie Mae. “Confirmation of Conforming Loan Limit Values for 2025.” Fannie Mae, Lender Letter LL-2024-03, 26 Nov. 2024, https://singlefamily.fanniemae.com/media/41021/display
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. “Fair Lending.” Accessed January 22, 2024. https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/fair_lending#_Examples_of_Lending

• Acosta, Deborah. “Buying a Home? Don’t Lose Your Head in a Crazy Market.” The Wall Street Journal. May 14, 2021. https://www.wsj.com/articles/buying-a-home-dont-lose-your-head-in-a-crazy-market-11620984601?st=tva4ii52lshrwdj&reflink=article_gmail_share

• Lucas, Tim. “Bank Statements: 3 Things Mortgage Lenders Don’t Want to See.” Mortgage Reports. November 17, 2023. https://themortgagereports.com/22079/bank-statements-3-things-mortgage-lenders-dont-want-to-see

• Horymski, Chris. “What Is the Average Credit Score in the US?” Experian. January 22, 2024. https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/what-is-the-average-credit-score-in-the-u-s/

• Marquand, Barbara. “How to Read a Mortgage Closing Disclosure.” Nerdwallet. March 6, 2024. https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/mortgages/closing-disclosure