Written by Chase Majerus
Welcome back to This Week Today, where the housing market is weird, the economy is weirder, and somehow boomers refusing to move is now a macroeconomic storyline. We pulled the biggest stories you should actually care about, plus a few that will make you shake your head and say “sure, why not.” Let’s get into it.
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(from BusinessInsider.com)
Here is a sentence you do not hear every day. Some older homeowners are staying put because it is financially better for their kids if they die in the house rather than sell it. Seriously.
Thanks to a mix of soaring home values and a capital gains tax rule that has not adjusted since 1997, many longtime owners would owe tens of thousands of dollars if they sold. One 81 year old homeowner said downsizing would trigger “huge expenses” and wipe out money he needs for retirement. And if he waits, his kids inherit the house with a stepped up tax basis, which means the appreciation from the last forty years basically gets erased for tax purposes.
This has created what housing analysts call a lock in effect. Older owners stay in homes that are too big for them which keeps younger families from moving into the inventory they need. It is also part of why empty nest boomers now own twice as many three bedroom homes as millennials with kids.
Policy ideas are floating around Congress, including raising the tax exclusion limits or indexing them for inflation. Some experts say it could help loosen the market. Others say it mostly benefits wealthier homeowners and does not meaningfully fix affordability. Either way, it is a reminder that one quirky tax rule can shape the entire housing ecosystem.
The bigger story is this. When staying put is financially smarter than right sizing, the market gets stuck and everyone downstream feels it.
(from OregonLive.com)
See inside the $6.5 million Lake Oswego estate an NBA star had to leave behind. Once home to former Portland Trail Blazer Anfernee Simons, this gated mansion sits high above the lake with views that look straight out of a movie. Turns out that is fitting, because the home actually was in a movie.
Highlights of this $6.5M stunner:
A home like this rarely hits the market, especially with a view an NBA player literally asked for by name. Now that he has moved on, someone else gets to claim one of Lake Oswego’s most iconic estates.
(from CNBC.com)
Tariffs were supposed to bring jobs back to the U.S., but new data shows something else might happen first. Companies across manufacturing, energy and transportation are warning that higher import costs could force them to cut staff in 2026. Some are already preparing for offshore production, permanent cost changes and even voluntary severance programs.
The latest ISM manufacturing survey showed elevated concern, a drop in employment sentiment, and comments like “reduction of staff” and “conditions are more trying than during the coronavirus pandemic.” That is not the kind of phrase you want to hear heading into a new year.
Big picture. GDP is still growing and hiring has not collapsed, but the combination of higher costs, weaker imports and slower demand is creating a confusing financial environment. Experts are saying the real economic impact of these tariffs has not fully hit yet. Translation. 2026 could be bumpy in ways people are not expecting.
So what does this mean for normal people trying to build financial stability?
It means it is more important than ever to understand your money, reduce unnecessary costs and build a plan that matches the real economy, not the wishful one. You cannot control tariffs or hiring trends, but you can control how prepared you are.
That is where S1 FinFit becomes valuable.
S1 FinFit takes your entire financial picture and makes it simple to understand. It can help you:
When companies tighten their budgets, the smartest move is tightening your financial clarity. S1 FinFit gives you a roadmap when the economy gets noisy. It helps you stay proactive instead of panicked
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(from Housingwire.com)
December is usually the slowest month in real estate. Low demand. Holidays. Everyone mentally on vacation. But post COVID, December has turned into an early preview of next year’s market. Think of it as the preseason scrimmage where the real trends quietly start.
The big thing to watch is mortgage rates. They are hovering near six percent because labor data softened and the Fed cut rates. If the ten year yield stays near four percent through December, we go into 2026 with cleaner runway than we have had in years. But all eyes are on the December Fed meeting, because even one hawkish comment from Jerome Powell can push yields up quickly.
Purchase applications also matter more now. When rates fall below roughly six point six four percent, weekly apps have improved. We have already had ten positive weekly prints since summer and more than forty straight weeks of year over year growth. If December keeps building momentum, it tells us demand is ready to pop in early 2026.
Inventory is another bright spot. For the first time in years, we are close to normal levels. Price growth is slowing. Buyers finally have options again. Sellers do not have the same leverage they had in the post COVID frenzy.
The takeaway. December might look sleepy, but the data inside it is loud. If mortgage rates hold near six percent and purchase apps keep pushing up week to week, 2026 starts on solid footing.
A Mortgage Tech Vendor and a Major Lender Are Suing Each Other. Here Is Why It Matters
(from National Home Mortgage News)
Amerisave Mortgage and RingCentral are locked in a legal fight and both sides say the other failed to deliver. It is a classic mortgage tech showdown.
RingCentral says Amerisave stopped paying for its communication tools and breached their contract. Amerisave says RingCentral’s system never worked right, even after months of troubleshooting. One manager allegedly admitted the platform “couldn’t deliver the calls at a pace necessary to achieve Amerisave’s business objectives.”
The agreement dates back to 2021, which makes the timing of this lawsuit interesting. Amerisave was originating over thirty six billion that year. By 2024 it was closer to two point three billion. A lot has changed. A messy tech breakdown on top of a cooling market can be expensive for both sides.
The products in question include RingCentral’s internal communication suite and its contact center platform which was supposed to handle up to 1.3 million calls per day with thousands of active seats. RingCentral says they made extraordinary accommodations. Amerisave says the system never truly functioned.
Now they are in court, with RingCentral challenging whether Amerisave even filed its fraud claims within the legal time window. A separate consumer lawsuit is also in the mix about Do Not Call violations.
The bigger note for the industry is this. When loan volumes tighten, every tech dollar gets scrutinized. Partnerships that looked fine in boom years get stress tested fast. And when the systems that power your phones and customer interactions fail, the fallout gets very real.
For years, renters have been paying their biggest monthly bill on time… and getting zero credit for it. Peyton Ryan breaks down why that is finally changing.
What Is Renter’s Advantage?
Why It Matters
Peyton’s Point If you’ve been renting responsibly, you may be far closer to owning a home than you think. Your rent history is now an asset, not something the system ignores.
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