01.22.25

Written by Chase Majerus

What Happens When There’s A Natural Disaster

Welcome to This Week Today, your fast, fun, and smart guide to the latest in mortgage, real estate, and finance. We’re here to keep you informed, entertained, and maybe even a little smarter. I demand that you eat a breakfast burrito while reading. Not sure why, just got a good feeling about it.

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S1L Home Equity Loan

Use Your Home For The Best Future Gains

A home equity line of credit, or HELOC, lets you borrow against your home’s available equity. Applying for a HELOC with Synergy One Lending is fast and easy. Our application is fast, easy, and all online. If pre-approved, you’ll be instantly presented with your offer options.

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Trump’s First Day Back

In his first day back as President, Donald Trump is already making some pretty big sweeping news, with HousingWire reporting, “Trump issues executive order: Emergency price relief on housing”. After reading all this jargon (so you don’t have to) here’s what we’ve found so far…

President Trump’s second-term housing priorities center on reducing regulation and expanding housing supply to address affordability issues. A key executive order outlines plans to lower housing costs by cutting said regulations, which currently account for 25% of new construction expenses, and reversing Biden-era policies that allegedly added $50,000 in costs per household.

Trump appointed Scott Turner, an advocate of private investment and budget maximization, as Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary, while Bill Pulte, an industry-friendly figure with ties to homebuilding, will lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). These appointments signal a focus on privatization and deregulation.

Meanwhile, the creation of the Department on Government Efficiency (yes… DOGE), led by Elon Musk, aims to streamline federal agencies and reduce inefficiencies. However, Trump’s proposed tariffs, ranging from 25% to 100% on imports from countries like China, Mexico, and Canada, could counteract housing cost relief by driving up material prices, as seen during his first term.

Lastly, his push to eliminate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) highlights a broader deregulatory agenda, raising concerns about the potential impact on consumer protections. These policies are expected to have mixed effects, offering short-term affordability gains while posing risks to long-term housing market stability.

Read more here

Major Manor

Razor House

I just found out about this insane house called Razor House in La Jolla, and I’m absolutely shocked.

It’s a jaw-dropping, 11,000-square-foot cliffside mansion overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It’s so next-level people think it inspired Tony Stark’s house in Iron Man. But the real kicker? It’s owned by none other than Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz. Yep, “Empire State of Mind” Alicia Keys has called this California dream home “Dreamland” for a few years.

Apparently, Swizz had this place as his phone screen saver for eight years, just manifesting the hell out of it until they finally snagged it in 2019. This house is pure art, literally. Every wall is like a sculpture, with S-curves, floating staircases, and floor-to-ceiling glass that makes it look like it’s hovering over the ocean.

They brought in designer Kelly Behun to give it some cozy, family-friendly vibes with soft fabrics, wood accents, and a color palette that blends perfectly with the killer views.

The basement has a luxury car lineup, a recording studio, and what Swizz calls the “grown-up floor,” complete with R&B vibes and cigars. Oh, and the art? They’ve got a huge collection of African and African American artists, including Gordon Parks, Kehinde Wiley, and Jordan Casteel.

I wouldn’t have even known this masterpiece existed if someone hadn’t posted about it locally, but now I’m deep-diving into photos and videos like it’s an episode of MTV Cribs 2.0.

I can keep writing about it, or you can just watch the video here!

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Financial Fitness

When Natural Disasters Occur

What happens when there’s a natural disaster? Do I still have to pay rent or my mortgage? LA Times was kind enough to include as much info about this topic as possible in the wake of the devastating fires in Los Angeles. If your home is damaged or destroyed during a disaster, the rules depend on your situation:

Mortgage Payments: You may qualify for a forbearance plan, temporarily lowering or suspending payments for up to 12 months. Contact your mortgage servicer right away to explore your options.

Rent Payments: If your rental home is destroyed, you don’t have to pay rent, and your landlord must return your security deposit. If it’s partially damaged and unlivable, you can end your lease or wait for repairs.

Property Taxes: You could qualify for temporary relief if your property is damaged by over $10,000. File a claim with the assessor’s office within a year.

Utility Bills: Some providers suspend billing for homes in evacuation zones or those destroyed. Check with your utility companies for specific policies.

Help is available: From FEMA’s emergency aid to free housing through Airbnb.org, there are resources to support displaced residents. Renters insurance can also cover lost belongings and help you find a new place. If you don’t have insurance, federal low-interest loans may help.

When planning for a natural disaster, people often overlook the importance of understanding how it will impact their finances.

Knowing what to do with your mortgage, rent, or bills during a crisis can ease the burden when it matters most. The S1 FinFit app can help you stay on top of your finances by building savings, budgeting effectively, and planning for unexpected events. While it doesn’t cover every scenario, it’s a solid tool to help you handle life’s curveballs, ensuring you’re better prepared for whatever comes your way.

Thank you for reading! We hope you have a wonderful day! See you next week!

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S1 FinFit is a FREE app that provides a roadmap to help you reach your financial and lifestyle goals, no matter how big or small! Free credit monitoring with alerts, set financial goals, create budgets, and keep track of your spending to see where your money is going.

Download the app on the appropriate app store with the links below!

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REITs Might Be the REIT Move

The commercial real estate market is also ready for significant change in 2025. After years of high interest rates and challenges, experts see the coming year as a turning point for commercial real estate investment, thanks to strong job growth, low unemployment, and limited new construction keeping supply and demand in check.

Office space has been the problem child, with values dropping 41% since 2020, but there are signs of life. Rents are holding steady, and vacancies are coming down. With somewhat lower interest rates expected next year, refinancing should get easier, and investment activity will likely pick up.

But it’s data centers and retail that are stealing the show right now, see, data centers are booming thanks to AI demand, and retail is thriving with record-low vacancies and a surge in lease activity, SO… what to do with this information even if you’re not a big investor in real estate?

Yahoo Finance says that if you’re into the stock market, REITs (real estate investment trusts) are looking like a solid play, offering high dividends and benefiting from a more active transactions market.

Read more here

Realtors vs. DOJ: The Plot Thickens

Alright, this is the last topic for today—it’s a bit older news, but still super important because it affects all of us.

The Supreme Court recently decided not to hear the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) appeal to stop the Department of Justice (DOJ) from reopening its investigation into alleged anticompetitive practices. This means the DOJ can move forward with investigating claims that NAR’s policies, like requiring seller’s agents to pay buyer’s agent commissions, might be inflating real estate costs.

For the average person, this could be huge. Real estate commissions in the U.S. are among the highest in the world, and if this leads to changes, it might lower the cost of buying or selling a home. It’s still a slow legal process, but the potential impact on your wallet is worth keeping an eye on.

Read more here

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