📈 Rates, Foreclosures, and the Investor Shift at 6%

November 19, 2025

Rates, Foreclosures, and the Investor Shift at 6%

⚡TL;DR — Quick Takeaways:

Rates: Rates are basically flat this week and sitting around 6.36%. We have been stuck in that 6.3% range for almost three weeks. Investors are waiting for rates to reach 6 percent before they step back in.

Economic Reports: The September Jobs Report comes out tomorrow and will influence the direction of rates. There will be no October report, which leaves the Fed with limited visibility heading into December. The inflation report on December 10 is the other major factor to watch.

Foreclosure Reality: California’s foreclosure rate is 0.029%, meaning 99.97% of homeowners are not in foreclosure. Other areas are being impacted adversely, but California is overall very stable at the moment.

Policy and Regulation: C.A.R. is supporting assumable conventional mortgages, though significant regulatory obstacles remain. NAR approved 18 updates to the MLS Handbook for 2026. The idea of a 50-year mortgage is only a concept and not an actual product at this time.

🗓️ Click here to view the full economic calendar

Happy Thursday,

Here's what's been going on with rates: not much movement since last week.

We're just a hair below where we were the end of last week, and for the past 20 days or so, we've been anchored around that 6.36% national average (Mortgage News Daily). We had a couple of nice teaser drops at the end of September and again at the end of October that gave us a little hope, but each time the momentum faded quickly and the market stalled right back out.

The big variable to watch in the short term is the September Jobs Report. We are not getting an October report, which many expected would show more weakness, so we will head into the December Fed meeting with a bit of a blind spot.

At this point, the possibility of a rate cut in December is still unclear. To monitor this, keep an eye on these critical upcoming dates:

Tomorrow, Nov. 20: September Jobs Report - This will provide clarity on the labor market.
Wed, Dec. 10: October CPI Inflation Report - We need to keep an eye on inflation; even a small uptick can mute improvements.
Wed, Dec. 10: FOMC Rate Decision - The final Fed meeting of the year will decide the December rate path.

What's really interesting right now is how investors behave at different rate levels. If you look at the graph, you will see that 6% is clearly the point where deals start to pencil out and investor activity picks back up.

For homebuyers, it's all about affordability.

For investors, it's all about cash flow.

And both groups are stuck watching the same rate ceiling.

📉 California Foreclosure Perspective (What It Really Means)

California’s foreclosure rate = 0.029%

Let’s do the math:

4,265 foreclosures ÷ 14,532,683 housing units = 0.000293

Move the decimal → 0.0293%

✔️ That means 99.97% of homeowners in California are not in foreclosure.

This is why the headlines can sound dramatic, but the numbers tell a very different story. Keep in mind that the numbers in the news reflect areas experiencing higher levels of distress than California.

🏛️ POLICY + REGULATION – 20 seconds

Big policy news this week:

C.A.R. is supporting assumable conventional mortgages. If approved, this could unlock a massive amount of low-rate inventory and ease affordability. However, it's critical to know this requires overcoming significant regulatory hurdles related to the Due-on-Sale clause and the structure of the multi-trillion-dollar mortgage-backed securities (MBS) market.

NAR announced 18 policy updates to the MLS Handbook for 2026.

And Bill Ackman teased a new proposal for Fannie and Freddie that he says could be completed before year-end.

These policy moves matter because they directly influence liquidity, affordability, and access."

Quote to Ponder

“Progress isn’t always obvious. Sometimes it looks like quiet stability, small improvements, and the decision to keep moving forward even when the path feels slow.”

- Anonymous

Featured Financing Solution

No Tax Return (DSCR) Loans for Investors

✅ Program is for Real Estate investors that want to build their investment property portfolio without needing to qualify with tax returns or personal income. Qualify on the rental income of the property.

✅ 15% Minimum Down Payment.

✅ Short Term Rentals are Ok. AirBnb and VRBO.

✅ Down to 620 Mininum FICO Score.