In April, we’ll go deep on money and finance for a special theme month, by talking to leaders about where the mortgage market is heading and how technology and business strategies are evolving to suit the needs of buyers now. Inman’s Best of Finance returns for 2025, celebrating the leaders in this space. And subscribe to Mortgage Brief for weekly updates all year long.

Incoming economic data has Fannie Mae economists expecting higher inflation and slower growth this year than they’d previously forecast in March.

The latest forecast envisions economic growth slowing to 0.5 percent this year, down from March’s forecast for 1.7 percent growth, and that annual inflation will rise to 3.5 percent by the fourth quarter.

TAKE THE INMAN INTEL INDEX SURVEY FOR APRIL

The commentary accompanying April’s forecast lacked the in-depth analysis Fannie Mae’s Economic and Strategic Research (ESR) Group provided in March and previous months.

But other economists and many consumers expect tariffs imposed or threatened by the Trump administration will push prices up and slow the economy down this year, heightening the probability of a recession.

Signs of a slowing economy could also help bring mortgage rates down to Earth more rapidly. Fannie Mae forecasters now expect mortgage rates to come down to 6.2 percent by the end of this year and 6.0 percent next year.

Mortgage rates expected to ease

Source: Fannie Mae and Mortgage Bankers Association forecasts, April 2025.

In March, forecasters at the mortgage giant weren’t expecting mortgage rates to hit 6.2 percent until the end of next year.

Economists at the Mortgage Bankers Association in an April 11 forecast projected mortgage rates will still be averaging 6.7 percent in Q4 2025 and 6.4 percent during Q4 2026.

Home sales forecast revised down

Source: Fannie Mae housing forecast, April 2025.

Despite stronger than expected first quarter home sales, Fannie Mae economists revised their forecast for 2025 home sales to 4.86 million, down from 4.95 million in March.

While sales of existing homes are still expected to grow by 3 percent this year, to 4.186 million, Fannie Mae economists now expect sales of new homes will decline by 1 percent, to 677,0000.

A stronger rebound is still expected in 2026, with sales of new and existing homes expected to grow by 7 percent to 5.18 million and surpassing the 5 million mark for the first time since 2022.

Hotter home price appreciation

Fannie Mae economists are also expecting hotter home price appreciation than in January, the last update of the quarterly forecast for that metric.

In January, Fannie Mae economists were expecting annual home price appreciation to cool to 3.5 percent by Q4 2025. The latest forecast is that home prices will be up 4.1 percent from a year ago in Q4 2025, before appreciation cools to 2 percent by Q4 2025.

Higher prices spur mortgage originations

Higher home prices mean mortgage lenders could see 17 percent growth in 2025 lending by dollar volume, with refinancing expected to surge 36 percent to $529 billion, and purchase loans projected to hit $1.453 trillion, up 12 percent from 2024.

If mortgage rates keep trending down next year as projected, Fannie Mae economists expect refinancing to surge by 42 percent next year, to $753 billion, and purchase loan fundings to grow by 9 percent, to $1.582 trillion.

Get Inman’s Mortgage Brief Newsletter delivered right to your inbox. A weekly roundup of all the biggest news in the world of mortgages and closings delivered every Wednesday. Click here to subscribe.

Email Matt Carter

Bigger. Better. Bolder. Inman Connect is heading to San Diego. Join thousands of real estate pros, connect with the power of the Inman Community, and gain insights from hundreds of leading minds shaping the industry. If you’re ready to grow your business and invest in yourself, this is where you need to be. Go BIG in San Diego!

Standing out as an agent is more complex than ever before, and there’s competition to be seen and heard. In a competitive field like real estate, it isn’t just about having the most listings or sales — it’s about having the most exposure.

TAKE THE INMAN INTEL SURVEY FOR APRIL

As a former magazine publisher and TV host turned real estate broker, I’ve seen firsthand how the use of media can provide you with a competitive edge. In an industry where trust, visibility and reputation drive business, those who use media can establish themselves as market leaders. If you want to set yourself apart, here’s how applying media-driven techniques can help. 

Branding like a media mogul 

The most successful media brands — from magazines to digital influencers — thrive by focusing on three main components: consistency, clarity and connection. Here’s how you can apply these principles to help build your brand. 

• Define your niche: Consider diving into a niche that reflects either your expertise or your personality. Whether you’re the go-to condo expert, a first-time homebuyer advocate, or the local neighborhood specialist, a strong identity builds trust and helps potential new clients see you as an authority figure. 
• The way you show up online matters: Consider how you perceive most brands today. Their colors, fonts and logos are pretty consistent across all platforms. These attributes help you spot and recognize them immediately. To establish a professional presence, agents should also ensure consistency in their headshots, logos, marketing materials and social media graphics. 
• Omnipresence is key: We don’t own social media. Therefore, you should leverage as many different platforms as possible. Utilize email marketing, video content and even print materials to stay visible to your audience. When using social media, consider where your audience is located and how they present themselves on each platform. You may want to tailor content that goes on LinkedIn differently from how you post it on TikTok. 

Storytelling is how you sell 

One of the most impactful things I learned while in the TV and magazine production business was the power of storytelling. When you are working as an agent, think about your client’s needs above all else. They aren’t just buying homes; they are buying into a lifestyle or a vision they see for themselves. By utilizing storytelling, agents can elevate marketing and create connections with their audience. 

• Create a story around a listing: Instead of listing the facts around a home, tell its story. Is the home located near an iconic landmark? What’s the history behind the property? What new restaurants are popping up across the street? A well-crafted story sets you apart from all the agents saying “Just Listed.”
• Leverage your past clients’ experiences: Just like a magazine shares human-interest stories, showcase your past clients’ stories and how you made the deal work. A story about how you helped a first-time home buyer by getting them closing cost assistance from a seller, allowing them to see their dreams come to fruition, is a story that resonates with just about anyone. 

The power of PR 

Becoming a recognized authority in real estate doesn’t happen overnight. This is where putting your “PR hat” on can help you out. Public relations (PR) is one of the most underutilized tools among agents, as many don’t realize it is attainable. Here are some simple PR hacks you can use to gain media exposure: 

• Position yourself as a local expert: Reporters are constantly seeking real estate professionals to share their thoughts on the market. By proactively reaching out to local reporters and online publications with data-driven insights and expert commentary, agents can establish themselves as go-to sources for media content. 
• Write thought leadership articles: Agents with expertise in a niche market can write opinion pieces for real estate blogs, lifestyle magazines and business outlets. A great example of this is using LinkedIn to write articles. LinkedIn hosts content, such as articles, similar to a blog, which you can share with your audience and repurpose for email marketing. 
• Leverage social media for press: Journalists are scouring the internet for everyday experts. A good practice is to engage your audience with trending topics. Create valuable insights and tag or share them with journalists. 

In this day and age, thinking like a journalist is easier than ever before. By embracing branding principles, storytelling techniques, PR strategies and leveraging AI, real estate agents can establish a competitive edge that extends far beyond transactions. In today’s market, being seen as a trusted expert is just as crucial as selling homes, and media expertise is the key to achieving that.

Angela Yungk is a managing broker and lead mentor with Arterra Realty Florida. You can connect with Angela on Instagram and LinkedIn.

In April, we’ll go deep on money and finance for a special theme month, by talking to leaders about where the mortgage market is heading and how technology and business strategies are evolving to suit the needs of buyers now. Inman’s Best of Finance returns for 2025, celebrating the leaders in this space. And subscribe to Mortgage Brief for weekly updates all year long.

Mortgage rates are on the retreat this week as the latest data on the economy has investors who fund most home loans worried that tariffs will not only fuel inflation but lead to a recession.

The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence Index dipped for the fifth consecutive month in April, to 86 — the lowest level since May 2020, the onset of the COVID pandemic.

Mark Zandi

TAKE THE INMAN INTEL INDEX SURVEY FOR APRIL

The U.S. trade deficit hit an all time high in March and job postings shrank more than forecasters were expecting, with a federal hiring freeze in place and uncertainty over the economy putting a chill on private sector hiring.

The 19-point drop in the Consumer Confidence Index over the past three months is “just shy of the recession threshold of 20,” Moody’s Analytics Chief Economist Mark Zandi posted on X. “Unless the trade war cools off very (very) soon, recession appears dead-ahead.”

Consumer confidence falters

“One positive note is that the slide in confidence was mostly due to weaker consumer expectations,” Zandi added. “Present assessments are holding up better. This suggests confidence could recover quickly with good news on the trade war, heading off a recession.”

In the latest back and forth on tariffs, President Trump signed an executive order Tuesday aimed at providing U.S. automakers some relief by “de-stacking” tariffs to avoid the cumulative effect of overlapping tariffs on other items like steel and aluminum.

The Conference Board reported that its Expectations Index, which tracks consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business and labor market conditions, fell 12.5 points to 54.4 — the lowest level since October 2011, and below a threshold of 80 that usually signals a recession ahead.

Stephanie Guichard

Consumers surveyed by the Conference Board through April 21 said they expect inflation will hit 7 percent in the next year, the most pessimistic reading since November 2022, when the U.S. was experiencing “extremely high inflation,” Conference Board economist Stephanie Guichard said, in a statement.

The decline in consumer confidence was shared across all political affiliations, and consumers “explicitly mentioned concerns about tariffs increasing prices and having negative impacts on the economy” in write-in responses, the Conference Board said.

Job openings trend down again

Employers were looking to fill 7.192 million job openings in March — a drop of 288,000 from February and 901,000 from a year ago, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. Economists had expected job openings to hold steady at 7.5 million.

Federal government job openings fell by 36,000 in March, while “the surge in economic policy uncertainty in March, mostly relating to tariff policy,” was the primary driver of the 229,000 decline in private sector job openings, Pantheon Macroeconomics Chief U.S. Economist Samuel Tombs said in a note to clients.

Samuel Tombs

“In particular, openings in the transportation, warehousing and utilities sector dropped by a relatively large 59,000, as businesses geared up for lower levels of demand for goods,” Tombs said. “Meanwhile, healthcare job postings fell by 45,000 and now are back in line with their long-run level, relative to the number of jobs.”

Tariffs on some goods from China have been increased by as much as 170 percent this year, with most of that hike taking effect April 9.

The Trump administration’s threats to raise tariffs on China and other U.S. trading partners prompted a rush of imports in March that pushed the U.S. trade deficit to a record high of $162 billion, according to an advance reading published by the Census Bureau Tuesday.

Trade deficit widens

U.S. companies imported an all-time high of $342.7 billion in goods last month, up $16.3 billion from February.

Economists have forecast that economic growth slowed to an annual rate of 0.4 percent during the first quarter, down from 2.4 percent in the final three months of 2024. The Bureau of Economic Analysis is scheduled to release an estimate of Q1 gross domestic product (GDP) growth on Wednesday.

The latest advance economic indicators pushed the Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow forecasting model’s estimate of Q1 annual GDP growth down to -2.7 percent Tuesday, from -2.4 percent on April 24.

Mortgage rates retreat from 2025 high

At 6.76 percent on Monday, rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages were down four basis points from Friday and 29 basis points from a 2025 high of 7.05 percent registered Jan. 14, according to rate lock data tracked by Optimal Blue.

Yields on 10-year Treasury notes, a barometer for mortgage rates, fell five basis points Monday and another four basis points Tuesday.

Get Inman’s Mortgage Brief Newsletter delivered right to your inbox. A weekly roundup of all the biggest news in the world of mortgages and closings delivered every Wednesday. Click here to subscribe.

Email Matt Carter

Bigger. Better. Bolder. Inman Connect is heading to San Diego. Join thousands of real estate pros, connect with the Inman Community and gain insights from hundreds of leading minds shaping the industry. If you’re ready to grow your business and invest in yourself, this is where you need to be. Go BIG in San Diego!

The Houston home dubbed the “Darth Vader House” has a new owner — and a new identity in the works.

Mexican sculptor Enrique Cabrera purchased the property for $3.4 million and plans to transform it into an artistic landmark of his own creation, the Houston Chronicle recently reported.

TAKE THE INMAN INTEL SURVEY FOR APRIL

Designed by Houston architect Brett Zamora, the home earned its name thanks to its dark facade and angular, helmet-like design, evoking the Star Wars villain, Nan & Co. Properties shared in an article announcing the sale.

Nancy Almodovar of Nan & Co. Properties represented Cabrera in the transaction.

Wikimedia Commons: Darth Vader/Berniethomas68

Over the years, the property has changed hands multiple times and cycled on and off the market.

Most recently, it was listed by local real estate broker and House of Ho star Washington Ho.

When the home didn’t sell, it returned to the hands of listing agent and owner Jason Junkin of Nitya Realty, who held onto it for around three years.

Just six days after the property was listed for $3.3 million this time around, Cabrera snapped it up with plans for a bold rebranding.

“The former Darth Vader house now is officially ‘The Black Bull House’ by Enrique Cabrera,” he told the Chronicle.

The name isn’t just symbolic — Cabrera plans to install a $2.4 million black bull statue of his own design at the home’s entrance.

Enrique Cabrera (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage courtesy Getty)

Cabrera told The Real Deal that he intends to give the property a complete artistic transformation, turning it into a hub of creative energy.

At 7,000 square feet, the home sits on an enormous 18,000-square foot lot in Houston’s prestigious West University enclave. According to the property’s listing description, the house sits “mysteriously lurking in its striking dark slate and aluminum clad armor.”

Inside, the home’s design could be considered just as dramatic, featuring two floating glass staircases, floor-to-ceiling windows, a wine wall, a pool and hot tub. The home also includes four bedrooms and five bathrooms.

Originally built in 1992 by Houston plastic surgeon Dr. Jean Cuckier — a devoted fan of Star Wars — the home has long captured the imagination of locals and architecture lovers and is considered a local landmark.

Email Richelle Hammiel