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Insights
The longer pieces. My weekly market update covers what moved rates that week, and it is deliberately short-lived. This is the other half: how the mechanisms actually work, written to still be true next year.
Last reviewed 16 October 2026 · Mark Ruhl, NMLS #105591
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Will We Ever See 3% Mortgage Rates Again?
Will mortgage rates ever see 3% again? What actually drove rates to 2.65% in 2021, and what a realistic normal looks like now.
RatesInvestingBuying strategy -
Why Now Might Be the Best Time to Buy
Rates are over 7%, so why buy now? What happens to prices when rates drop and millions more buyers re-enter the market, run with real numbers.
RatesPortland marketBuying strategy -
Where to Buy in the Portland/Vancouver Area
From inner Southeast to Ridgefield and Lake Oswego: typical home values, the tax differences that catch people out, and the tradeoffs across the metro.
First-time buyersPortland marketBuying strategy -
I Have Student Loans. Can I Still Buy a House?
Student loans don't disqualify you from buying a home. How lenders count them, why the method matters by tens of thousands of dollars, and what you can do.
RatesCredit & debt -
Price Cut or Rate Buydown?
With rates at 7.40%, a $10,000 seller credit is usually worth more as a rate buydown than a price cut. All three options run with real numbers.
RatesBuying strategyTaxes -
Moving Up? Consider Keeping Your Home as a Rental
Why keeping your current home as a rental can beat selling, how rental income offsets your payment when you qualify, and what the new Fannie Mae rules change.
RatesInvestingPortland market -
Rates, the Fed, Inflation and Treasuries
How a conflict overseas, oil prices, inflation, the Fed, and Treasury yields all flow into your mortgage rate, explained one link at a time.
RatesInvestingBuying strategy -
How Much Cash Do You Need to Buy in Portland?
Most Portland first-time buyers think they need 20% down. Here is the real down payment and closing cost number on a $450,000 home, and how to bring it lower.
First-time buyersPortland marketBuying strategy -
House Hacking: Buy a Duplex With 3.5% Down
House hacking lets you buy a duplex or fourplex with as little as 3.5% down: live in one unit, rent the others. Here is how the numbers work in Portland.
First-time buyersRatesInvesting -
DSCR Loans: Qualify on the Rent, Not Your Tax Return
How DSCR loans let rental property investors qualify on the rent the property produces instead of their tax returns, plus typical requirements and tradeoffs.
RatesInvestingPortland market -
Down Payment Help in Oregon and Washington
A plain-English look at down payment assistance in Oregon and Washington: grants, forgivable loans, deferred loans, income limits, and what to watch for.
First-time buyersRatesPortland market -
Buying vs. Renting in Portland: The Math Over 7 Years
A 7-year comparison of buying vs. renting in Portland with real numbers: leverage, principal paydown, tax savings, and what you actually walk away with.
First-time buyersRatesPortland market -
ADUs and Middle Housing: One Lot, More Than One Home
How Portland's infill rules and Oregon's middle housing law let you add ADUs, duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes, plus how to finance the build.
RatesInvestingPortland market -
ARMs Aren't the 2008 Villain Anymore
Why today's adjustable-rate mortgages are a different product from 2008: how they work, the 5/1/5 caps, what the numbers look like, and who they suit.
RatesBuying strategy