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Trust This: Assuming mortgages surging sales strategy
and a new credit score game is in town to lower closing costs (maybe)
Joseph Seagle
July 11, 2025
In partnership with
Trust This.
By Joseph E. Seagle, Esq.
👋 Happy Friday! Today is National 7-Eleven Day. Have you gotten your free Slurpee yet?
1 big thing: 🏠 Rising Trend: Buyers Take Over Old Mortgages to Beat High Rates
As mortgage rates hover near 7%, assumable mortgages—where a homebuyer takes over a seller’s low-interest loan—are surging. According to Fast Company, FHA loan assumptions jumped 127% from 2021 to 2024, and this trend is gaining steam across the U.S., especially in hot markets like Florida.
Why it matters: In a tight housing market with expensive financing, these rare but powerful tools are offering buyers and real estate pros a creative workaround.
Many assumable mortgages were originated during the sub-4% era (2020–2021).
VA, FHA, and USDA loans are the most common types eligible for assumption.
With rates now double that, the savings are real, and buyers are noticing.
💡 How it works: A buyer assumes the seller’s mortgage rate and balance, often dramatically lowering monthly payments. But they must cover the difference between the remaining mortgage balance and the sale price—either with cash or secondary financing.
Example: If a home sells for $400,000 and the assumable mortgage is $250,000, the buyer needs to come up with $150,000—often through a second loan and some cash.
What we’re watching: Startups like Roam are streamlining the process. They help match buyers with assumable loans and guide them through the complex paperwork. It’s not a fast process, and underwriting by the original lender is still required, but Realtors and investors who understand the mechanics can gain a significant edge.
📍 Florida impact: With home prices high and investors seeking leverage, assumable mortgages can unlock deals that make the math work. For buyers short on cash, second loans or equity partners are essential to bridge the gap.
The bottom line: Assumable mortgages aren’t new, but in 2025’s market, they might be the smartest tool in your belt. If you’re a Florida investor, broker, or agent, it’s time to start asking every seller: “Is your loan assumable?”
2. 📊 FHFA Shakes Up Mortgage Credit Scores — But It’s Not Game-Changing Yet
🏡 The Big Picture: After decades of FICO’s monopoly in mortgage lending, the FHFA has now approved the use of VantageScore 4.0 for loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. While hailed as a win for innovation and inclusivity, implementation is slow and many questions remain unanswered.
🔍 Why It Matters for Florida’s Real Estate Pros:
Whether you’re brokering loans, flipping houses, or managing title transfers, here’s what you need to know:
VantageScore 4.0 uses trended credit data, rent, and utility payments—potentially opening mortgage access to younger buyers, gig workers, immigrants, and those with medical debt.
However, lenders must still pull tri-merge credit reports from all three bureaus, and current pricing shows little difference between FICO and VantageScore reports.
FHFA’s announcement caught most of the industry off guard. Secondary market readiness, mortgage insurers, and tech stack updates (LOS/POS platforms) all lag behind.
💵 Will This Lower Borrowing Costs? Not yet. While FHFA Director Bill Pulte suggested the move will reduce credit check costs (which have soared 400% in recent years), early analysis shows prices between FICO and VantageScore remain nearly identical for mortgage tri-merges.
🛠️ What to Watch:
Timeline Unclear: Most insiders don’t expect Fannie or Freddie to purchase loans based on VantageScore 4.0 at scale until late 2025 or early 2026 .
FICO 10T is also on the horizon, creating a dual-model system that adds complexity to underwriting and secondary market evaluations.
Secondary markets and mortgage insurers still need to figure out how they’ll handle these new scores.
🧭 Bottom Line: Don’t change your pipeline strategies yet—but keep your eyes on how the GSEs and tech vendors respond. In the long run, VantageScore 4.0 could reshape who qualifies for a home loan, particularly in fast-growing and diverse markets like Florida.
Getting back to basics this week on an “Ask Joe Anything” episode of the Trust This podcast, explaining the key differences between LLCs and Land Trusts when it comes to management, pros and cons, uses, and asset protection.
3. Catch up fast
Delistings surge 50% as sellers can’t get their price Realtor
Homeowner sued his HOA after it prohibited his solar panels Yahoo News
Are you at the top or bottom of the retirement wealth pyramid? Yahoo Finance
Florida’s housing market doing something “unusual” in several markets Newsweek
Canadian buyers are dropping out of the U.S. housing market New York Times (gift link)
Florida housing market sees sharp decline in Canadians’ interest Gulfshore Business
Fannie & Freddie now required to consider crypto holdings when qualifying a borrower for a loan Reuters
U.S. jobless claims slide again, quelling hopes of a Fed rate cut MPAMag
Cape Coral gains crown as the worst housing market in America … again Newsweek, UniladTech
Cape Coral locals push back on “worst housing market” label Fox 4 News
Burned out by the news? There’s a better way.
Outrage headlines. Never-ending feeds. Everyone shouting, no one listening.
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More than 400,000 readers — no matter their politics — trust Tangle to get the full picture and stay informed without getting burnt out.
If you’re tired of feeling overwhelmed by the news — but still want to understand what’s really happening — give Tangle a try.
4. Closing Thought: 🧠 Mindset Shift: Own the Day, Own the Deal
Caught this thunderstorm to the west of the lake as the sun set behind it this week.
Quote to remember:
“Either you run the day, or the day runs you.” — Jim Rohn
Why it matters: In real estate, chaos is constant—deals fall through, inspections fail, rates shift overnight. But Jim Rohn’s wisdom reminds us: if you don’t take control of your time, your time—and everyone else’s drama—will take control of you.
Reality check: Too many entrepreneurs wake up and react. Emails. DMs. Client fires. And suddenly it’s 5 p.m. and nothing meaningful got done. Busy is not the same as productive.
The most successful investors, lenders, and agents we work with don’t just fill their calendars; they command them. They work from intention, not interruption.
What to do now: Here’s a simple 3-step system to flip the script on your day:
Plan tomorrow today.
End each workday by writing the top 3 outcomes you must achieve tomorrow. Don’t start your day guessing — decide in advance.
Control your morning.
No phone, no inbox, no noise — at least for your first 60 minutes. Use this window to do deep work that moves your business forward.
Time-block ruthlessly.
Don’t just make a to-do list. Schedule when you’ll do each item — and defend those blocks like a $10,000 closing is on the line. Because it is.
The bottom line: You are the CEO of your time. Whether you’re closing deals or building systems, nothing scales until you lead your day like it matters.
Because it does.
We hope you found this helpful — any feedback is appreciated and can be shared by hitting reply or using the feedback feature below.
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