The 30 year mortgage rate just reached 7.45-percent. By summer of 2027? I could see 8-percent rates.
So a $300,000 house, with me putting down $30,000 for down-payment? Roughly $1,900 a month.
I just don't see that many people under age 30 affording a house. Go toss in insurance and property tax....I'd need to make $75,000 a year minimum.
1. Lot of chatter this week....some factual coming out to suggest folks 'found' Noah's Ark (yeah, kinda found on the mountain side like you'd think).
My belief....somewhere around 1,500 to 2,000 years ago...some religious group put a 'fake' Ark up on the mountainside...to entice followers to make a trip up to see the Ark.
2. I sat and watched a 60-second clip of former VP Kamala Harris...trying to explain AI. By the end....I felt like I was watching some looped-up on heavy doses of cannabis.
My gut feeling....to make the pro-cannabis crowd happy....we may have to vote in someone into the Presidency once in a while.
3. Dead-last on my 25,000 things to argue about: how to realign college football conferences.
4. PM Carney of Canada....made a statement yesterday....that they (Canadian gov') are prepared for ‘risk’ that Trump might order U.S.-led military invasion of Canada
I paused over this. Carney probably has insiders telling him this...without presenting any actual evidence of such.
CIA-rogue agents creating fake invasion-chatter? Yeah...that might be true.
5. It's just odd....the same people hyped-up, chatty and worried over AI destroying mankind....are the doom-talkers of climate change, and the doom-talkers of Covid. What are the odds?
I think the Brits have worked themselves into a corner and intend to hand ownership over to the native crowd.
About four hours into this....Trump's crew shows up....buys the island area in some deal from the natives, and identifies it as US territory (maybe even hinting statehood with Guam attached).
At that point, the US position on the Falklands will come up....with Trump saying it's absolutely Argentina's property.
US basing in the UK? I'm pretty sure all US installations on the isle....are on some to-be-closed list.
1. President Trump gives a 16-minute talk covered by CNN.....afterwards, CNN's 'experts' spend near 40 minutes trying to explain Trump's talk.
2. Espresso-Martini....at Oktoberfest....costing almost $20 (16.50 Euro). It's simply a double-jolt of espresso (figure $4 or 3.5 Euro), some sugar (figure .50-cents or 1-Euro), and cheap double shot of vodka (figure $4 or 3.5 Euro).
3. NBC reports....keeping your refrigerator/freezer door CLOSED....is best for keeping food fresh. If you asked a 9-year old kid about this....they already know it.
4. Some BS-rumor started up....that Canada might be invaded by the US.
1. I downloaded the White House App yesterday. With all this amusing chaos with CNN and the other news crews....the White House App does everything...without the gimmicks of the network. Took 30 seconds....done.
You never needed a filter or some idiot telling a different slant on words spoken. If you disagree with words spoken....just mute it or turn it off.
2. In the 1970s....reality was reality.
Today.....there's probably sixty versions of reality...over one single topic.
3. By mid-October....Paramount will officially own CNN. What I expect? Just a humble guess that ten of the top wage folks are gone within a week.
CNN becomes some neutral news establishment....within a five-day period....right before the mid-terms? Yeah.
I suspect that the authorities there....are pretty sure about the actual purpose being production of fertilizer and that if you admitted this...the tourism 'magnet' would fall apart overnight. Admitting this? You can't do it.
The shafts leading a 'box' deep under the pyramid?
Storage tank where you'd have ammonia, and the product of the cycle.
You have to envision northern Africa....12k to 15k years ago, and the massive harvest/use of the land.
If I were the Egyptian authorities....zero chance that I'd admit this and kill off the tourism industry.
1. Are we in a recession? I asked Grok/AI.
NO, the U.S. is not in a recession as of late September 2026. What Grok suggests? Well....the economy is still expanding, though growth has slowed from earlier in the year and some forward-looking indicators are mixed.
Are there personal feelings that suggests we don't believe Grok? Yeah...probably so.
2. Are housing sales across the US in the crapper (Sep 2026)?
Yes, existing-home sales are weak and have been sliding. It does not match the 2008 situation, but if you said the term 'slump'....it fits.
Blame? If you got a property back five years or more ago....with better mortgage rates....you are staying (long-term). With current mortgage rates....you have zero interest in getting a better property.
3. Are certain states in better/worse shape....than others?
This is a odd perception.
Unemployment-wise? South Dakota, North Dakota, Vermont, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Nebraska....all less than 3-percent. District of Columbia, California, Oregon, Conn, Michigan, AZ....all greater than 5-percent.
4. Bank repossessions up?
I watched a podcast last week.....RV trailer yard....a 60-day collection that was coming up on auction....figure around 150 to 200 RV trailers and vehicles. Guy noted that previous month....they'd had a boat auction.
Trend.....where people thought they had 'money' (capital) and woke up to realize they were too far in debt to keep their 'toys'.
Problem is....the banks will sell the asset....one way or another, but I doubt that they get 100-percent of money they had in the loan 'mess'.
5. Christmas season economics?
Finance guys say it's better-looking than 2025's numbers.
6. Used car lots....full?
There's two or three podcasts I watch weekly....which get talking about numbers. Oddly, largest numbers sitting on lots....in at least a decade. Fair number are repossessions.
7. Finally, if you asked me over confidence.....guys who are employed and sure of their 'path'....they are the ones with confidence. The folks who got laid off once or twice in 2025/2026? They aren't so sure and more guarded about their savings.
