Blake Schaefer Mortgage Loans

04/10/2025

What an awesome day at the WFG Title Pickleball event! Had a blast on the courts and even managed to take home 1st place! The $500 prize was a sweet surprise—but even better, I had the chance to donate it to the Local Change Foundation, a cause close to my heart. Grateful for the fun, the competition, and the opportunity to give back!

03/31/2025

Congratulations to my amazing clients on closing on their new home! It’s been such a joy to be part of your journey. Wishing you all the happiness and wonderful memories in this next chapter. Welcome home! 🏡✨

01/17/2025

Market Update 1.17.2025

11/09/2024

Congratulations to our newest homeowner! It’s been a pleasure helping him through the loan process. Wishes for warmth, happiness, and success as he settles into this new chapter. Thank you for trusting us with your home financing!

10/31/2024

“Happy Halloween from our spirited Elevations mortgage skeleton crew! 💀🎉 Today, the office was alive (or not 🥴) with our Day of the Dead theme—colorful skeletons everywhere, plus a few other amazing costumes (shoutout to our awesome biker, Liz!). From festive face paint to some spooky style, we’re celebrating Halloween with plenty of fun. Wishing everyone a bone-rattling, ghoulishly good day! 🎃🌸🕸️ ”

02/23/2024

Happy Friday everyone! It was a relatively quiet week for rates, we started the week with a slight increase and have seen them ease down towards the end. All in all there wasn’t much news to move the needle, and they pretty much ended where they started. Next week could bring some volatility though as the GDP and core PCE readings come out, not to mention there are more Treasury Bill auctions and Fed commentary. If core PCE is anywhere close to the 2% target, we may start to hear about rate cuts later in the year. If it doesn’t, we are likely not out of the higher for longer phase of this cycle.

Despite the quiet week with rates, the market is gaining a little bit of steam. There are plenty of buyers still waiting to purchase and plenty are getting off the fence. I believe that at this moment there is still the potential to negotiate on price/concessions/temporary buy-down options, but it won’t last forever. Remind your clients of that, and keep them focused on the important things- buying the right home for the right reasons and moving quickly when the right opportunity presents itself.

Friday 2-23-24 for Facebook

01/27/2024

Happy Friday everyone! Rates ended down slightly this week as PCE came in at 2.9% vs the 3.0% expected, this marked the first time we have seen inflation readings that start with a 2 in several years. On top of that, the initial jobless claims were 214k vs the 200k estimated and personal income was down to .2% vs the .3% expected. So why are rates only down slightly? Consumers are still spending! The overall economy seems to be humming right along, with GDP coming in above expectations (3.3% vs 2.0%), personal spending coming considerably higher than expected (.7% vs .4%), and pending home sales lifting off (8.3% vs 1.5% expected).
I mentioned last week that we may be facing an early spring buying season, and this week just reinforced that. I had several buyers have properties go under contract and several others in competing offer situations. The phone continues to ring with new buyers looking to get pre-approved, more so than last year. I’ve made this point for months and I’m not ready to retire it yet, but I don’t think there are many weeks left where I can write it. There is opportunity out there in this market, but I do believe it’s a narrow window and buyers should be jumping on it. Remind them of that, and keep them focused on the important things- buying the right home for the right reasons and moving quickly when the right opportunity presents itself. I’ll be around this weekend if you or your buyers need me, keep selling!

01/21/2024

Happy Saturday everyone! The snow and arctic chill are behind us, I missed the crazy powder days last weekend but I’ll be chasing it at Copper this weekend with my son. If you are headed out here hit me up!
This week it was the Fed commentary that moved the needle, Fed Chair Waller said that the US is “within striking distance” of the 2% target inflation goal, which by itself sounds great! It was the rest of the commentary that turned the bond market sour and sent rates rising slightly. Here’s his quote: "The key thing is the economy is doing well. It gives us the flexibility to move carefully and methodically. We can see how the data comes in and if progress is being sustained. The worst thing we'd have is it all reverses after we've already started to cut. We really want to see evidence of this progress...in the real data as the inflation data continues. I believe it will."
This all sounds innocuous enough, but it also alludes to the Fed not cutting rates in March as expected and the chance of a rate cut dropped from 80% to 50%. The market is fickle, it’s yearning for some news around a rate cut, and it’s just not getting it. Expect rates to stay slightly higher until that news comes, which it will. It’s just a matter of time.
The phone continues to ring with new buyers looking to get pre-approved, more so than last year. I had lunch with an old buddy/realtor who thinks we will see a fast and furious spring market followed by a leveled-off end of the year due to the election and uncertainty that usually brings. I tend to agree with him, this makes sense to me both from a common sense standpoint and from a current activity standpoint. This leads me to the point I have been trying to make for several months now, there is opportunity out there in this market, but I do believe it’s a narrow window and buyers should be jumping on it. Remind them of that, and keep them focused on the important things- buying the right home for the right reasons and moving quickly when the right opportunity presents itself. Yes, I will be skiing this weekend, but yes I will be available for any loan questions if you need me. I love talking shop on the chairlift or heading to apres ski. 😉

01/19/2024

January marks my incredible 10-year anniversary with Elevations Credit Union! It’s hard to believe it’s been a decade already. When I moved over from my previous career in the title industry and got into lending, I used my title company experiences to pick the best mortgage company in the market. I chose Elevations because they embodied everything that I felt a good company represents... An active presence in the community, a clear vision, great leadership with a focus on referral partner relationships, and a wide array of loan products combined with competitive rates & fees. 10 years later, I still believe this to be true. I am thankful for my team, the realtors I am fortunate enough to work with, and the buyers who we help create a path to a better financial future through homeownership and investment in real estate.
Here’s to the next decade. Cheers!

01/18/2024

What a great lunch today with my buddy, . It's always a good time when we catch up and talk shop.

12/29/2023

It’s the last official business day of 2023, and what a year it has been. From interest rate highs that we haven’t seen since the late 1990s to transaction volume lows we haven’t experienced since 2008, it’s notable that mortgage rates have started to decline, setting up a nice trend as we close out the year. I’m happy to say goodbye to 2023 and look forward to the new year. Surprisingly, the 10-year treasury will end the year at 3.88%, almost exactly where the year started. It’s a different story for Russell Wilson; he will find himself in a different position on the Bronco’s roster than where he started, i.e., on the bench.
If you have been reading this newsletter, you should know my mantra for the year. Whatever rate a buyer gets now, they will almost certainly have refinanced in the next 2 years. Even as we close out the year with rates back in the 6%’s, I still believe this is true. At some point, likely in 2024, we’ll see rates back below 6% and the competition for buyers will tighten. I said it last week and I’ll say it again, there is opportunity out there in this market, but I do believe it’s a narrow window and buyers should be jumping on it. This in itself is not a bad thing as it will mean increased volume, but it means it will be harder to get a bargain. Remind them of that, and keep them focused on the important things- buying the right home for the right reasons and moving quickly when the right opportunity presents itself. My team and I will always make time if you or your buyers need us… as always, keep selling!

12/11/2023

A heartfelt CONGRATULATIONS to our incredible clients on their closings and obtaining the keys to their new homes! Your trust and confidence in us mean the world, and we're honored to have played a part in making your dreams a reality. May your new homes be filled with love, laughter, and countless beautiful memories!
And a big shoutout and THANK YOU to our exceptional realtor partners! Your expertise, dedication, and passion for helping clients find their perfect homes have made this journey truly special. We value your partnership and look forward to many more successful collaborations ahead.
📸 To commemorate this milestone, check out the video featuring snapshots of these incredible homes. #