Money & Rates News
Money & Rates · Metro Atlanta
Money & Rates Nov 1, 2026
Metro Atlanta lending exec: the cheapest mortgage quote can be the most expensive mistake - compare points, fees and rate locks, not just the rate
Writing in Appen Media's Aikenomics column, DC Aiken, senior vice president of lending at CrossCountry Mortgage, warns metro Atlanta buyers that the lowest advertised rate often hides the real cost of the loan. His checklist: make every lender quote the same scenario - loan amount, down payment, credit profile, loan type, term - on the same day, ask each for zero-points pricing before judging the rate, and tally origination, underwriting and processing fees plus lender credits. Within 30 to 45 days of closing he says lock the rate, since nobody reliably predicts short-term rate moves, get any float-down provision in writing, and demand a written Loan Estimate; a rate that changes the moment you try to lock is a red flag, and a lender's ability to close on time matters as much as price. For a fix-and-flipper: this cuts two ways. Your retail exit depends on buyers' real financing costs, and points-and-fees games quietly shrink what they can pay for your finished product - while the identical comparison discipline applies to hard money quotes, where a headline rate over a 6-to-9-month hold matters far less than points, junk fees and draw mechanics.
Image via Appen Media
Money & Rates Oct 30, 2026
30-year mortgage rate falls to 7.24% - the lowest this month - in Freddie Mac's Oct. 29 survey, easing exit-buyer math for metro Atlanta flippers
Freddie Mac's weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey, released Oct. 30 with data through Oct. 29, put the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage at 7.24%, down from 7.32% the prior week and the lowest level this month; the 15-year fixed averaged 6.60%, down from 6.68%. A year ago the 30-year averaged 6.17%, and the survey noted the decline is modestly boosting purchasing power for prospective buyers. For a fix-and-flipper: exit-buyer affordability is the demand lever on every listing - a falling rate trend into fall widens the buyer pool for finished product and supports holding out for full-price offers, though financing still costs about a point more than a year ago.
Money & Rates Oct 28, 2026
Georgia investors closed 5,795 DSCR loans worth $1.4B last year at a median 7.25% rate - and metro Atlanta's five core counties took 43% of them
CrowdfundedWealth's analysis of federal HMDA loan-level data, updated Oct. 28, counts 5,795 DSCR-type investment loans in Georgia for 2025 totaling $1.41 billion - up 50.9% in count year over year - at a median note rate of 7.25% (middle half 6.875% to 7.75%), down from 7.625% in 2024, with the DSCR premium over conventional investor loans nearly halving to 0.26 points. Fulton, Gwinnett, DeKalb, Cobb and Clayton accounted for 2,498 loans, or 43.1% of the state total, up from 40.2%; United Wholesale Mortgage led with 593 loans and Kiavi Funding made 378, with Kiavi's DSCR loans made through Figure Lending since Sept. 1, 2026, and Georgia law (O.C.G.A. 7-4-2) bars prepayment penalties unless the contract stipulates them. For a fix-and-flipper: cheaper, more available rental-exit financing concentrated in the core metro counties tightens the safety net under every deal - when a flip stalls, the hold-as-rental fallback now pencils at a smaller rate premium.
Money & Rates Oct 28, 2026
Fed holds at 3.75%-4% with two members voting to raise — metro Atlanta financing costs stay elevated into the December meeting
The Federal Open Market Committee kept the federal funds rate at 3.75% to 4% on Oct. 28 on a 10-2 vote, with Governor Lisa Cook and Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack dissenting in favor of a quarter-point hike, six weeks after the Fed's first rate increase in three years; markets now watch the Dec. 8-9 meeting for the next move. A Metro Atlanta market analysis on ActiveRain notes long-term mortgage rates track the 10-year Treasury yield — still near 5% in October — keeping conventional 30-year financing above 7% regionally despite the Fed pause. For a fix-and-flipper: no relief on the cost of money — hard money and DSCR pricing key off these same benchmarks, so keep hold periods short, assume your retail buyer is qualifying above 7%, and stress-test exit prices accordingly.
Section guide
Most Georgia flips are funded with short-term capital, not banks. Here is how the pieces fit — in plain terms.
The loan types
- First-position fix-and-flip loan — the primary loan on the purchase and renovation. Interest-only, 6–12 month terms, sized against the after-repair value.
- Second position — sits behind the first loan; covers the gap when the first lender won't finance the full deal. It's math: first balance, ARV, exit, downside.
- Gap funding — short-term capital for the space between what a deal needs and what a first lender provides — down payments, overruns, speed.
- DSCR refinance (nationwide) — the exit: refinance the finished rental based on its income, not your tax returns.
- Land deals — raw and infill land with a defined exit.
What it costs
Hard money for Georgia fix-and-flips currently prices in the 9.5%–12% range (interest-only, 6–12 month terms) with 1–2 points. Your deal prices on your numbers, not a billboard rate.
Who we are
Realty Hedge Fund is a private equity fund lending its own cash on Georgia fix-and-flips — first and second position, gap funding, land, with nationwide DSCR exits. Underwriting in 48 hours. Same-week closings on clean files.
Alphonso McConnico · info@realtyhedgefund.com