I am in Reno today, Spokane tomorrow, but I spent much of last week in Chicago which is very much a melting pot of languages. One can walk down the street and hear similar words for the same thing: Hypothèque (French), hipoteca (Spanish), hipotēka (Latvian), hypotheek (Dutch), and hypothek (German). You’ll have to figure out the word on your own. Renovation there is indicative of what is happening in many other cities: Developers and city agencies in Chicago are working together on the LaSalle Street initiative, which seeks to bring 1,000 homes (including 300 affordable ones) to a mostly shuttered stretch of the city’s financial district. With plenty of people still content to work from home, living in a converted empty office may be the answer to the housing crisis in many areas. (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s is sponsored by the STRATMOR Group, the data-driven mortgage advisory. At STRATMOR, insights and knowledge are applied to guide mortgage clients to make sound strategic decisions and take actions that improve their success. Today’s has a wide ranging interview with DoorLoop’s David Bitton on property tech advancements and a bonus discussion on how to get the most out of ChatGPT.) Lender and Broker Software, Products, and Services Fall in love with REMN Wholesale! Take advantage of its free RENOVATION LENDING WEBINAR, Thursday, February 16th @ 2PM ET, designed to help you stand out from the crowd and become a Renovation Loan Expert! Click Here to register. REMN knows renovation! REMN’s 5 DAY HELOC PROGRAM: Minimum FICO score has been reduced to 620! Available in 41 states. Approvals in minutes, closings in as little as 5 days! (Ineligible states: DE, HI, KY, MD, MS, NY, SC, TX, WV & DC). TEMPORARY BUYDOWN OPTIONS: REMN offers 3-2-1, 2-1, 1-1-1, 1-1, and 1-0, buydown options to structure, structure, and structure. In addition, temporary buydowns now available for Non-QM (Simple Access) products. REMN Wholesale is now on the Lender Price platform; partnered and accessible on the ARIVE platform (Click Here); and proud multi-year supporter of AIME, and multi-decade supporter of NAMB.