Beyond The Rate is a real-world look at what’s actually moving the mortgage, housing, and broader economy.
Hosted by Texas mortgage brokers Charlie Braden and Will Braden of J. Charles Lending, the show goes past the daily rate headlines to break down the market forces behind them, what’s changing, why it matters, and how those shifts affect buyers, homeowners, real estate professionals, and the housing market as a whole.
No hype. No recycled headlines. Just practical perspective, market context, and two brothers looking at the numbers from every angle.
Texas is still a buyer’s market, and weekly mortgage applications are sitting under 190,000. In this episode of Beyond the Rate, Charlie and Will break down which buyers can take the most advantage of the opportunity right now.
We cover:
First-time buyers and why you should focus on the house, not the rate
Move-up buyers, including how renting out your current home can help
Market-savvy buyers who negotiate 5% to 10% off and plan a refinance
Second-home and vacation-home buyers on the Texas coast and in the Hill Country
What to do if you have to sell your home before you buy
Why waiting for rates to hit 6% could mean double the competition and fewer seller concessions
Whether you’re ready to buy or just exploring your options, this conversation will help you look at the market through a smarter lens.
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Beyond the Rate, a Shop That Rate podcast, is hosted by the team at J. Charles Lending. www.jcharleslending.com
27 Oct 2026
Open Real Estate formed by 4 Real Estate Giants
Four of the largest real estate companies in the country announced Open Real Estate (https://www.openrealestate.com/), a shared listing platform that any brokerage can join for free.
We discuss some potential benefits and some fallout that could have massive affects for the real estate industry moving forward.
23 Oct 2026
How Rates Get Down to 5%
Most people are waiting for rates to come down, and we feel that expectations for how low rates will get are unrealistic. We dissect what it will take for conventional rates to get down to 5%.
21 Oct 2026
Factors that could lead to lower rates
Last week we discussed our Pre-Election Game plan and a Housingwire article last weekend made the same argument. We discuss the four factors that could lead to lower rates.
17 Oct 2026
Pre Election Game Plan
Inflation came in higher than expected, but the reaction was the exact opposite with rates finishing this week a quarter point lower than last week. We also talk about a home buying game plan as the mid term elections near.
10 Oct 2026
Bonus Episode: 3 Recent Buyer Scenarios
The market is favoring buyers but not every deal is the same. Buyers can find value in many different ways and we get into a few of those here.
10 Oct 2026
Current Market, Buyers vs Sellers
Buyers are able to get aggressive right now and sellers understand the current state of the market. We go Beyond the Rate to talk strategy going into an offer.
30 Sept 2026
It's Not the 2021 Market
Everyone wants the 2021 rate but they don't remember what the 2021 market was actually like. The value back then was low rate but massive competition among home buyers. Today it's flipped, the value is a discount on the price and seller paid closing costs.
17 Sept 2026
Post Fed Meeting Discussion
The federal reserve raised the funds rate. Despite all data actually being better than previous meetings we discuss what the mentality or reasoning behind it. But contrary to thought, it actually is good for mortgage rates.
15 Sept 2026
Pre Fed Meeting Discussion
The markets are putting money on a Fed Rate Hike. There are still some who don't think it'll happen, and also those who don't think it's needed, even though it'll happen. We give our take on what will happen to mortgage rates if there's a hike or a hold.
14 Sept 2026
Is the Economy Strong or Weak Right Now?
One of the concerns we hear right now is the economy. Just in general. There are aspects to be concerned with so we break down different areas to dive into the actual numbers.
14 Sept 2026
Why It's a Great Time to Buy a Home
Home buyers are hesitant right now, with not a single issue being the main hurdle. We break down a few of those concerns and lay out some benefits to purchasing right now.
14 Sept 2026
Why Brokers Are Best
We lay out the benefits of working with a mortgage broker and debunk three of the criticisms of brokers that we hear most frequently.
14 Sept 2026
First Half 2026 Analysis
Getting caught up on the first half of 2026 market action. Inflation was trending downward and positive conditions were showing until the Iran conflict started. We explain how that affected mortgage rates.
13 Sept 2026
How We Got Here, a brief history of mortgage rates.
Rates have been elevated for several years now but most don't understand the fundamentals. We just take a look at the history of rates and inflation to put into perspective how we got where we are.
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
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