
Top of Mind
The Top of Mind podcast features top real estate industry insiders and experts to unpack the most important housing, real estate, mortgage data and trends that are shaping the housing market. Hosted by Altos founder Mike Simonsen and produced by the HousingWire Content Studio.
Latest episodes

Jul 9, 2024 • 15min
Housing market sees more price cuts as inventory continues to grow.
Welcome to How’s the Market, our weekly look at what’s happening in the US housing market, powered by data from Altos Research.If you want to see all the inventory, pricing, and supply and demand charts we reference in the show, head on over to our YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/altosresearch.Hosted by Mike Simonsen, President of Altos ResearchA true data geek, Mike founded Altos Research in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. Altos provides national and local real estate data to financial institutions, real estate professionals, and investors across the country, and the company is now part of HW Media, publisher of HousingWire and RealTrends. Mike uses Altos data to identify trends in the real estate market well before the headlines, and his work has been featured in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Fortune, Forbes and other publications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 2, 2024 • 14min
What to expect in the real estate market for the rest of the year
Welcome to How’s the Market, our weekly look at what’s happening in the US housing market, powered by data from Altos Research.If you want to see all the inventory, pricing, and supply and demand charts we reference in the show, head on over to our YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/altosresearch.Hosted by Mike Simonsen, President of Altos ResearchA true data geek, Mike founded Altos Research in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. Altos provides national and local real estate data to financial institutions, real estate professionals, and investors across the country, and the company is now part of HW Media, publisher of HousingWire and RealTrends. Mike uses Altos data to identify trends in the real estate market well before the headlines, and his work has been featured in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Fortune, Forbes and other publications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 26, 2024 • 54min
Real Talk on Rates with Mortgage News Daily’s Matt Graham
In this episode of the Top of Mind podcast, Mike Simonsen sits down with Matt Graham from MBS Live and Mortgage News Daily. A former loan originator, Matt is one of the foremost technology innovators and market commentators in the mortgage industry. Matt talks about what to expect with mortgage rates for the rest of the year and into 2025, and offers keen insights into a variety of other economic indicators.About Matt GrahamA former originator, Matt fell into the rabbit hole of following the bond market in order to better understand mortgage rate movement. While the systems available at the time were useful, they barely scratched the surface. They also ran the risk of teaching originators to focus on things that didn't really matter.So Matt set out to build something that solved both problems. In the 20 years that followed, Matt has proven to be the industry's foremost innovator in market data services designed specifically for mortgage originators. MBS Live continues to be the most trusted, most accurate, and most timely source of streaming bond prices, data and dialogue.Matt is routinely featured in the media as a mortgage rate expert and is responsible for helping several major media outlets modernize their mortgage rate reporting. He currently lives in the Pacific Northwest where he enjoys skiing, fishing, hunting, coaching youth sports, playing in the old guy league, and most of all, spending time with his family.Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
Why everyone was fooled about rates for 2024
What to look for with mortgage rates for the rest of the year and into 2025
What to look for in the inflation data for the next few months
Which other macroeconomic measures we should be watching
How the Fed communicates, and how markets react to the Fed
The latest dynamics of mortgage pricing, fees and points
Why the last two years has been “tougher than the Great Financial Crisis” for mortgage lenders
Why the 8% interest rate in September 2023 was probably “defensive panic” and unlikely to repeat
How the post-Covid stimulus money is still reverberating in the economy and the markets today
Whether there’s a threshold rate for where consumers start to buy homes
His view of the imperative to “spread the wealth” of real estate in the US to more people, including those who are long term renters
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Matt Graham | LinkedIn
MBS Live
Mortgage News Daily
Mike Simonsen | LinkedIn
Altos Research
Featuring Mike Simonsen, President of Altos ResearchA true data geek, Mike founded Altos Research in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. The company now serves the largest Wall Street investment firms, banks, and tens of thousands of real estate professionals around the country. Mike's insights on the market have been featured in Forbes, New York Times, Bloomberg, Dallas Morning News, Seattle PI, and many other national media outlets.Follow us on Twitter for more data analysis and insights:
Altos on Twitter
Mike on Twitter
About Altos ResearchThe Top of Mind Podcast is produced by Altos Research.Each week, Altos tracks every home for sale in the country - all the pricing, and all the changes in pricing - and synthesizes those analytics to make them available before becoming visible through traditional channels.Schedule a demo to see Altos in action. You can also get a copy of our free eBook: How To Use Market Data to Build Your Real Estate Business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 25, 2024 • 12min
Inventory growth is slowing. Are sellers backing off? (6/24/24 Market Update)
Welcome to How’s the Market, our weekly look at what’s happening in the US housing market, powered by data from Altos Research.If you want to see all the inventory, pricing, and supply and demand charts we reference in the show, head on over to our YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/altosresearch.Hosted by Mike Simonsen, President of Altos ResearchA true data geek, Mike founded Altos Research in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. Altos provides national and local real estate data to financial institutions, real estate professionals, and investors across the country, and the company is now part of HW Media, publisher of HousingWire and RealTrends. Mike uses Altos data to identify trends in the real estate market well before the headlines, and his work has been featured in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Fortune, Forbes and other publications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 18, 2024 • 15min
Inventory Inches Up While Prices Hold Steady (6/17/24 Market Update)
Welcome to How’s the Market, our weekly look at what’s happening in the US housing market, powered by data from Altos Research.If you want to see all the inventory, pricing, and supply and demand charts we reference in the show, head on over to our YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/altosresearch.Hosted by Mike Simonsen, President of Altos ResearchA true data geek, Mike founded Altos Research in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. Altos provides national and local real estate data to financial institutions, real estate professionals, and investors across the country, and the company is now part of HW Media, publisher of HousingWire and RealTrends. Mike uses Altos data to identify trends in the real estate market well before the headlines, and his work has been featured in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Fortune, Forbes and other publications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 12, 2024 • 53min
Building a Rental Business with Michael Zuber from One Rental at a Time
In this episode of the Top of Mind podcast, Mike Simonsen sits down with Michael Zuber from One Rental at a Time to talk about how he built a thriving rental business and the big market trends for people who are building now.About Michael ZuberMichael Zuber is Author of One Rental at a Time, a story of working full time and building a real estate portfolio that eventually replaced two six-figure incomes. Having successfully made the leap from W2 to Financial Freedom 5+ years ago he now spends his time helping others see what is possible with a little focus and daily discipline.Resources mentioned in this episode:
One Rental at a Time
Michael Zuber | LinkedIn
Michael Zuber | Instagram
Mike Simonsen | LinkedIn
Altos Research
Featuring Mike Simonsen, President of Altos ResearchA true data geek, Mike founded Altos Research in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. The company now serves the largest Wall Street investment firms, banks, and tens of thousands of real estate professionals around the country. Mike's insights on the market have been featured in Forbes, New York Times, Bloomberg, Dallas Morning News, Seattle PI, and many other national media outlets.Follow us on Twitter for more data analysis and insights:
Altos on Twitter
Mike on Twitter
About Altos ResearchThe Top of Mind Podcast is produced by Altos Research.Each week, Altos tracks every home for sale in the country - all the pricing, and all the changes in pricing - and synthesizes those analytics to make them available before becoming visible through traditional channels.Schedule a demo to see Altos in action. You can also get a copy of our free eBook: How To Use Market Data to Build Your Real Estate Business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 4, 2024 • 15min
Home prices have started to slip in a few states (6/3/24)
Welcome to How’s the Market, our weekly look at what’s happening in the US housing market, powered by data from Altos Research.If you want to see all the inventory, pricing, and supply and demand charts we reference in the show, head on over to our YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/altosresearch.Hosted by Mike Simonsen, President of Altos ResearchA true data geek, Mike founded Altos Research in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. Altos provides national and local real estate data to financial institutions, real estate professionals, and investors across the country, and the company is now part of HW Media, publisher of HousingWire and RealTrends. Mike uses Altos data to identify trends in the real estate market well before the headlines, and his work has been featured in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Fortune, Forbes and other publications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 29, 2024 • 15min
Unsold inventory is rising across the country (5/28/24 Market Update)
Welcome to How’s the Market, our weekly look at what’s happening in the US housing market, powered by data from Altos Research.If you want to see all the inventory, pricing, and supply and demand charts we reference in the show, head on over to our YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/altosresearch.Hosted by Mike Simonsen, President of Altos ResearchA true data geek, Mike founded Altos Research in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. Altos provides national and local real estate data to financial institutions, real estate professionals, and investors across the country, and the company is now part of HW Media, publisher of HousingWire and RealTrends. Mike uses Altos data to identify trends in the real estate market well before the headlines, and his work has been featured in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Fortune, Forbes and other publications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 22, 2024 • 1h 6min
Getting Smart on ADUs with Samara’s Mike McNamara
In this episode of the Top of Mind podcast, Mike Simonsen sits down with Mike McNamara, co-founder and CEO of Samara, to talk about all things ADUs. ADUs, or accessory dwelling units, are small, self-contained residential units located on the same lot as an existing single-family home. You might know them as “granny flats” or “in-laws” or even “casitas.” And given the housing affordability crisis in our country, ADUs are starting to really gain traction as a potential solution for this. Mike gives us a primer on ADUs and why they hold so much promise for solving many of America’s housing challenges.About Mike McNamaraMike McNamara is the co-founder and CEO of Samara, a company that aims to improve the way we live, starting by holistically reimagining the home. Samara aspires to a brighter future through beautifully-designed products that balance comfort, sustainability, and simplicity. In 2020, McNamara was tapped by Joe Gebbia to lead an innovation team inside Airbnb. In 2022, the innovation team was moved out of Airbnb and reborn as Samara. Prior to Airbnb, McNamara spent 13 years as the CEO of Flex, a Fortune 500 company in the electronics manufacturing industry. Alongside the executive team, he grew the company to over 200,000 employees in 30 countries and generated over $25B in revenue.McNamara served as a Board member of MEMC (energy), Delphi (automotive), Flex (manufacturing and technology) and Slack (enterprise software). He currently serves on two public boards - Carrier and Workday. He also serves as an advisor to New Legacy which operates multiple investment funds.McNamara received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati and a master’s degree in business administration from Santa Clara University.Resources mentioned in this episode:
Mike McNamara | LinkedIn
Samara raises $41 million to bring high quality ADUs to every backyard in California and beyond
Samara
Mike Simonsen | LinkedIn
Altos Research
Featuring Mike Simonsen, President of Altos ResearchA true data geek, Mike founded Altos Research in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. The company now serves the largest Wall Street investment firms, banks, and tens of thousands of real estate professionals around the country. Mike's insights on the market have been featured in Forbes, New York Times, Bloomberg, Dallas Morning News, Seattle PI, and many other national media outlets.Follow us on Twitter for more data analysis and insights:
Altos on Twitter
Mike on Twitter
About Altos ResearchThe Top of Mind Podcast is produced by Altos Research.Each week, Altos tracks every home for sale in the country - all the pricing, and all the changes in pricing - and synthesizes those analytics to make them available before becoming visible through traditional channels.Schedule a demo to see Altos in action. You can also get a copy of our free eBook: How To Use Market Data to Build Your Real Estate Business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 21, 2024 • 13min
As more homes take a price cut, will list prices drop? (5/20/24 Market Update)
Welcome to How’s the Market, our weekly look at what’s happening in the US housing market, powered by data from Altos Research.If you want to see all the inventory, pricing, and supply and demand charts we reference in the show, head on over to our YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/altosresearch.Hosted by Mike Simonsen, President of Altos ResearchA true data geek, Mike founded Altos Research in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. Altos provides national and local real estate data to financial institutions, real estate professionals, and investors across the country, and the company is now part of HW Media, publisher of HousingWire and RealTrends. Mike uses Altos data to identify trends in the real estate market well before the headlines, and his work has been featured in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Fortune, Forbes and other publications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices