Household income in 1990 was worth about 78 ounces of gold. Today it's about 19. Same work, same income, more or less. The thing we get paid in just got smaller.
This is the part of the show where I open up my brain and let it all fall out on the table. It's not organized in here. This week: why everything costs more, why your house is worth more, and a few things that have nothing to do with mortgages.
In this video:
• A disaster declaration in Texas over diesel prices
• A 3-year-old used car just hit a record $32,461
• Rent is the one thing behaving itself
• Texas homeowners are sitting on $180K–$220K of equity
• The bond market went from pricing in cuts to pricing in hikes
• Data centers are getting built. Houses aren't.
• They started drilling into "Noah's Ark"
Full episode (MU194), Why Rates Spiked, Why Texas Isn't Frozen, and How to Set Up AI Right:
YouTube: https://youtu.be/mHxnTwFPG_I
Podcast page: https://www.thetexasrealestateandfinancepodcast.com/mortgage-rates-rising-2026/
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-rates-spiked-why-texas-isnt-frozen-and-how-to-set/id1650029207?i=1000792363099&uo=4
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0BCbz71jK42ZvwXhEXFGWE
Want to know what your equity could actually do for you? Call or text me at 817-689-6079.
00:00 Pouring concrete for robots
00:18 What's rattling around up here
00:37 A foot of rain for South Texas
00:59 A disaster declaration over diesel
01:24 Household income measured in gold
01:40 Used cars are a luxury item now
01:59 Rent is actually fine
02:16 Texas homeowners and their equity
02:42 Four rate hikes priced in
03:12 Bitcoin's best quarter since 2024
03:25 Data centers vs. housing
03:50 More seniors than toddlers
04:03 Drilling into "Noah's Ark"
#MikesMind #TexasRealEstate #Inflation
Figures cited are as of the week of recording (late September 2026) and come from public news and market sources.
Mike Mills, Branch Manager · NMLS #756263 · GVC Mortgage, Inc. · NMLS #2334 · DBA Core Community Mortgage · mikemillstx.com
This is for educational purposes only and is not a commitment to lend or an offer to extend credit. All loan approvals are subject to underwriting, credit, income, asset, and property review. Rates, terms, and programs are subject to change without notice and are not guaranteed. Nothing here is investment advice.
Equal Housing Lender.
