podcast, our Data Reports, the "A Tale of Two Mortgages" webcomic, and LodeStar Report Newsletter.
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Data Reports
2026 Purchase Mortgage Closing Cost Data Report
Closing costs as a percentage of sales price hovers around 0.5% to 3%, with an average percentage of 1.04% and a median of 0.85%. Just like in 2025, Delaware leads the pack at a whopping 3.06% of the sales price.
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Full Disclosure
What Ticks Us Off the Most
Here on the Full Disclosure podcast, we try to keep things chill. But when it’s time to grind our gears… don’t even get us started.
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A Tale of Two Mortgages
CRM Revisited
Horace and Octavia continue their protracted conflict over the use of the CRM (or lack thereof).
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Full Disclosure
What Grinds My Gears
For this week’s installment of the Lending Leaders Summer Session, Jim and Alayna open up about what’s been grinding their gears lately—from LinkedIn posts about vacation to overuse of AI in content creation. Tune in!
Full Disclosure
Regulation Rundown
Continuing with our Summer Session, Jim and Alayna sit down to give you the rundown on regulation.
Full Disclosure
Mortgage Industry Vibe Check
Welcome back to the Lending Leaders Podcast! For this year’s Summer Session, we’re trying something a little different. Tune in to find out what Jim and Alayna have in store!
Full Disclosure
Growth in a Stagnant Market
Per Lending Leaders tradition, Jim Paolino and Alayna Gardner sit down with LodeStar CTO David Spektor to take stock of growth and look ahead at the future.
A Tale of Two Mortgages
Underwriters
We’ve all wondered if this is what happens when the underwriters get a hold of your loans…
Data Reports
2025 Refinance Mortgage Closing Cost Data Report
The national average total closing costs for a refinance mortgage transaction were $2,403. This amount consists of a national average of 0.72% of the home loan amount.
Full Disclosure
How to Invest in Creativity
This one’s all about keeping creativity alive, even and especially when the market is uncertain. LodeStar’s Director of Revenue, Alayna Gardner, chats with Marketing Content Manager Tim Austen to discuss creativity, and how to invest in it—no matter what’s happening in the industry.
A Tale of Two Mortgages
Did Ya Lock Yet?
Horace confronts the uncertainty of the present market…
Full Disclosure
Practicing Gratitude
Jim Paolino sits down for a hard-hitting and heartfelt conversation with Coby Hakalir, VP of Mortgage and Ancillary Services at T3 Sixty, to discuss the difference practicing gratitude can make.