Friday marked our 5th wedding anniversary, and I can’t help but marvel at how fast the time has gone. It only took me ten years to realize what was right in front of me, but thankfully I came to my senses. Now, with another little girl on the way, I can’t imagine life without my wife by my side.

We had bigger plans lined up to celebrate, but sometimes life throws you a curveball and doesn’t cooperate with the calendar. With our usual babysitters unavailable, we decided to pivot and make the best of it with a night out downtown. We booked dinner at The Veranda, a fine dining restaurant in Fort Myers. The food was excellent—the ribeye especially—but let’s just say the experience wasn’t quite what I pictured in my head.

The restaurant had this quiet, upscale ambience, and meanwhile, our toddler was loudly pointing out the colored lights, the ceiling fan, and demanding “more cornbread!” every few minutes. At one point I wasn’t sure if we looked like uncomfortable parents trying to shush her, or if we just stood out as the only ones with the guts to bring a toddler into that kind of setting. At the end of the meal, a woman came up and told us how good Cecelia was and how proud we should be. Maybe she meant it, maybe she felt bad for us, or maybe both. Either way, it made us smile.

After dinner, we grabbed ice cream at Love Boat downtown and wandered through the Art Walk. The streets were shut down, music filled the air, and we just walked the blocks together, soaking it in. It wasn’t the “daycation” we had planned, but it was us—and in the middle of all the chaos of life right now, that felt just right.

This week also handed me one of those hard business lessons you don’t forget. A buyer reached out about my home, frustrated with their current realtor and loan officer. They were lost—no pre-approval letter in hand, no clear direction, no agent really working for them. After talking through their needs, I knew my home wasn’t the right fit, but I decided to help anyway.

I gave them my time, my knowledge, and a path forward. I found them homes that matched what they were looking for, set them up with builders, and thought we were on track. But then came the call: the husband had gone to one of the communities I recommended and registered with another agent—a friend of his. The commission, the hours of work, and the expertise I offered all went to someone else.

I’ll be honest, that one stung. Not because of the money alone (though that matters—it’s food off my family’s table), but because it felt like trust was broken. And it reminded me why some agents become jaded, why so many refuse to give away their “secret sauce” without a signed agreement. I still believe in leading with trust and good faith, but I’ve learned I can’t give away everything without knowing my family will be protected in return. From here forward, my knowledge, my strategies, and my time will still be given with generosity—but with boundaries.

On the market front, it’s been fascinating to watch interest rates over the past couple of weeks. After the Fed announced a 0.25% cut in the federal funds rate, most people expected mortgage rates to fall too. Instead, they spiked. Why? It all comes back to the 10-year bond.

When fewer investors want to put money into treasuries, the yield (or interest rate) has to rise to attract them. And since mortgage rates track closely with the 10-year bond, higher yields make mortgages more expensive. Investors pulled away because the Fed’s cut made them more confident in stocks, housing, and other investments. So ironically, the move that should signal “cheaper borrowing ahead” pushed rates higher in the short term.

But if you follow the technical charts, you’ll see what I see: the 10-year yield just hit resistance at the 200-day moving average. I expect it to bounce around a bit, but ultimately trend lower. Translation: mortgage rates should begin to ease again soon.

This week has been a reminder, both in life and in business, that not everything goes according to plan. Anniversaries don’t always look like you imagined. Clients don’t always honor the effort you put in. Markets don’t always behave the way people expect. But if you stay grounded, learn from the hard lessons, and keep your eyes on what matters most, you come out stronger.

Until next week,
Rick