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Zach Wichter

Former Mortgage reporter, Homes
Ribbon Icon EXPERTISE
  • Mortgages
  • Real estate
  • Home renovations
  • Condos and co-ops
  • Aviation
Education Icon EDUCATION
  • Bachelor of Science in Journalism, Northwestern University

 

About the author

Zach Wichter is a former mortgage reporter at Bankrate. He previously worked on the Business desk at The New York Times where he won a Loeb Award for breaking news, and covered aviation for The Points Guy. He also worked in production on Dateline NBC and wrote anchor copy for New York 1. He graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism in 2013. As president of his co-op board in Queens (it’s like a condo board, but more New York-y), Zach is constantly thinking about real estate and dealing with issues of homeownership, HOA-style house rules and mortgage eligibility.

Highlights

Wichter came to the mortgage beat at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when home financing and the real estate industries were rare bright spots in an otherwise sluggish economy. He got to work looking under the hood of trends in the headlines, and by analyzing address forwarding data from the U.S. Postal Service, learned that the pandemic wasn't the end of cities after all. He also focuses on racial equity issues in the housing market.

Experience

Although Bankrate is the first place Wichter covered the mortgage and real estate verticals full-time, he's an experienced business reporter with a broad range of experience. In addition to covering aviation at The Times, he had a weekly column that highlighted commercial real estate transactions in New York City, and covered all kinds of stories as a general assignment business reporter.

In the media

The key to getting the best deal on a mortgage is shopping around with multiple lenders. If you don't, you could wind up paying thousands of dollars unnecessarily.

— Zach Wichter

Zach's Picks

A house sitting atop a stack of coins
3 MIN READ

Case-Shiller Index: Boom is over, ‘healthier’ market is here

Home prices keep pushing ever higher, though the pace of growth is slowing.

A young mixed-race couple shakes hands with a female real estate agent in front of a home that's for sale
4 MIN READ

What is an appraisal gap, and is it a deal breaker?

If a home’s purchase price and appraised price do not align, it can cause problems when it comes time to finalize the sale.

couple outside a home that's for sale, about to go inside and look around
3 MIN READ

Existing-home sales retreat, prices keep rising

Existing-home sales are sliding amid record-high prices.

photo illustration of house on edge of cliff with blue-green background
7 MIN READ

Is the housing market going to crash? Here’s what the experts say

The housing market keeps defying expectations. But experts agree that a crash is not imminent.

Family couple consultations
4 MIN READ

What is conditional approval in a mortgage application?

It’s a good sign you’ll be approved for a loan, but not a guarantee.

Banking_How-the-Fed-Rate-Affects-Housing_
5 MIN READ

What the Fed’s continued rate pause means for homebuyers and sellers

The Fed has hit the pause button on rates. How will it affect the housing market?

5 MIN READ

How big of a house do you really need? How home sizes have evolved over time

What’s the average home size in the U.S., and how has it evolved?

Red rain boots at front door with welcome mat
6 MIN READ

5 common real estate scams, and how to protect yourself

The five most common real estate scams, and how to protect yourself.

Zach's latest articles