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

Illustrated image of houses on a blue background
7 MIN READ

Cheapest housing markets in the U.S.

Ten of the cheapest housing markets in the U.S., plus affordability tips.

ADU
6 MIN READ

What is an ADU, and can building one increase your home value?

ADUs have spiked in popularity, but do they add home value?

row of brick and shingle homes in the cleveland suburbs, bright blue sky
5 MIN READ

Real estate commissions in Ohio: What to expect

A breakdown of real estate agent commissions in Ohio.

Home sellers agree to contribute to a homebuyer's closing costs.
3 MIN READ

What are seller concessions in real estate?

Seller concessions can help a home be more affordable for the buyer.

Senior couple looking at a laptop
6 MIN READ

Guide to downsizing your home

Here’s what to consider before paring down your home.

aerial view of portsmouth, new hampshire
6 MIN READ

How to sell a house by owner in New Hampshire

It’s possible to sell a house by owner in New Hampshire, but it’s a lot of work.

large gray and white house exterior with for sale sign in dallas tx
5 MIN READ

Real estate commissions in Texas: What to expect

A breakdown of real estate agent commissions in Texas.

Boats and waterside homes in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
6 MIN READ

‘We buy houses’ companies in New Hampshire

There are many cash homebuyers in New Hampshire — here’s how they work.

Zach's latest articles