Latest news with #DesireeBourgeois
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Realtors panic as buyers pull out of deals at near record levels
The US housing market is teetering — and buyers are running for the exits. Spooked by high mortgage rates, mounting insurance premiums, and growing fears of a shaky economy, an astonishing one in seven buyers are bailing at the last minute. In April alone, 56,000 home purchase contracts were canceled — equal to 14.3 percent of all pending deals, according to a new report from Redfin. That's the second-highest April cancellation rate ever recorded, topped only by the early pandemic chaos in 2020. Reasons for would-be buyers to bail are stacking up fast. A shaky economy and fear of jobs as a result has caused many to get cold feet as they worry they will not be able to cover the monthly payment. Stubbornly-high mortgage rates that hit 7 percent mean those payments are higher than many want to pay. Growing evidence of the house price bubble burst are the icing on the cake for many. They do not want to buy now, only to see property values plummet. The Miami housing market is on a knife-edge as spiraling numbers of homebuyers pull out of deals. It's the latest area in the Sunshine State at risk of a crash. Desiree Bourgeois (pictured), a Redfin realtor in Detroit, said that at a recent open house, younger buyers were worried about how tariffs, and the economic uncertainty around them, was going to impact the housing market. 'They're hearing the words "tariffs" and "recession," and it's making them nervous that if they buy now, the value of their home will decline, and they don't know whether mortgage rates will go up or down. 'There's a lot of uncertainty out there, with buyers trying to understand how their purchase would fit into their personal finances and the broader economic puzzle.' Meanwhile, Efosa, CEO of Fire Cash Buyer , said he has pulled out of two contracts recently because he's not optimistic about where the US housing market is headed. Instead, he's waiting for the market to crash, then he plans to buy. 'I'm waiting on the market to cycle as it did in 2008. This is a perfect storm for an eventual market crash due to this affordability crisis,' he says. 'I will be one of the smart ones waiting on the sideline to buy at the right time, not at the top of the market.' Once again, Florida is proving to be a problem. The Sunshine State accounts for five of the ten areas with the highest cancellation rates, including Orlando (19.4 percent), Tampa (19.1 percent), and Miami (18.9 percent). Other cities hit hard with last minute cancellations include Atlanta, with 20 percent of pending sales falling through, That was followed by Riverside, CA (19.1 percent) and Fort Worth, TX (18.7 percent.) Buyers are also being met with too many choices, which is causing them to back out of deals at the last minute. Housing inventory is at a five-year high, and some buyers are backing out during inspection in hopes of finding something better. In disaster prone areas like California and Louisiana, skyrocketing insurance premiums are killing deals. 'Some lenders won't sign off if buyers can't insure the home affordably,' Efosa says. But despite many potential buyers ability to seal the deal, savvy house hunters are on alert. Redfin reports that when deals fall through, there's a window of opportunity for those who are serious about buying. 'Two of my buyers got great homes this way,' said Alison Williams, a Sacramento-based agent. 'When a deal collapses, we jump in before the home even relists.' Williams advises that if a buyer is outbid, they should have their real estate agent submit a backup offer anyway. If the winning bidder backs out, you're up next – likely at a discount. In the current housing market, sellers are also having to come back to reality on pricing on concessions. It's a buyer's market. 'When buyers pull out, sellers are lowering prices and offering concessions just to seal the deal' Efosa says. While Florida sits atop the cancellation study, the biggest year-over-year jumps in contract fails came from Anaheim, CA (up 3.1 points), Seattle, Milwaukee, and Los Angeles — areas all dealing with too many listings flooding the market. On the low end, Nassau County, NY had the lowest cancellation rate in the US at 4.8 percent. With the mass cancellations, Efosa says believe a market correction is inevitable. 'It's already happening,' Efosa warned. 'Foreclosures are up. The market will have to come down. The numbers don't lie.' Meanwhile, sellers are panicking about just how much they will have to lower the price of their homes in order to sell. Over the next year, home prices will drop by 1, according to Redfin, marking the end of more than a decade of almost uninterrupted price hikes. Before and during the pandemic, when there were record-low mortgage rates, buyers would often face bidding wars and lose out on homes. Now, the ball is in their court. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 7 percent on Memorial Day. Redfin predicts rates are likely to hover around 6.8 percent through 2025. Meanwhile, inventory keeps rising. The number of homes on the market has shot up 16.7 percent in just a year — to the highest level in 5 years.
Newsweek
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
The Bulletin April 24, 2025
The rundown: Detroit's comeback after decades of decline could now be undermined by the impact of President Trump's tariffs on the American car manufacturing industry, experts warned. Here's how. Why it matters: In the 1950s, when General Motors employed hundreds of thousands of Americans, Detroit grew to become the fifth largest in the country, with over 1.8 million residents. But by the 1970s, the U.S. auto industry and the so-called Big Three—General Motors, Ford and Chrysler (now Stellantis)—were experiencing severe economic distress. But since the COVID-19 pandemic, Detroit has experienced an unexpected resurgence. With car manufacturing at the city's core, new levies on steel, aluminum and imports could spike production costs, trigger layoffs and stall housing growth. Auto-related tariffs threaten not only car affordability but also Detroit's economic momentum, putting thousands of jobs—and the city's comeback story—at risk. Read more in-depth coverage: Nissan Responds to Trump Tariffs with Agile, In-Your-Face Marketing TL/DR: "There are so many households here connected to the automotive industry in some way. If the tariffs result in the 'Big Three' and their suppliers laying off local employees, then that won't net out positively for the home market activity this year," Michigan-based Redfin agent Desiree Bourgeois told Newsweek. What happens now? Pat Ryan, CEO of the car shopping app CoPilot, does not doubt that the Trump administration's tariffs will result in higher costs for American automakers. "Tariffs will push car prices up in the short term. In the long term, they will create a complicated, expensive process for automakers as they look to shift their entire production to the U.S.' Deeper reading Will Tariffs Spell the End of Detroit's Resurgence?
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tariff turmoil, other concerns, adding uncertainty to US, Austin area housing markets
Homebuyer demand improved at the start of April. But tariff turmoil, rising rates and economic jitters are likely to hamper sales, Redfin said in a recent report. "The housing market is under pressure as prospective homebuyers and sellers navigate a rapidly shifting economic landscape, with President Trump's tariff policy, a volatile stock market and increased chances of a recession exacerbating widespread financial uncertainty," the report said. "Tariffs are coming up for the first time. I hosted an open some of the younger buyers were concerned about how they're going to impact the housing market,' said Desiree Bourgeois, a Redfin Premier agent in Detroit. 'They're hearing the words 'tariffs' and 'recession,' and it's making them nervous that if they buy now, the value of their home will decline, and they don't know whether mortgage rates will go up or down. There's a lot of uncertainty out there, with buyers trying to understand how their purchase would fit into their personal finances and the broader economic puzzle. 'The only thing that's certain about mortgage rates and the housing market right now is extreme uncertainty,' said Redfin Economic Research Lead Chen Zhao. More: Austin-area housing market cooldown continues amid growing economic headwinds 'With the White House going back and forth on tariffs, sending markets and rates reeling, Americans are feeling uneasy about their money," Zhao said. "Nobody knows what will happen next. It's likely that financial anxiety, rapidly changing economic news and the rising chance of a recession freeze the housing market. But it's also possible that economic turmoil pushes down mortgage rates and/or people decide to bite the bullet now instead of waiting for conditions to perhaps worsen, encouraging homebuyers and sellers to jump into the market.' Similarly, the impact of tariffs, overall economic uncertainty, stock market volatility and shaken consumer confidence are affecting the housing market in the five-county Austin region, housing industry experts and real estate agents in Central Texas say. More: Austin-area housing market cooldown continues amid growing economic headwinds Eric Bramlett, a real estate broker in Austin, recently weighed in with this comment: "The tariffs have affected the bond market, which directly impacts mortgages," said Bramlett, owner of Bramlett Residential. "They've caused turbulence in the stock market, which causes consumer confidence to go down. So, it's a combo of fluctuating mortgage rates and bad consumer confidence affecting our local real estate market in the wrong direction." This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Tariffs, rising rates adding uncertainty Austin area housing markets
Newsweek
24-04-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Will Tariffs Spell the End of Detroit's Resurgence?
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Detroit's comeback after decades of decline could now be undermined by the impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs on the American car manufacturing industry, experts warned. "There are so many households here connected to the automotive industry in some way. If the tariffs result in the 'Big Three' and their suppliers laying off local employees, then that won't net out positively for the home market activity this year," Michigan-based Redfin agent Desiree Bourgeois told Newsweek. Detroit's Fall and Its Unexpected Resurgence In the 1950s, when General Motors employed hundreds of thousands of Americans, Detroit grew to become the fifth largest in the country, with over 1.8 million residents. But by the 1970s, the U.S. auto industry and the so-called Big Three—General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler (now Stellantis)—were experiencing severe economic distress, as was the "Motor City." In the years that followed, growing foreign competition, a couple of oil crises, and economic recessions dealt a nearly fatal blow to the Midwestern city, which in 2013 became the largest city to declare bankruptcy in U.S. history. Will Tariffs Spell The End of Detroit's Resurgence? Will Tariffs Spell The End of Detroit's Resurgence? Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty But since the COVID-19 pandemic, Detroit has experienced an unexpected resurgence. Many companies, including Ford Motor, Microsoft, Google, and Stellantis, have moved jobs and operations to the city, contributing to its revival. Demand for housing has seen a massive surge since the beginning of the pandemic, which in turn has brought up home prices and values. Newsweek reached out to General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis via email for comment on Tuesday. Both average and median home prices have risen in the city since 2020. A recent report by Mortgage Calculator listed Detroit as number two on its list of U.S. cities with a population of 200,000 or more that saw the highest increases in average home prices following the start of the pandemic. Between March 2020 and October 2024, average home prices in the city increased from $46,586 to $80,127, a 72 percent rise. Prices are still rising: according to the latest Redfin data, the median sale price of a home was $87,500 in February, up 4.3 percent from a year earlier. The city reported a net gain of 1,852 residents between July 2022 and July 2023, the first population uptick since the 1950s, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. A Comeback Driven by New Investments and Rising Housing Demand Detroit's resurgence started before the pandemic struck, though it was initially circumscribed to downtown. "Downtown Detroit had been experiencing a rebirth of big business investment and a general revival of the shopping and restaurant districts. New lofts, townhomes and condos were developing with luxury buyer price tags," Redfin's Desiree Bourgeois told Newsweek. These new builds were mainly attracting buyers from the suburbs who were excited to try out the new downtown Detroit. "There was somewhat of a boom or high interest to be in the city proper that had been building for a number of years. However, the other housing market—the expansive spread of neighborhoods surrounding the downtown area—continued to experience population loss and decreases in property values, which resulted in low home sale interest, on average," Bourgeois said. "In many neighborhoods, it wasn't uncommon to find only one or two homes occupied on a block. All in all, the neighborhood market growth was declining to stagnant while the downtown areas were slowly growing, driven predominantly by buyers moving from the suburbs, or out-of-state corporate transplants." After the pandemic, the situation changed. "We saw a couple of new groups enter the market—or enter in greater numbers than previously—that changed the landscape. More twenty-somethings found that the low interest rates gave them access to capital," Bourgeois said. These new demographics started transforming pocket neighborhoods into desirable areas to live, the Redfin agent said. "It seemed like as the neighborhoods began to revive, the investors saw all the potential in the abandoned or land bank-owned homes they could purchase cheaply, flip and resell for a large profit," she said. "Investors came in from all over the country and started buying up houses or vacant land in big quantities to develop. Currently, it's not uncommon to now have a bidding war or see a home sell for over list price." Relatively low housing prices, amid a nationwide affordability crisis, have helped drive more demand in the city, a beacon of hope for many struggling to get on the property ladder, as well as for investors. "Demand for homes in the highly-affordable Detroit metro area picked up starting in mid-2020, and home prices climbed in response," Senior Economic Research Analyst Hannah Jones told Newsweek. "Prices peaked in June 2022 at $279,950, roughly $18,000 higher than in June 2019, before the pandemic. Controlling for home size, Detroit saw even more impressive price growth. The median listing price per square foot peaked at $185 per square foot in summer 2024, 31.9 percent higher than in summer 2019," Jones said. For locals, the boom in home prices has been both a boon and a burden. Home values have skyrocketed in recent years, giving homeowners more equity and access to new financial opportunities. A recent study from the University of Michigan Poverty Solutions found that homeowners in the city gained $700 million in new home wealth in 2023. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said at a March press conference that homeowners had gained $4.6 billion from 2014 to 2023. Black homeowners benefited the most from this upswing, representing three-quarters of the total wealth gain. But at the same time, "tax bills have gone up and many were caught unprepared for that," Bourgeois said. "Rental prices have continued to increase as well, so for the renters, it's also put a strain on their budget." While home prices continue to climb in Detroit, they are doing so at a much slower pace than in 2020 and 2021—possibly to the benefit of locals. However, inventory remains below pre-pandemic levels, which keeps upward pressure on prices. The Threat of Trump's Tariffs The Trump administration has imposed a 25 percent tariff on all cars imported to the U.S. and certain car parts, as well as a 25 percent tariff on all imports of steel and aluminum. According to Bourgeois, who has experienced this firsthand in the Michigan housing market, uncertainty over the impact of the tariffs is driving many potential buyers to reconsider purchasing a property this year. "The constant back and forth of the tariff war has buyers and sellers questioning if it's the right time to jump into the market or hang back to wait and see what happens," she said. This, in turn, could cool demand in Detroit, dampening its growth. But the tariffs could also affect the city at the heart of the American auto industry in a much more direct way. "Tariffs on auto inputs such as steel, aluminum and auto parts translate to significantly higher costs for automakers. Higher input costs negatively impact auto companies by eating away at profit margins and/or flowing through to consumers, which can hurt demand," Jones said. Either way, Jones said, lower profits and lower demand can lead to layoffs and slowed production. "Should these large automakers find it necessary to cut jobs, the housing market will feel the effects," she added. "If the auto sector shrinks or becomes less stable, unemployment rises and income levels fall. Less income and less stable employment can deter buyers from getting into the housing market, which can lead to a build up in inventory and stalling, or falling, home prices," she said. "If job opportunities do not return to the area, then residents may look elsewhere to find stable employment, leading to out-migration." Pat Ryan, CEO of the car shopping app CoPilot, does not doubt that the Trump administration's tariffs will result in higher costs for American automakers. "Tariffs will push car prices up in the short term. In the long term, they will create a complicated, expensive process for automakers as they look to shift their entire production to the U.S.," he told Newsweek. "From a consumer standpoint, the tariffs exacerbate a years-long affordability problem in the car market," Ryan said. During the COVID-19 pandemic, prices reached record highs due to supply chain bottlenecks, he explained. On average, a new car is nearly 30 percent more expensive than it was pre-pandemic, making a car purchase out of reach for many consumers. "Even though prices are still near historical highs, we're seeing consumers rush to buy in anticipation of tariffs potentially pushing costs even higher," he said. "New car inventory, for instance, has fallen by 39 percent in the past two months alone. Moving forward, this gives dealers less of a cushion of existing inventory and will likely result in tariff-related price increases hitting the market sooner." Crucially, tariffs will also have a significant impact on the Big Three, major employers in Detroit that manufacture a number of models and auto parts outside the U.S. Nearly half of General Motors' sales, for example, come from imported vehicles. Detroit automakers are already operating most of their plants at full capacity, and they have no immediate plans of building new ones—which is not easy in the first place. Ford CEO Jim Farley recently said that his company will not be building new plants in the U.S. anytime soon, citing "a lot of costs, and a lot of chaos," linked to Trump's tariffs. While General Motors said it will ramp up production in the U.S. of its range-topping pick-ups, Stellantis, on the other hand, said it will furlough 900 employees and pause production in several of its factories while it works out its approach to tariffs. The domino effect from Trump's tariffs could make Detroit's resurgence topple. "If the auto industry catches a cold, Detroit gets pneumonia," auto industry expert John McElroy told Fox 2 Detroit last month. "We depend so heavily on the automotive industry that if it gets impacted, Detroit and Southeast Michigan feels it the most." From Bad To Worse Things could get worse if countries impacted by Trump's tariffs decide to impose their own levies against goods from the U.S. "Since almost no car is made entirely in the U.S., automakers face cost increases across their entire supply chain—costs that will almost certainly be passed onto the consumer," Ryan said. "There are some carve-outs: for instance, Canada announced that automakers can bring in a number of U.S.-assembled cars without paying tariffs, as long as some vehicles are still manufactured in Canada." However, reworking operations and manufacturing to avoid tariff-hit countries "isn't a quick fix," Ryan said. "This will be a years-long, complex overhaul. Some automakers have an advantage, particularly those who benefit from the USMCA free trade agreement between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada—which includes some Big Three vehicles," he added. "Under the terms of that agreement, the import tax is only applied to the proportion of non-American content in those cars. But it's not enough to shield the market from broader pain." Should the U.S. enter a recession this year, as many experts have said is becoming more likely due to tariffs, all these issues would become even harder to solve. "With tariffs set to drive car prices higher and economic uncertainty, consumers may feel pressured to buy both new and used vehicles sooner rather than later. If there's an economic downturn, we could see a significant dip in car sales," Ryan said.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Redfin Reports Homebuyer Demand Improved Last Week, But Tariff Turmoil, Rising Rates and Economic Jitters Likely to Hamper Sales
Pending home sales and mortgage applications improved a bit at the start of April. But since then, the back-and-forth on President Trump's new tariff policy, rising mortgage rates and the increased odds of a recession have likely pushed down homebuying sentiment. SEATTLE, April 10, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ: RDFN) — The housing market is under pressure as prospective homebuyers and sellers navigate a rapidly shifting economic landscape, with President Trump's tariff policy, a volatile stock market and increased chances of a recession exacerbating widespread financial uncertainty. That's according to a new report from Redfin ( the technology-powered real estate brokerage. Homebuying demand improved at the start of April. Mortgage-purchase applications rose 9% during the week ending April 4 on a seasonally adjusted basis. Pending home sales posted their smallest decline since the start of 2025, falling just 1.1% year over year (that's partly due to a holiday effect, with Easter falling into the comparable period in 2024). But those numbers reflect what happened in the immediate aftermath of last week's initial tariff announcement, when mortgage rates dipped to a six-month low and gave homebuyers a brief reprieve. The improvement in demand is unlikely to last. Mortgage rates have since soared, jumping on April 9 to 6.95%, their highest level in six weeks. The bounce is due to economic turmoil and the Fed making it clear it's not cutting interest rates more than previously expected. Even before mortgage rates bounced back up, the median monthly mortgage payment was at an all-time high of $2,813. Payments are likely to rise even more in the coming weeks, and that, along with economic instability, may scare off more prospective buyers. "Tariffs are coming up for the first time. I hosted an open house over the weekend, and some of the younger buyers were concerned about how they're going to impact the housing market," said Desiree Bourgeois, a Redfin Premier agent in Detroit. "They're hearing the words 'tariffs' and 'recession,' and it's making them nervous that if they buy now, the value of their home will decline, and they don't know whether mortgage rates will go up or down. There's a lot of uncertainty out there, with buyers trying to understand how their purchase would fit into their personal finances and the broader economic puzzle." New listings are rising. Pending sales are falling despite more homes being listed for sale. New listings are up 10.3% annually, one of the biggest increases in a year. Supply is up partly because many homeowners who have been considering selling are listing now, in hopes that they're able to pocket their equity before a potential economic downturn. Also note that there's a holiday effect: Easter fell into the comparable period in 2024, while the holiday hasn't yet happened this year. "The only thing that's certain about mortgage rates and the housing market right now is extreme uncertainty," said Redfin Economic Research Lead Chen Zhao. "With the White House going back and forth on tariffs, sending markets and rates reeling, Americans are feeling uneasy about their money. Nobody knows what will happen next. It's likely that financial anxiety, rapidly changing economic news and the rising chance of a recession freeze the housing market. But it's also possible that economic turmoil pushes down mortgage rates and/or people decide to bite the bullet now instead of waiting for conditions to perhaps worsen, encouraging homebuyers and sellers to jump into the market." For Redfin economists' takes on the housing market, please visit Redfin's "From Our Economists" page. Leading indicators Indicators of homebuying demand and activity Value (if applicable) Recent change Year-over-year change Source Daily average 30-year fixed mortgage rate 6.95% (April 9) Up from 6.6% less than a week earlier Down from 7.06% Mortgage News Daily Weekly average 30-year fixed mortgage rate 6.64% (week ending April 3) Down marginally from the week before; near lowest level since mid-December Down from 6.82% Freddie Mac Mortgage-purchase applications (seasonally adjusted) Up 9% from a week earlier (as of week ending April 4) Up 24% Mortgage Bankers Association Touring activity Up 39% from the start of the year (as of April 6) At this time last year, it was up 32% from the start of 2024 ShowingTime, a home touring technology company Google searches for "home for sale" Up 10% from a month earlier (as of April 6) Up 10% Google Trends The Redfin Homebuyer Demand Index has been excluded this week to ensure data accuracy. Key housing-market data U.S. highlights: Four weeks ending April 6, 2025 Redfin's national metrics include data from 400+ U.S. metro areas, and are based on homes listed and/or sold during the period. Weekly housing-market data goes back through 2015. Subject to revision. Four weeks ending April 6, 2025 Year-over-year change Notes Median sale price $386,500 2.5% Smallest increase since Oct. 2023 Median asking price $426,910 6.5% Median monthly mortgage payment $2,813 at a 6.64% mortgage rate 4.5% Record high Pending sales 85,764 -1.1% Smallest decline since start of 2025 New listings 100,661 10.3% Active listings 984,949 11.4% Months of supply 4 +0.6 pts. 4 to 5 months of supply is considered balanced, with a lower number indicating seller's market conditions Share of homes off market in two weeks 39% Down from 41% Median days on market 43 +6 days Share of homes sold above list price 25.1% Down from 28% Average sale-to-list price ratio 98.6% Down from 98.9% Metro-level highlights: Four weeks ending April 6, 2025 Redfin's metro-level data includes the 50 most populous U.S. metros. Select metros may be excluded from time to time to ensure data accuracy. Metros with biggest year-over-year increases Metros with biggest year-over-year decreases Notes Median sale price Cleveland (12%) Milwaukee (10.7%) Newark, NJ (8.8%) Nassau County, NY (8.8%) New Brunswick, NJ (6.9%) Indianapolis (-4.4%) Jacksonville, FL (-3.3%) Montgomery County, PA (-1.6%) Dallas (-1.3%) Tampa, FL (-1.1%) Declined in 8 metros Pending sales Montgomery County, PA (12.2%) Cincinnati (8.4%) Pittsburgh (7.4%) Warren, MI (7.4%) Baltimore (4.5%) Miami (-17.4%) Fort Lauderdale, FL (-16%) Las Vegas (-13.4%) Houston (-12.3%) West Palm Beach, FL (-8.7%) Increased in roughly half the metros New listings Phoenix (25.9%) Washington, D.C. (25.8%) Montgomery County, PA (25.7%) Pittsburgh (22.2%) Cleveland (20.9%) San Antonio (-4.6%) Columbus, OH (-1.9%) Declined in 2 metros To view the full report, including charts, please visit: About Redfin Redfin ( is a technology-powered real estate company. We help people find a place to live with brokerage, rentals, lending, and title insurance services. We run the country's #1 real estate brokerage site. Our customers can save thousands in fees while working with a top agent. Our home-buying customers see homes first with on-demand tours, and our lending and title services help them close quickly. Our rentals business empowers millions nationwide to find apartments and houses for rent. Since launching in 2006, we've saved customers more than $1.8 billion in commissions. We serve approximately 100 markets across the U.S. and Canada and employ over 4,000 people. Redfin's subsidiaries and affiliated brands include: Bay Equity Home Loans®, Rent.™, Apartment Guide®, Title Forward® and WalkScore®. For more information or to contact a local Redfin real estate agent, visit To learn about housing market trends and download data, visit the Redfin Data Center. To be added to Redfin's press release distribution list, email press@ To view Redfin's press center, click here. View source version on Contacts Contact RedfinRedfin Journalist Services:Tana Kelleypress@ Sign in to access your portfolio
