A tuition-free charter school built by a mortgage company? Bet you haven’t heard of that before! Gina Spearman, market leader at Movement Mortgage, joins Host Carol Morgan on the Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio podcast to discuss the new Movement School in South Fulton County and what she expects from interest rates through the end of 2025.

What is the Movement School in South Fulton?

Movement Mortgage is proud to offer tuition-free education through its nonprofit Movement Foundation. The first six schools opened near Movement Mortgage’s headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. Each Movement School presents quality education for elementary school students, particularly in underserved communities. Its seventh location recently opened in South Fulton and offers kindergarten, first and second grade classes for the first school year.

“I think our founder [Casey Crawford] and our Foundation continue to focus on education because that is the single best way to help someone overcome generational poverty.”

The Movement School, located in South Fulton, welcomed 300 students, or “scholars” as Spearman likes to address them, for its inaugural school year. Spearman says that one of her favorite aspects of working at Movement Mortgage is showing clients around the schools and demonstrating how doing business with Movement Mortgage impacts the lives of local children.

“When you do business with Movement Mortgage, and you refer us to your clients, you are making an impact too,” said Spearman. “Those profits are then going to the school, so it’s been exciting to share that with our customers and our partners.”

Why does the Movement School focus on elementary education? Spearman explains that its curriculum is focused on developing life skills and building character, alongside the reading, writing and mathematical understandings that students need to succeed in life. By investing in younger minds, the school makes a difference during some of the most formative years in a child’s life. Classrooms also feature college mascots to encourage students to aim high and look confidently toward higher education.

The Movement Schools in Charlotte have demonstrated remarkable success, often far surpassing the performance of traditional public schools in both test scores and overall outcomes. Their results have drawn the attention of parents and corporations and businesses across industries, eager to understand and replicate this model of excellence. Yet despite these achievements, charter schools typically receive only 60 to 70 cents for every dollar allocated to public schools. This funding gap limits their ability to expand programs, attract talent and serve more students who could benefit from their proven approach. Increasing financial support for charter schools is not just an investment in education, it is an investment in innovation, opportunity and the future success of underserved communities.

Spearman said, “If we’re able to produce these kinds of results with only 60 to 70 cents on the dollar, just think what we could do if we had more.”

What is the current state of interest rates, and what trends can homebuyers expect to see through the end of the year?

In today’s market, interest rates remain highly unpredictable and more volatile than in recent decades. However, recent trends have offered a bit of optimism. After closing July at 6.75%, rates dropped by nearly a quarter of a point in August, signaling movement in the right direction. The broader outlook suggests a period of moderation and Spearman forecasts rates to ease into the low sixes by the end of 2025.

What is the Movement Boost program?

There is a major resurgence of first-time homebuyers in the market, which has inspired more downpayment assistance programs than ever before. Buyers can utilize statewide programs, such as the Georgia Dream Program, or discuss 100% FHA loans with their preferred lenders. Movement Mortgage has its own in-house FHA loan, known as Movement Boost, which includes first and second mortgages. It’s a great option for homebuyers who don’t qualify for city or state loans but need the flexibility of a 100% FHA loan.

Spearman said, “With people already struggling with affordability, the rates being higher and payments being higher than a lot of people are comfortable with, it can kind of soften the blow that they don’t need as much money out of pocket to purchase a home.”

Movement Mortgage offers a range of loans that suit all buyer types, including:

• DSCR loans
• No ratio loans
• Renovation loans
• VA loans

Tune into the full episode to learn more about The Movement School and Movement Mortgage’s approach to the current housing market. For more information about Movement Mortgage, visit https://movement.com/.

About Movement Mortgage

As a national lender, Movement Mortgage serves clients in all 50 states. It currently funds approximately $20 million in mortgage transaction each year, which ranks it in the top 10 retail lenders nationwide. CEO and Co-Founder, Casey Crawford, saw the need for a different kind of mortgage company and created Movement Mortgage to “exist to love and value people.” In addition to its day-to-day operations, Movement Mortgage places over half of its profits into the Movement Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on giving back to the communities that Movement Mortgage serves.

Podcast Thanks

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About Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio

Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio, presented by Denim Marketing, highlights the movers and shakers in the Atlanta real estate industry – the home builders, developers, Realtors and suppliers working to provide the American dream for Atlantans. For more information on how you can be featured as a guest, contact Denim Marketing at 770-383-3360 or fill out the Atlanta Real Estate Forum contact form. Subscribe to the Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio podcast on iTunes, and if you like this week’s show, be sure to rate it. Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio was recently honored on FeedSpot’s Top 100 Atlanta Podcasts, ranking 16th overall and number one out of all ranked real estate podcasts.