Jeff Ostrowski

Writer and Housing Market Analyst

EXPERTISE

Mortgages
Mortgage refinancing
Mortgage rate trends
Housing market
Real estate

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Master of Arts, University of Illinois at Springfield
Continuing coursework, including NMLS Mortgage Loan Originator education and MLO SAFE Test

About the author

Jeff Ostrowski has closely covered two nationwide housing booms and one devastating bust. Before joining Bankrate in 2020, he spent more than 20 years writing about real estate, business, the economy and politics. He previously worked as a reporter at the Palm Beach Post and the South Florida Business Journal.

From 2019 through 2025, Jeff served on the board of the nonprofit National Association of Real Estate Editors. He twice has won gold awards in the group’s journalism contest. His Bankrate coverage of housing affordability was also honored with a Best in Business award from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing.

When he’s not working, Jeff enjoys surfing, biking and traveling, usually with a surfboard or bike.
Jeff is the author of How to Buy a Home in a Miserable Market, available in paperback and e-book on Amazon.

Jeff beyond Bankrate

CNN interviews Jeff Ostrowski about hottest and coldest housing market

Cheddar interviews Jeff Ostrowski about housing affordability proposal

New York Times interviews Jeff Ostrowski about mortgage rates

NTD News interviews Jeff Ostrowski about 50-year mortgage proposal

Jeff wants you to know

When you’re applying for a mortgage, shop around and do your homework — informed borrowers can save thousands of dollars over the life of their loan. Don’t fixate on finding the absolute perfect option, though, or timing your loan to a low point for mortgage rates. If you’re borrowing now, mortgage rates could go down in the future. Avoid worrying about all those things that are both out of your control and impossible to predict.