ByteDance, the Chinese tech giant behind TikTok, last month released what may be one of the most ambitious open-source AI agent frameworks to date: DeerFlow 2.0. It’s now going viral across the machine learning community on social media. But is it safe and ready for enterprise use?This is a so-called “SuperAgent harness” that orchestrates multiple AI sub-agents to autonomously complete complex, multi-hour tasks. Best of all: it is available under the permissive, enterprise-friendly standard MIT License, meaning anyone can use, modify, and build on it commercially at no cost. DeerFlow 2.0 is designed for high-complexity, long-horizon tasks that require autonomous orchestration over minutes or hours, including conducting deep research into industry trends, generating comprehensive reports and slide decks, building functional web pages, producing AI-generated videos and reference images, performing exploratory data analysis with insightful visualizations, analyzing and summarizing podcasts or video content, automating complex data and content workflows, and explaining technical architectures through creative formats like comic strips.ByteDance offers a bifurcated deployment strategy that separates the orchestration harness from the AI inference engine. Users can run the core harness directly on a local machine, deploy it across a private Kubernetes cluster for enterprise scale, or connect it to external messaging platforms like Slack or Telegram without requiring a public IP.While many opt for cloud-based inference via OpenAI or Anthropic APIs, the framework is natively model-agnostic, supporting fully localized setups through tools like Ollama. This flexibility allows organizations to tailor the system to their specific data sovereignty needs, choosing between the convenience of cloud-hosted “brains” and the total privacy of a restricted on-premise stack.Importantly, choosing the local route does not mean sacrificing security or functional isolation. Even when running entirely on a single workstation, DeerFlow still utilizes a Docker-based “AIO Sandbox” to provide the agent with its own execution environment. This sandbox—which contains its own browser, shell, and persistent filesystem—ensures that the agent’s “vibe coding” and file manipulations remain strictly contained. Whether the underlying models are served via the cloud or a local server, the agent’s actions always occur within this isolated container, allowing for safe, long-running tasks that can execute bash commands and manage data without risk to the host system’s core integrity.Since its release last month, it has accumulated more than 39,000 stars (user saves) and 4,600 forks — a growth trajectory that has developers and researchers alike paying close attention.Not a chatbot wrapper: what DeerFlow 2.0 actually isDeerFlow is not another thin wrapper around a large language model. The distinction matters.While many AI tools give a model access to a search API and call it an agent, DeerFlow 2.0 gives its agents an actual isolated computer environment: a Docker sandbox with a persistent, mountable filesystem. The system maintains both short- and long-term memory that builds user profiles across sessions. It loads modular “skills” — discrete workflows — on demand to keep context windows manageable. And when a task is too large for one agent, a lead agent decomposes it, spawns parallel sub-agents with isolated contexts, executes code and Bash commands safely, and synthesizes the results into a finished deliverable.It is similar to the approach being pursued by NanoClaw, an OpenClaw variant, which recently partnered with Docker itself to offer enterprise-grade sandboxes for agents and subagents. But while NanoClaw is extremely open ended, DeerFlow has more clearly defined its architecture and scoped tasks: Demos on the project’s official site, deerflow.tech, showcase real outputs: agent trend forecast reports, videos generated from literary prompts, comics explaining machine learning concepts, data analysis notebooks, and podcast summaries. The framework is designed for tasks that take minutes to hours to complete — the kind of work that currently requires a human analyst or a paid subscription to a specialized AI service.From Deep Research to Super AgentDeerFlow’s original v1 launched in May 2025 as a focused deep-research framework. Version 2.0 is something categorically different: a ground-up rewrite on LangGraph 1.0 and LangChain that shares no code with its predecessor. ByteDance explicitly framed the release as a transition “from a Deep Research agent into a full-stack Super Agent.”New in v2: a batteries-included runtime with filesystem access, sandboxed execution, persistent memory, and sub-agent spawning; progressive skill loading; Kubernetes support for distributed execution; and long-horizon task management that can run autonomously across extended timeframes.The framework is fully model-agnostic, working with any OpenAI-compatible API. It has strong out-of-the-box support for ByteDance’s own Doubao-Seed models, as well as DeepSeek v3.2, Kimi 2.5, Anthropic’s Claude, OpenAI’s GPT variants, and local models run via Ollama. It also integrates with Claude Code for terminal-based tasks, and with messaging platforms including Slack, Telegram, and Feishu.Why it’s going viral nowThe project’s current viral moment is the result of a slow build that accelerated sharply this week.The February 28 launch generated significant initial buzz, but it was coverage in machine learning media — including deeplearning.ai’s The Batch — over the following two weeks that built credibility in the research community. Then, on March 21, AI influencer Min Choi posted to his large X following: “China’s ByteDance just dropped DeerFlow 2.0. This AI is a super agent harness with sub-agents, memory, sandboxes, IM channels, and Claude Code integration. 100% open source.” The post earned more than 1,300 likes and triggered a cascade of reposts and commentary across AI Twitter.A search of X using Grok uncovered the full scope of that response. Influencer Brian Roemmele, after conducting what he described as intensive personal testing, declared that “DeerFlow 2.0 absolutely smokes anything we’ve ever put through its paces” and called it a “paradigm shift,” adding that his company had dropped competing frameworks entirely in favor of running DeerFlow locally. “We use 2.0 LOCAL ONLY. NO CLOUD VERSION,” he wrote.More pointed commentary came from accounts focused on the business implications. One post from @Thewarlordai, published March 23, framed it bluntly: “MIT licensed AI employees are the death knell for every agent startup trying to sell seat-based subscriptions. The West is arguing over pricing while China just commoditized the entire workforce.” Another widely shared post described DeerFlow as “an open-source AI staff that researches, codes and ships products while you sleep… now it’s a Python repo and ‘make up’ away.”Cross-linguistic amplification — with substantive posts in English, Japanese, and Turkish — points to genuine global reach rather than a coordinated promotion campaign, though the latter is not out of the question and may be contributing to the current virality. The ByteDance question ByteDance’s involvement is the variable that makes DeerFlow’s reception more complicated than a typical open-source release.On the technical merits, the open-source, MIT-licensed nature of the project means the code is fully auditable. Developers can inspect what it does, where data flows, and what it sends to external services. That is materially different from using a closed ByteDance consumer product.But ByteDance operates under Chinese law, and for organizations in regulated industries — finance, healthcare, defense, government — the provenance of software tooling increasingly triggers formal review requirements, regardless of the code’s quality or openness. The jurisdictional question is not hypothetical: U.S. federal agencies are already operating under guidance that treats Chinese-origin software as a category requiring scrutiny.For individual developers and small teams running fully local deployments with their own LLM API keys, those concerns are less operationally pressing. For enterprise buyers evaluating DeerFlow as infrastructure, they are not.A real tool, with limitationsThe community enthusiasm is credible, but several caveats apply.DeerFlow 2.0 is not a consumer product. Setup requires working knowledge of Docker, YAML configuration files, environment variables, and command-line tools. There is no graphical installer. For developers comfortable with that environment, the setup is described as relatively straightforward; for others, it is a meaningful barrier.Performance when running fully local models — rather than cloud API endpoints — depends heavily on available VRAM and hardware, with context handoff between multiple specialized models a known challenge. For multi-agent tasks running several models in parallel, the resource requirements escalate quickly.The project’s documentation, while improving, still has gaps for enterprise integration scenarios. There has been no independent public security audit of the sandboxed execution environment, which represents a non-trivial attack surface if exposed to untrusted inputs.And the ecosystem, while growing fast, is weeks old. The plugin and skill library that would make DeerFlow comparably mature to established orchestration frameworks simply does not exist yet.What does it mean for enterprises in the AI transformation age?The deeper significance of DeerFlow 2.0 may be less about the tool itself and more about what it represents in the broader race to define autonomous AI infrastructure.DeerFlow’s emergence as a fully capable, self-hostable, MIT-licensed agentic orchestrator adds yet another twist to the ongoing race among enterprises — and AI builders and model providers themselves — to turn generative AI models into more than chatbots, but something more like full or at least part-time employees, capable of both communications and reliable actions.In a sense, it marks the natural next wave after OpenClaw: whereas that open source tool sought to great a dependable, always on autonomous AI agent the user could message, DeerFlow is designed to allow a user to deploy a fleet of them and keep track of them, all within the same system. The decision to implement it in your enterprise hinges on whether your organization’s workload demands “long-horizon” execution—complex, multi-step tasks spanning minutes to hours that involve deep research, coding, and synthesis. Unlike a standard LLM interface, this “SuperAgent” harness decomposes broad prompts into parallel sub-tasks performed by specialized experts. This architecture is specifically designed for high-context workflows where a single-pass response is insufficient and where “vibe coding” or real-time file manipulation in a secure environment is necessary.The primary condition for use is the technical readiness of an organization’s hardware and sandbox environment. Because each task runs within an isolated Docker container with its own filesystem, shell, and browser, DeerFlow acts as a “computer-in-a-box” for the agent. This makes it ideal for data-intensive workloads or software engineering tasks where an agent must execute and debug code safely without contaminating the host system. However, this “batteries-included” runtime places a significant burden on the infrastructure layer; decision-makers must ensure they have the GPU clusters and VRAM capacity to support multi-agent fleets running in parallel, as the framework’s resource requirements escalate quickly during complex tasks.Strategic adoption is often a calculation between the overhead of seat-based SaaS subscriptions and the control of self-hosted open-source deployments. The MIT License positions DeerFlow 2.0 as a highly capable, royalty-free alternative to proprietary agent platforms, potentially functioning as a cost ceiling for the entire category. Enterprises should favor adoption if they prioritize data sovereignty and auditability, as the framework is model-agnostic and supports fully local execution with models like DeepSeek or Kimi. If the goal is to commoditize a digital workforce while maintaining total ownership of the tech stack, the framework provides a compelling, if technically demanding, benchmark.Ultimately, the decision to deploy must be weighed against the inherent risks of an autonomous execution environment and its jurisdictional provenance. While sandboxing provides isolation, the ability of agents to execute bash commands creates a non-trivial attack surface that requires rigorous security governance and auditability. Furthermore, because the project is a ByteDance-led initiative via Volcengine and BytePlus, organizations in regulated sectors must reconcile its technical performance with emerging software-origin standards. Deployment is most appropriate for teams comfortable with a CLI-first, Docker-heavy setup who are ready to trade the convenience of a consumer product for a sophisticated and extensible SuperAgent harness.
BUSINESS
Australia’s Worst Big Gold Miner Could Become A Star Performer
Heavily sold down over the past six months Australia’s Northern Star Resources could be a top performer over the next six months
Cheap car insurance rates offer another insight into the SUV takeover
Americans are buying more SUVs than ever, and car companies are the biggest beneficiaries. But now, thanks to shifting insurance rates, SUVs are also increasingly becoming cheaper to own despite their often higher price tags.Sport utility vehicles accounted for 52% of new vehicle sales in 2025, up from 46% in 2021 and 38% in 2016, per Good Car Bad Car. Full-size SUVs have doubled their market share since 2016, representing 3.5% of the market.The growth in SUV popularity is great news for automakers. Profit margins for SUVs and trucks average 10% to 20% higher than those for smaller cars, since larger vehicles are more expensive, but use many of the same components, according to The Week.The Big 3 U.S. automakers are shifting their production capacity away from less profitable electric vehicles for now and investing in higher-margin vehicles. It’s a move that makes perfect financial sense, according to Bank of America analysts who reinstated coverage on the company with a buy rating on March 4. “We highlight Ford & General Motors (see reports) as OEM top picks as we see potential for upward estimate revisions given the shift away from EVs and emissions mandates that limited profitability over the past several years,” the firm said.”We think Ford is positioned well to capitalize on the significant shift in the regulatory backdrop under the current administration that should enable it to shift focus to its most margin accretive trucks/SUVs.”But while car makers benefit from the rise in popularity of higher-margin, higher-priced models, consumers are benefiting from lower-priced insurance, making it cheaper to own an SUV.
Photo by M. Suhail on Getty Images
The top-3 cheapest cars to insure are all SUVsInsurance companies adjust your rates based on the type of vehicle you own, and they deem safer vehicles as getting lower rates.”Solid, safe and reliable vehicles with low repair costs tend to be cheaper to insure than sports cars, foreign vehicles or cars with a history of costly repairs,” according to analysts at CarInsurance.com who ranked the cheapest cars to own, and found that now SUVs are overtaking sedans in affordability.Related: Consumer Reports names 5 more vehicles with the lowest hidden feesCheapest SUVs to insure in 2026Subaru Crosstrek: $1,150 average six-month premiumJeep Wrangler: $1,154 average six-month premiumHonda CR-V: $1,158 average six-month premiumVolkswagen Tiguan: $1,165 average six-month premiumMazda CX-5: $1,172 average six-month premiumIn fact, sedans now cost on average 10% to 15% more to insure than comparable sedans due to structural design differences and claims data.The Subaru Crosstrek is the most affordable vehicle to insure this year, with an average monthly premium of $192. But it is not alone on the list; the Jeep Wrangler came in tied for second with the Honda CR-V at $193 a month.In fact, 16 of the top 20 cheapest cars to insure on CarInsurance.com’s list were SUVs.The Subaru Crosstrek makes sense, and the Japanese-made SUV is Consumer Reports’ top subcompact SUV pick and one of the best-selling vehicles in the country due to its safety profile.In fact, Subaru has two vehicles on the top-20 insurance list, with the Crosstrek joined by the Outback station wagon. “Repair and replacement costs are a huge factor for insurance rates,” says Zach Lazzari, founder at Cross Border Coverage. “For example, some vehicles have very high repair costs for common fender bender damage. Entire panels may require replacements on one vehicle, while others can be fixed with a simple dent remover and some fresh paint.”The top-5 cheapest SUVs averaged under $1,172 for a six-month premium, while the cheapest sedan (unsurprisingly, a Subaru Legacy) had an average six-month premium of $1,265.SUVs’ size and height offer safety, but there are tradeoffsMany Americans buy SUVs not just due to an affinity for big toys, but also because they believe these vehicles are safer.SUVs are heavier and generally sit higher than sedans. That extra mass can reduce the force transferred to occupants in a head-on collision or side impact, according to Pierce Skrabanek.Related: Consumer Reports names top 5 vehicles with lowest hidden feesAlso, because SUVs’ higher ride height places the bumper above the main reinforcement zones of a sedan, they are less vulnerable to side-impact crashes than their smaller counterparts.They also score better in multi-vehicle accidents.But there are tradeoffs.Smaller vehicles tend to handle better because they are lighter. So they are better at avoiding collisions altogether if the driver can react in time. Also, due to the higher ride height mentioned above, SUVs have a greater rollover risk than sedans.That higher center of gravity also works against the vehicle’s control during sharp turns, swerves, or high-speed crashes. Rollover accidents are particularly dangerous because roof crushes and ejections are common in those situations.Related: Tesla FSD makes terrifying mistake in viral video
Macy’s 8-piece comforter set is on sale for just $40, and it’s ‘the perfect bedding set for spring’
TheStreet aims to feature only the best products and services. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission.Why we love this dealAs a through-and-through penny-pincher, my heart broke a little when I had to flip on the air conditioning for the first time this year. The thermostat isn’t the only thing that gets switched up as springtime temperatures begin to rise. It’s also time to pull off the heavy blankets and thick bedspreads from your bed and put them into storage. Your linen closet may already have lightweight bedding ready to go, but if you’re in the mood for something new that doesn’t break the bank, Macy’s has one bedding deal that’s an unbelievable bargain.Modern and fresh, the Macy’s Hudson Geometric 8-Piece Comforter Set is 60% off. The expansive bedding set comes with everything you need to make over your bed, including a bedspread, sheets, pillowcases, and more. All four sizes, including twin, full, queen, and king, originally retail for $100. With this deep discount, they’re all on sale for just $40 each. For even more bang for your buck, the top-rated set has a 2-in-1 reversible design, so you’ll never feel bored with the multiple looks available.Macy’s Hudson Geometric 8-Piece Comforter Set, $40 (was $100) at Macy’s
Courtesy of Macy’s
Shop at Macy’sWhy do shoppers love it?From the beautiful design and lightweight warmth to the soft materials and premium feel, there’s a lot shoppers love about this comforter set. It’s a complete bed-in-a-bag, so you won’t need to buy any additional bedding to make your bed. The 8-piece set comes with a reversible comforter, two reversible pillow shams, a flat sheet, a fitted sheet, two pillowcases, and a bed skirt (except for the twin size, which is six pieces with one less sham and pillowcase). The front of the comforter and pillow shams feature a unique geometric pattern that’s classic enough to still look good in years to come. The triangular design elements are elevated with a fun texture for increased visual appeal. If you prefer something less busy, simply flip over the bedding to display the plain beige side. The sheets and pillowcases are a soothing sage green shade that contrasts beautifully with either side you choose. “I love the color scheme, and it’s really soft and plush,” said one shopper. They praised the selection, calling it “the perfect bedding set for spring!”Related: Walmart’s bestselling 9-piece floral comforter set is on sale for $53All the bedding is made from 100% polyester, which is lightweight and soft according to shoppers. But it’s not just pleasant to the touch. This material is also durable, wrinkle-resistant, fade-resistant, and machine washable for easy maintenance. “I had the most comfortable night’s sleep with this product,” one reviewer raved. “It was so soft. I can’t even begin to tell you, and I’ve spent some solid cash on some expensive sheets and comforters.”Details to know Sizes available: Twin, full, queen, and king.Material: 100% polyester.Average customer rating: 4.5 out of five stars.Based on the glowing shopper reviews, this bedding is cute and cozy, but we get that not everyone has the same style. Macy’s has other outstanding bedding deals that work well with a variety of tastes, whether you prefer colorful florals, understated neutrals, or farmhouse-inspired bedding sets.Shop more dealsMacy’s Coastal Coral 8-Piece Comforter Set, $40 (was $100) at Macy’sMacy’s Vanelisse Striped Floral 3-Piece Comforter Set, $30 (was $80) at Macy’sMacy’s Ameena Reversible 8-Piece Comforter Sets, $40 (was $100) at Macy’sUpgrade your bedroom for spring with the Macy’s Hudson Geometric 8-Piece Comforter Set for just $40 at Macy’s. We’ve noticed the most popular sizes sell out quickly when the bedding deals are this impressive, so don’t miss your chance to save.
The Iran Conflict Is A Compounding Cost Crisis For Retail
The Iran conflict is hitting retail P&Ls from every angle: oil, freight, fertilizer, and consumer spending. Here’s how the costs compound.
Costco shoppers spot hard-to-find item back in stock
There are so many things to love about Costco, from the savings on bulk purchases to the incredibly affordable and delicious food court. But as someone who’s been a Costco member for 20 years and counting, I can tell you there’s one major pitfall of shopping there regularly — having to say goodbye to some of your favorite products.At my typical supermarket, items will get discontinued once in a great while. At Costco, seeing items suddenly disappear off the shelves is pretty common.Case in point: Back when we were first married, my husband stumbled upon a bag of cheddar and beer-flavored potato chips, and he was hooked. No sooner did that item win a spot in our regular rotation than Costco got rid of it, leaving him seriously bummed.And it’s not just snack items there are at risk of disappearing. Sometimes, Costco will discontinue staple items without warning. And when that happens, members risk being left in the lurch.Costco brings back discontinued member favoriteLast September, Costco members were saddened (and in some cases, outraged) to learn that their beloved Kirkland Signature Creamy Peanut Butter was pulled from the store’s shelves. In the interim, Costco made Naturally More Organic Peanut Butter available to members as a replacement. But it wasn’t the same.Just as all seemed lost, members started to notice a few months ago that Kirkland Signature Creamy Peanut Butter had made its way back to Costco’s shelves, Delish noted. But the rollout was slow.Related: Costco makes a key investment to help membersWhile some Costco members saw Kirkland Signature Creamy Peanut Butter come back in late 2025, for others, its return was more recent. But the reaction has been telling. Many Costco members are genuinely thrilled to have their favorite peanut butter back.”Wife and I were jumping in the aisle,” said one user on Reddit.”Can’t believe it’s back after being out of stock for months. Love this stuff,” said another.
Many Costco members are excited by the return of Kirkland Signature Creamy Peanut Butter.Shutterstock
Why Costco products sometimes disappearThere are a few reasons why Costco is sometimes forced to pull products from shelves.In 2025, Costco discontinued its Kirkland Signature Soy Milk due to slow sales, as RetailWire reported. But even if a product is selling well, Costco may have to pause or discontinue it due to supply chain issues.That’s what happened with Kirkland Signature Creamy Peanut Butter.More Retail:Costco sees major shift in member behaviorRetail chain shuts all locations as legal changes hit industryCostco makes major investment in online shopping for membersT-Mobile launches free offer for customers after major lossAs Delish reported, Kirkland peanut butter brand relies on a specific type of peanut that experienced shortages. Once a new crop became available and supply chains got back to normal, Costco was able to bring the item back.But sometimes, when Costco products disappear, they go away for good. And that’s intentional.Costco is known for its “treasure hunt” shopping experience. The company intentionally keeps a limited selection of items and rotates inventory frequently. This creates urgency among shoppers while allowing Costco to prioritize high-demand products and favorable supplier agreements.The good news is that because Costco is so member-oriented, it tends to listen to feedback. If a popular item disappears and enough members protest, that could be enough to sway the company to bring it back, as long as the logistics make sense.But otherwise, having to say goodbye to Costco products forever is a side effect of maintaining a membership, as my husband learned years ago when his favorite chips went poof. This also means that if there’s a favorite item of yours that’s becoming harder to find, you may want to stock up on it while you can.Maurie Backman owns shares of Costco.Related: Target deals fall flat as consumers shop elsewhere
Brent oil prices claw back losses to top $100 again after hours
Global oil prices edged higher in after-hours trading Monday to recoup portion of the nearly 11% lost during the regular session, as traders geared up for what’s likely to be another day driven by developments in the Iran conflict.
Today’s Wordle #1739 Hints And Answer For Tuesday, March 24
Looking for help with today’s New York Times Wordle? Here are some expert hints, clues and commentary to help you solve today’s Wordle and sharpen your guessing game.
The $1,000 mortgage mistake first-time buyers must avoid
Lenders have a pitch that sounds almost too good to refuse. Pay a little extra at closing, they say, and you lock in a lower rate that saves you money every month for the life of your loan. For first-time buyers already stretched thin, that certainty is hard to pass up.But for many buyers, paying mortgage points turns out to be a costly mistake. The savings are real. The problem is most buyers sell, refinance, or move before they ever collect them.What mortgage points actually areA mortgage point is a fee paid upfront at closing equal to 1% of the loan amount. On a $400,000 loan, one point costs $4,000. In exchange, the lender reduces your interest rate, typically by 0.125% to 0.25% per point. The monthly savings are modest. The upfront cost is not.The question every buyer needs to answer before paying points is simple: how long will it take to earn that money back? That number is called the breakeven point, and it is the most important calculation in the entire mortgage points decision.More Personal Finance:Why selling a home to your child for a dollar can backfireElon Musk says ‘universal high income’ is comingFTC, 21 states sue Uber over ‘shady’ subscription billingThe formula is straightforward. Divide the cost of the points by the monthly savings they generate. The result is how many months you need to stay in the home, without refinancing, before the points pay off. Sell or refinance before that date, and you lose money.How the math plays outTake a hypothetical buyer purchasing a $450,000 home. She locks in a 6.75% rate, then pays two points ($9,000) to buy it down to 6.25%. Her monthly payment drops by roughly $156. That feels like a win.But at $156 in monthly savings, it takes about 58 months, nearly five years, just to break even on the $9,000 she spent. If she sells at year four for a job transfer, she has lost close to $2,000 and drained reserves she may have needed for repairs or emergencies.Now consider what she could have done with that $9,000 instead. Invested at a historical average stock market return of around 7%, that money grows to roughly $12,600 over five years. The points generated just $7,000 in savings over the same period. The opportunity cost alone makes the trade a loser.Why the breakeven rarely arrivesThe core problem is that buyers underestimate how long they will actually stay put. According to Redfin, the typical U.S. homeowner now stays in their home for 12 years. That sounds like plenty of time to break even. But 12 years is the median across all homeowners, heavily influenced by older, long-tenured owners.First-time buyers move sooner. They are younger, earlier in their careers, and more likely to face job relocations, growing families, or income shifts. Many also refinance within the first few years when rates drop. Every refinance wipes out the benefit of the original points entirely. The CFPB recommends buyers model multiple tenure scenarios before committing to points, precisely because the outcome hinges on how long the loan stays in place.What lenders do not always tell youLender pitches for points focus on lifetime savings, assuming a 30-year hold. A pitch that says “save $30,000 over the life of your loan” is technically accurate. It just does not mention that you need to hold the loan untouched for all 30 years to collect it.Red flags to watch for when a lender is pushing points hard:Signs a lender is overselling pointsLifetime savings charts with no breakeven date shown. If they show you the 30-year number but not when you actually start winning, ask for it explicitly.Urgency pressure. Points offers do not expire overnight. A lender creating artificial urgency is a lender who does not want you to do the math.No mention of refinancing risk. If rates drop and you refinance within a few years, the points are gone. Any honest presentation includes this scenario.Only one loan estimate. The CFPB recommends getting at least three Loan Estimates. Buyers who shop multiple lenders can save $600 to $1,200 per year according to Freddie Mac research.Smarter alternatives to buying pointsFor buyers who want a lower rate without the upfront risk, there are better options. Lender credits work in reverse: you accept a slightly higher rate in exchange for cash back at closing, offsetting other upfront costs. You preserve liquidity for repairs and emergencies that almost always hit in year one.
MoMo Productions/Gettyimages
Builder buydowns are worth asking about in new construction. A 2-1 buydown temporarily reduces your rate for the first two years, with the cost paid by the builder. For buyers using FHA or VA loans, competitive rates are often available without paying points at all.The one question to ask before paying pointsBefore agreeing to pay points, ask your lender for a written breakeven worksheet showing the exact number of months required to recoup the cost. Then model three scenarios: what happens if you sell in three years, five years, and seven years.Closing costs already run 2% to 5% of the loan amount. On a $400,000 purchase, that is $8,000 to $20,000 before a single point is added. Draining reserves further to chase a rate reduction that may never pay off is one of the most common and preventable mistakes first-time buyers make.The monthly payment is not the only number that matters. The breakeven date is. Know it before you sign.Related: Dave Ramsey sounds alarm on major Medicare problem
Estee Lauder says it has a suitor. That’s still not helping its stock.
Estee Lauder says it could merge with luxury Puig Brands of Spain.