Since the presidential election, mortgage rates have risen from 3.5 percent to about 4.2 percent, increasing the borrowing costs of would-be home buyers.The rates are rising on the expectations of greater business activity and a stronger economy. But the good economic prospects may come at a price to home buyers.Nevertheless, make sure your clients keep perspective. In the 1970s, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 8.9 percent; in the 198
In some markets, the land is more valuable than the home that stands on it.Case in point, in San Francisco’s Sunset District, a fire destroyed a home for sale leaving it inhabitable. Despite that, last February, the home sold quickly for just under $1 million. Seven months later, the home was transformed into a four-bedroom home and sold for $1.77 million.In San Francisco, land is a premium, and buyers often pay more for the land than the home
Do you know the pain points your buyers are most concerned about when it comes to purchasing a home? A new TD Bank survey of 135 real estate professionals nationwide reveals six stressors that are causing their clients the most anxiety: Confusion around paperwork required: 31.85% Unexpected costs: 22.22% Concerns over financing: 21.48% Appraisal and inspection: 11.85% Meeting and closing date: 6.67% Credit approval: 5.93%To better support your cl
Mortgage rate increases are chipping away at home buyer sentiment, shows the latest reading from Fannie Mae’s Home Purchase Sentiment Index. For the fifth consecutive month, consumer sentiment dropped in December and most of that centered on perceptions over rising borrowing costs.The share of consumers expecting mortgage rates to drop over the next 12 months, as well as those who believe their household income is significantly higher today com
Mortgage insurance premiums on FHA-backed loans will be lower by 25 basis points on loans endorsed starting January 27, the federal government announced today.“After four straight years of growth and with sufficient reserves on hand to meet future claims, it’s time for FHA to pass along some modest savings to working families,” Julian Castro, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, announced today.NAR President Bi
Borrowing costs moved lower this week. But most economists aren’t predicting the trajectory to continue.This marked the first time in 10 weeks that mortgage rates moved lower, Freddie Mac reports."The 30-year mortgage rate fell this week for the first time since the presidential election, dropping 12 basis points to 4.20 percent,” says Sean Becketti, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “This marks the first time since 2014 that mortgage rates
A new mortgage fraud scheme is taking a reverse approach to traditional occupancy scams. In the past, prospective investors have claimed they intend to take owner occupancy. Then, they are able to qualify for a better interest rate, lower fees, a smaller down payment, or higher loan amount than if they applied for a mortgage as an investor.But CoreLogic analyst Willa Wei is sounding the alarm on the growing incidence of a “reverse occupancy sch
Here’s a sobering stat: 80 percent of us fail to achieve our New Year’s goals by week two of February, according to clinical psychologist Joseph J. Luciani.Unless you can back your resolutions up with the “capacity to either sustain motivation or handle the inevitable stress and discomfort involved in change,” you’re doomed to fail, Luciani says.That also may mean being in the right place to effect change. WalletHub researchers crunched
Home prices nationwide, including distressed sales, rose year over year by 7.1 percent in November 2016 compared to November 2015, CoreLogic’s Home Price Index shows.Expect more price jumps ahead too, although at a more modest pace. Home prices likely will increase by 4.7 percent on a year-over-year basis from November 2016 to November 2017, according to CoreLogic’s forecasts.“Last summer’s very low mortgage rates sparked demand, and with
Mortgage application volume dropped sharply over the holidays, despite a drop in mortgage rates at the end of the year. Loan applications fell 12 percent for the week ending Dec. 30, 2016, on a seasonally adjusted basis compared to two weeks earlier, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported Wednesday. (The MBA did not report weekly volume last week.)"As mortgage rates continued their upward climb reaching the highest levels in more than two year
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