Update
Mortgage News You May Have Missed Over the Holidays
The holidays saw the usual slowdown in the mortgage industry, but demand is still strong compared to years prior. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), we’ll close out 2019 with purchase loans up 5% over the year and refinances…
Read MoreThe Current State of Renting (and Buying)
In a recent Freddie Mac survey, a record 82% of renters said renting is more affordable than owning. That’s up from the 67% who also thought it was cheaper just a year ago. That is a significant number of potential…
Read MoreDoes It Really Matter How Low Mortgage Rates Go?
Predictions are always interesting. Of course some are more interesting than others, depending on topic. Some are scientific (like predicting the winner of the Super Bowl), while others are made for fun (like the weather). Mortgage guru Barry Habib made…
Read MoreMisconceptions Among Potential Homeowners About What It Takes to Buy a Home
The Fed left rates alone this week which was good news for the financial markets. It was not the best news for mortgage rates, but it wasn’t the worst either. A drop would have been nice, but not moving isn’t…
Read MoreIs This a Sustainable Housing Market?
“Tepid.” That’s been one description of the home purchase market this spring. Applications to purchase a home were off slightly for the week — but still a little better than this time last year. Pending home sales were down also,…
Read MoreWhy We Need to Stop Blaming Housing Market Malaise on the Trade War with China
For many of us, “Made in China” was commonly found on the packaging of most of our toys as children. Electronics were “Made in Japan” until eventually those electronics were also made in China. A grandfather’s protest and objection to…
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Freddie Mac Revises 2019 Forecast for the Mortgage and Housing Markets
Freddie Mac recently revisited 2019 forecasts for the mortgage and housing markets. Home price appreciation was higher than expected in the first quarter of 2019. Although it was only slightly higher than previously projected, it led Freddie to revise their…
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Getting Ready for the 2019 Hurricane Season
Before summer even starts, the 2019 hurricane season will kick off June 1st. While it’s easy to just think about summer concerts and festivals rather than inclement weather, it’s a little more critical to be prepared in the event you…
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Freddie Mac, the Fed, and Other Reasons Things Look Good
Mortgage rates and concerns about those rates were eased as the Federal Reserve maintained its patient, wait-and see-attitude this week. Nothing from this week’s meeting indicates we are likely to see the Fed hike interest rates at any time in…
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Disappointing Housing Data and the Impact This Spring
Amid the recent release of some reasonably good economic data, housing data disappointed as starts, permits, and mortgage demand all fell. There was an improvement in purchase applications, but unfortunately, it couldn’t be outweighed by the drop in refinance applications. Inventory, especially…
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