Category: News

California Home Sales Record 10th Straight Annual Increase

Regan Hagestad September 29, 2015

Although month-to-month pending home sales in California declined slightly, August marks 10 straight months of year-to-year gains according to the California Association of Realtors (CAR). However, realtors in the state have responded to the latest Market Pulse Survey from CAR by saying that sales on homes with multiple offers were down, which is a telltale sign of reduced competition among

Read More »

How U.S. monetary policy influences mortgage rates

Regan Hagestad September 24, 2015

Mortgage rates are directly affected by U.S. monetary policy is a variety of ways. Mortgage loans are typically insured through a government sponsored enterprise (GSE), which includes agencies like Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The loans are then packaged into mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and sold to investors in the bond market. Since bond prices and interest rate yields have an

Read More »

Mortgage Bankers Expect Sellers’ Market in 2016 Despite Possible Rate Hike

Regan Hagestad September 15, 2015

Lately, the news media has been talking about a possible mortgage rate hike that could discourage homebuyers. The Federal Reserve may decide to raise rates before the end of 2015. Fortunately, a new study reveals that home sales will probably remain brisk despite this change. Interest Impact Although lower loan rates produce significant savings for buyers, they don’t actually cause

Read More »

National foreclosure inventory shrinks 28% since last year

Regan Hagestad September 10, 2015

The continued decline of completed foreclosures proves that the economy continues to mend itself after the recent recession. In just the last year since July 2014, the number of completed foreclosures has decreased by 24.4 percent, and the national foreclosure inventory itself has dropped 27.9 percent. These figures translate into just over 38,000 homes lost to complete foreclosure in July

Read More »

2015 Survey of California Homeowners

Regan Hagestad September 1, 2015

The 2015 Survey of California Homeowners was recently released by the California Association of Realtors, and it shows that there have been major changes in the real estate market in the state in the last few years. Additionally, there are some significant differences in the situations of individuals who have owned their home for more than 15 years than compared

Read More »

Rental Costs Soar to Record Highs in US

Regan Hagestad August 28, 2015

Soaring Rental Rates Make Home Ownership Even More Attractive  Since ancient times, people have been renting space to provide a roof over the head of their family. This practice continues today with about 36 percent of the American population renting their primary residence. Unfortunately, soaring rental rates may spell bad news for many renters. Get Ready to Pay More The

Read More »

Delinquent Mortgages at Lowest Level Since 2007

Regan Hagestad August 20, 2015

According to the latest National Delinquency Survey from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), delinquent residential mortgages are at their lowest rate since the second quarter of 2007. This marks a decline in the rate by 24 basis points (BPs) since the first quarter of 2015 and by 74 BPs compared to the second quarter of 2014. The National Delinquency Survey

Read More »

Some Home Buyers Still Facing Difficulty in Obtaining a Mortgage Loan

Regan Hagestad August 14, 2015

Even though the real-estate market appears to be making an amazing comeback, economists still say that obtaining a mortgage may be difficult for some potential home buyers. This doesn’t mean that you have to be among the extremely wealthy to buy a home, but those with a troubled credit history may still find it difficult to qualify for a mortgage

Read More »

Equity acceleration slows, are some owners cashing out?

Regan Hagestad August 5, 2015

According to data from the U.S. Home Equity and Underwater Report put together by RealtyTrac, the number of properties with at least 50 percent equity grew by more than a million between the second quarters of 2014 and 2015. The most recent period ended with 10.9 million properties being equity rich, which is about 19.6 percent of all mortgaged properties.

Read More »

To Buyers, Mortgage Rates May Be Overrated

Regan Hagestad July 27, 2015

An online post in the July 8, 2015 issue of “Liberty Street Economics,” a publication of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, sheds light on how lenders’ down payment requirements and mortgage rates affect the demand for homes. The post summarizes key points of a staff report by senior economists Andreas Fuster and Basit Zafar that analyzed results of the 2014 SCE Housing

Read More »
Sign up to get “My Two Cents.” It’s a blog where I share my thoughts on everything related to real estate finance.
Categories
Archives