All posts by Colin Robertson
When Should You Start Looking for a House?
The short answer: Immediately. That is, if you want to buy a home at some point in the next year, or anytime thereafter. We’ll get into the specifics in a moment, but there’s really no sense in waiting if you ... Read More »
12 Home Selling Tips for 2019
While the recent stock market rout will undoubtedly make prospective home buyers feel a little bit poorer, lower gas prices and cheaper interest rates may have the complete opposite effect. Regardless of what happens to the economy, chances are that ... Read More »
2019 Mortgage Rate Forecast: We Could Be in for a Big Surprise
Just like that another year has passed, well almost, so it’s time once again to look forward to what the next 365 days might bring. Will 2019 be a winner for mortgage rates, or will home buyers and refinancers face ... Read More »
2019 FHA Loan Limits Rise: Floor Climbs Above $300k
Following the release of the 2019 conforming loan limit, HUD announced the 2019 FHA loan limits, which like the former will move higher next year. Similar to conforming loans, FHA loans have loan amount limits set either at the floor, ... Read More »
Home Prices vs. Recessions
There have been three recessions since the 1990s, including the Great Recession, which took place from 2007 and 2009 and lasted about a year and a half. Earlier, a recession took place in 1990 thanks to growing inflation and debt, ... Read More »
2019 Mortgage and Real Estate Predictions
First off, here are my 2018 predictions in case you want to see how they panned out. Overall, I think I did alright, though my call for the 30-year fixed to end 2018 at 4.5% didn’t quite materialize. There’s actually ... Read More »
10 Things You Should Do Before Applying for a Mortgage
I once wrote that you should look for a mortgage before searching for a property to buy because unless you have lots of cash, you’re going to need a loan. Now let’s talk about what you should do before you ... Read More »
2019 Conforming Loan Limit Will Be $484,350 for Mortgages Backed by Fannie and Freddie
As expected, the conforming loan limit for 2019 has increased thanks to an ongoing rise in property values, according to a news bulletin released by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) this morning. Beginning in 2019, the maximum loan amount ... Read More »
The Cash Out Refi Share Is Above 80%, But There’s a Catch
While it would appear that borrowers are using their homes as ATMs again, it’s a bit misleading. Yes, the share of home mortgage refinances that resulted in cash out rose above 80% in the third quarter, per Freddie Mac data, ... Read More »
