Mortgage News
The latest real estate and mortgage industry news, digested. Look beyond the headlines to better understand what’s really happening.FHA Approved Condos: Individual Units Now Eligible for Financing!
People looking to buy a condo with FHA financing rejoice. HUD has released a new condominium approval process that, among other things, brings back spot approvals. The policy, which goes into effect on October 15th, 2019, is part of the ... Read More »
Wait, Home Buying Is the Cheapest It’s Been in 20 Years?
If you happen to be in the market to buy a home, you’re probably not giddy with delight over today’s sky-high listing prices. After all, home prices continue to inch higher and higher from their near-term lows seen about a ... Read More »
Amazon TurnKey: Get Free Stuff If You Use a Realogy Agent
While they’re not yet directly involved in the mortgage industry, Amazon has now dipped its toes in the real estate pool via a new home buying program known as TurnKey. What is TurnKey you ask? Well, it’s essentially a link-up ... Read More »
37% of American Homeowners Are Now Free and Clear
What a difference a decade makes. Back in 2009, it was a lot more common to hear about underwater mortgages than free and clear homeowners. In fact, a Deutsche Bank analyst warned at the time that 48% of U.S. homeowners ... Read More »
Homeowners with Year-Old Mortgages Are Refinancing Like Crazy
A new report from Black Knight revealed that prepayment activity (early payoff of a mortgage) has been surging thanks to the precipitous drop in mortgage rates. It has more than doubled in just the past four months alone, and is ... Read More »
Freddie Mac CHOICERenovation Mortgage Review
Freddie Mac has just launched a new renovation loan product known as the “Freddie Mac CHOICERenovation Mortgage.” While the name is a bit of a mouthful, the offering is expected to be more liberal than their existing plainly named Renovation ... Read More »
BoardRE Allows You to Go All Cash Even If You Need a Mortgage
A new startup by the name of “BoardRE” hopes to change the real estate game when it comes to all-cash home buyers and the rest of us. Even if you don’t have the necessary funds, you can still present yourself ... Read More »
A Startup Called ZeroDown Just Launched to Help Home Buyers Lease to Own
It’s starting to feel a little like 2006 again. Recently, we’ve seen mortgage lenders launching interest-only mortgages, 40-year mortgage terms, and now a company by the name of “ZeroDown” has launched in San Francisco. Before we worry that it’s the ... Read More »
Young Homeowners Are Having More Mortgage Regrets
While homeowners of all ages are mostly happy they purchased a property, younger borrowers seem to be regretting their mortgages more than the rest of the population. Per the semiannual survey titled, “Zillow Housing Aspirations Report,” Millennial and Generation Z ... Read More »
Redfin Direct: Buy a Redfin-Listed Home Without a Real Estate Agent
First Redfin brought us the 1% listing fee, which disrupted the traditional 2.5% to 3% listing agents charge(d) to sell a home. But that still meant the home seller was on the hook for 3.5% or so if they elected ... Read More »
