Mortgage Rates
Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about mortgage rates. And even more than that…Prospective Buyers Are Beginning to Walk Away from Home Purchases
Over the past few years, the term “walking away” was synonymous with strategic default. In short, homeowners who were underwater on their mortgages had very little hope of turning things around. As a result, they would simply walk away from ... Read More »
Mortgage Rates vs. War: The Silver Lining
Over the past week or so, there have been hawkish rumblings of a U.S.-led military strike in Syria, whose government allegedly used chemical weapons on its own people. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel indicated that his crew is “ready to go,” ... Read More »
First Sign of Mortgage Rate Impact as New Home Sales Disappoint
There’s been a lot of speculation lately about the impact higher mortgage rates might have on the housing market, with some arguing that they’ll simply slow purchases, while another claimed they’ll lead to smaller home purchases. Regardless, we now have ... Read More »
The LendingTree Mortgage Negotiator Makes Home Loan Shopping Anonymous
Everyone’s heard of the Priceline Negotiator, but what about LendingTree Mortgage Negotiator? I hadn’t heard about it until last week, when a commercial popped up on my television pitching the new system. I love scrutinizing mortgage companies and their products ... Read More »
Goodbye Refi: Only 55% of Mortgages Have Above-Market Interest Rates
The last couple of months have been rough, real rough, assuming you work in the mortgage industry. Sure, things aren’t terrible, but I’ll assume most participants would prefer to be living in May 2013, as opposed to August 2013. After ... Read More »
Refinance Share of Mortgage Market Will Slip to 40% in 2014
The once unstoppable refinance market is expected to cool considerably next year, according to the latest quarterly refinance report released by Freddie Mac this morning. The mortgage financier expects rising interest rates to put a damper on home refinance activity, ... Read More »
Only 36% of Buyers Can Afford a Home in California, Lowest Share Since 2008
As I warned over the past few weeks, affordability is becoming a major issue for the overheated housing market. And we’re finally beginning to see a few pieces of data that back up these concerns. This morning, the California Association ... Read More »
Mortgage Jobs on the Line as Rates Rise
There’s been plenty of debate lately about the potential consequences of rising mortgage rates, with an outright housing recovery derailment topping the list of concerns. However, most economists have been quick to downplay the risks of rising rates, which have ... Read More »
Fannie Economist: Rising Mortgage Rates Should Slow Purchases, Not Lower Prices
A new commentary written by Fannie Mae’s Vice President of Applied Economic and Housing Research, Mark Palim, aims to put fears of rising rates to bed. In the analysis posted on Fannie’s website, Palim notes that the recent increase in ... Read More »
Chart: Housing Affordability Set to Fall Off a Cliff
The National Association of Realtors will always be the first ones to tell you that housing is either highly affordable, still affordable (!), or that buying a home remains a great move even if housing affordability is low. After all, ... Read More »
