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☆ Mortgage demand drops as interest rates remain stubbornly high
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Mortgage rates didn't move at all last week, and are still sitting near a recent high. Most borrowers today carry interest rates far lower than the current rate and would therefore not benefit from a refinance. Mortgage rates moved higher to start this week, crossing over 7% Tuesday to 7.04%, according to Mortgage News Daily. Rates will likely move later today, following the latest interest rate decision and press conference at the Federal Reserve. In other words, mortgage rates CAN move lower tomorrow even if the Fed hikes.

Persons: Joel Kan, Jerome, Powell, Matthew Graham Organizations: Mortgage, Federal Housing Administration, Mortgage News, Federal Reserve

☆ Shopping for a home? There’s a lot working against you right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

In recent weeks, as mortgage rates closed in on 7%, affordability has worsened. Nationally, it takes about 36% of the median household income to make the average mortgage payment — more than the recommended 30% allowance for housing. The Mortgage Credit Availability Index fell by 3.1% to 96.5 in May, the lowest level since January 2013, and was essentially unchanged in June. The MBA index that tracks jumbo loans — loans that are larger than conforming loan limits — saw its second monthly contraction, as some financial institutions reduce their appetite for larger loans that aren’t backed by the government. Mortgage rates are expected to drop the second half of this year as inflation continues to cool, with economists and housing analysts forecasting rates to end the year around 6%.

Persons: Nick Gaylord, “ I’ve, ” Gaylord, it’s, “ I’m, ”, Gaylord, “, Black Knight, Knight, ” Joel Kan, Department of Veterans Affairs —, — Organizations: DC CNN, CNN, Mortgage Bankers Association, ICE Mortgage Technology, Federal Housing Administration, US Department of Agriculture, Department of Veterans Affairs, National Association of Realtors Locations: Washington, Minneapolis

☆ Weekly mortgage demand was flat, even as interest rates drop for the third straight week
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The average rate on the most popular mortgage, the 30-year fixed, fell for the third straight week, but demand for mortgages didn't move much. Total mortgage application volume increased 0.5% last week, compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's seasonally adjusted index. This marks the second straight week that jumbo loans have a higher rate than conforming loans. Homebuyers are starting to get used to higher interest rates, but the continued drop in new listings of homes for sale is keeping sales low. Federal Housing Administration demand rose more than conventional loan demand.

Persons: Joel Kan, Jerome Powell Organizations: Mortgage, Federal Housing Administration, Census, Federal, Financial Services

☆ Gen Z-ers Are Moving Out. Where Are They Looking to Buy Homes?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Kalia Richardson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Many Gen Z-ers who came of age during the past couple of years missed out on the record-low mortgage rates of 2020 and 2021. But even with higher rates now in place, Mr. Channel expects the number of Gen Z home buyers to grow from here. “Even though you might hear a lot of doom and gloom and people might say, ‘Well, Gen Z-ers will never be able to buy a house,’ they said the same thing about millennials, and millennials are the largest group of home buyers in America,” he said. Mr. Channel relayed some tips for 20-somethings looking to buy a home: Focus on boosting your credit score and repaying student loans. And take advantage of first-time buyer programs, including Federal Housing Administration loans, which can ease the burden on young buyers with smaller down payments and lower credit scores.

Persons: Channel, —, Gen, ’, ” Organizations: —, Channel, Federal Housing Administration Locations: Salt, Minneapolis, — San Francisco, New York, Jose, America

☆ The Hottest Thing in Real Estate Is a Loan From Two Years Ago
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Conor Dougherty | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

From the pedestrian to the dodgy, it all seems to underscore the manner in which the nation’s real estate market has been frozen by regret. In lieu of acceptance, a determined few are trying to use imagination and fine print to build a portal to the cheap-money days of 2021. In theory, any of the millions of homeowners holding a assumable low-rate mortgage have a valuable perk to sell with their home. Still, real estate agents say it can be hard in practice to transfer them. For instance, homeowners who transfer a V.A.-backed mortgage can lose their ability to get another similar loan unless they can find a V.A.-eligible buyer to take their original mortgage.

Persons: ”, influencers, “ It’s, Scott Trench, Sellers, Michael Fratantoni, Black Knight Organizations: Federal Housing Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture, Mortgage, Association Locations: U.S

☆ Forever in debt: Why U.S. loans are getting longer
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Chris Taylor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

NEW YORK, June 5 (Reuters) - Consumers facing high asset prices and rising interest rates have a few loan options. But if you must go ahead, either face taking on a big monthly payment, or stretching out the loan term to keep the monthly bill down - as many are doing. New car loans lasting 73-84 months (over six years) rose to 34.4% of the market in 2022 from 28.6% in 2018, according to auto information site Edmunds. A few borrowers are going even longer, with less than 1% of new car loans lasting 85 months or more. MAKE SOME HARD DECISIONSIf you must keep pushing out the loan term to afford an asset, that may be a signal to get real.

Persons: Ira Rheingold, Rheingold, Eric Scruggs, Brandon Gibson, Erin Witte, Witte, Lauren Young, Richard Chang Organizations: YORK, National Association of Consumer, Housing Administration, Consumer Federation of America, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Edmunds, Stoneham , Massachusetts, Dallas

Find a lender that offers the type of mortgage you needNot every lender provides each type of mortgage. VA mortgage lenders . How to compare mortgage lenders at each stage of the processMortgage prequalificationMortgage prequalification is one of the first steps in the homebuying process. Mortgage loan estimateOnce you choose a home, you will apply for a mortgage and receive a loan estimate from a lender. Between the qualification, preapproval, and loan estimate, the loan estimate is the most detailed and official of the three.

It's possible to buy a house with bad credit, but you may end up with a high mortgage rate. Unlike conforming mortgages, which require a good credit score to qualify, loans that are available to those with lower credit scores typically have higher mortgage rates. You can also use our guide to the best low credit score mortgage lenders to see which lenders accept borrowers with lower scores. Get copies of your credit reportUnderstanding your credit history is key to understanding what's affecting your credit score. Review your credit report again to see what is impacting your credit score, then take steps to improve it.

☆ How to Get a Mortgage
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +15 min

“Houses cost more than the money invested to purchase them,” says Brian Rugg, chief credit officer at mortgage lender loanDepot. Research mortgage loan types and lendersThere are two basic categories of mortgage: private and government backed. “Look at customer reviews from past borrowers,” says Alex Shekhtman, a mortgage broker and founder of LBC Mortgage in New York. “Mortgage lenders use appraisals to protect their investment in the home,” says Liz Lopez, a real-estate agent at RelatedISG Realty. Since mortgage payments are made in arrears—meaning you pay on the first of the month for the previous month’s charges—you won’t owe a mortgage payment until the start of the second month following your closing date.

☆ Influencers make being a landlord with lots of rental properties seem easy. But a real-estate investor with 482 units warns newbies to not scale up too quickly.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Aj Latrace | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The prospect of easy money and equity lured people to invest in real estate between 2020 and now. Those who purchased rental properties in the last two years saw a windfall, a veteran investor said. But new landlords who follow landlord influencers on TikTok and Instagram extolling the merits of quick-scaling strategies could use a dose of reality, one veteran real-estate investor told Insider. It all means that investors still have to play it safe when looking at a new deal, Ainley said. They buy properties, fix them up, then refinance them to get out cash that they funnel into purchase the fixer-upper.

To help you get started, CNBC Select rounded up a list of the best mortgage lenders first-time homebuyers should consider. Types of loans offered: The most common kinds of mortgage loans include conventional loans, FHA loans and VA loans. The most common kinds of mortgage loans include conventional loans, FHA loans and VA loans. Fees: Common fees associated with mortgage applications include origination fees, application fees, underwriting fees, processing fees and administrative fees. Common fees associated with mortgage applications include origination fees, application fees, underwriting fees, processing fees and administrative fees.

☆ Should I Refinance My Mortgage?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +9 min

By Michele LernerFor most people, the prime reason to refinance a mortgage is to lower their interest rate and monthly payments. While there are many reasons people refinance (more on that later), normally when someone has a low mortgage rate, they don’t refinance into a higher one, says Erin Wood, a financial planner with the Carson Group in Omaha, Neb. Here are a few reasons to refinance your mortgage:To reduce your paymentsThe simplest way to lower your monthly payments is if you can refinance into a lower mortgage rate, which reduces the interest you pay on your loan. Generally, closing costs for a mortgage refinance range from 2% to 5% of the new loan amount. That expense means it only makes sense to refinance if you can reduce your mortgage rate by half a percentage point or more, says Middleman.

☆ Your Credit Score Affects Your Mortgage Rate—Here’s How to Improve It
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +9 min

How does your credit score affect your mortgage rate? “There is no single, specific credit score that will automatically qualify you for a mortgage.”What else determines your mortgage rate? How to check your credit scoreTo get your credit score, check your banking or credit card dashboard if you have one. Many come with automatic credit score monitoring, allowing you to check your score at any time. Make on-time paymentsThe best way to improve your credit score is to avoid late payments—particularly on student loans, credit cards and other types of debts that get reported to credit bureaus.

☆ White House to roll out plan to lower first-time home buyers' mortgage costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 22 (Reuters) - The White House on Wednesday will unveil a plan to reduce mortgage insurance fees charged to first-time home buyers, helping an estimated 850,000 borrowers save about $800 a year on the cost of a typical loan, it said in a statement. Vice President Kamala Harris will announce the plan to lower fees on Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans at an event in the Washington suburb of Bowie, Maryland. The FHA charges the fees to insure lenders against riskier loans often taken out by lower-income home-buyers. Government data last week showed single-family homebuilding and permits for future home construction declining in January. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose to an average 6.32% last week from 6.12% the week prior, according to data from mortgage finance agency Freddie Mac.

The HUD is cutting annual mortgage insurance premiums on FHA mortgages from 0.85% to 0.55% for most new borrowers. The new FHA mortgage insurance rates are set to go into effect on March 20. But in March, FHA borrowers will be able to take advantage of lower annual mortgage insurance rates. New FHA MIP chartThese lower annual MIP rates will be available to those getting a new FHA mortgage on or after March 20, 2023. When getting an FHA mortgage, borrowers pay both an upfront and annual mortgage insurance fee.

☆ Biden admin cuts some mortgage fees amid housing affordability crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The move affects mortgage insurance premiums paid by new borrowers who take out loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration. But for homebuyers struggling to enter the housing market, there are some loans like FHA that come with required mortgage insurance. But for borrowers unable to enter the housing market another way, FHA loans can often be the cheapest option. In addition, only a fraction of all home sales are financed with FHA loans. Only 811,362 out of 5.7 million purchase loans originated in 2021 were FHA loans, or about 14.3%, according to HUD.

☆ Biden Administration to Cut Mortgage Insurance Costs for Lower-Income Buyers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Andrew Ackerman | Tarini Parti | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The Biden administration is expected to trim costs under a mortgage program for first-time and lower-income buyers, a bid to boost affordability while median home prices remain near record highs, according to people familiar with the move. The Federal Housing Administration will reduce the fee borrowers pay to have their mortgages insured by the agency by about $800 a year on a typical loan, or 0.3 percentage point, the people said.

☆ Here's what you can do now to be ready to buy a home this spring
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Mortgage rates have been ticking down, yet remain volatile. If you are ready and able to buy a home, the day-to-day movements of rates should matter less than finding a home you can afford. Borrowers can also lower monthly payments by paying more upfront to buy down their mortgage rate. Buyers can then use that money to buy down the interest rate on their mortgage and reduce their payments. Mortgage rates are trending down, but it’s not going to be a perfect downward curve, said Melissa Cohn, regional vice president of William Raveis Mortgage.

☆ Communities struggling with banking access give banks on wheels a spin
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Banks on wheels are an attempt to repair the gaps within the U.S. banking landscape, which disproportionately impact Black and Hispanic communities. Banks on wheels aim to offer at least a partial solution to the increasingly deserted banking landscapes in minority communities. BankonBuffalo's mobile branch is an attempt to bridge those access gaps. Bank deserts are any areas where there are no bank branches within 10 miles of its center, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The borough currently has 123 bank branches, according to a national bank branch location database, down from 144 in 2018.

☆ A Navy officer who built a $1 million real estate portfolio with $14,000 shares her top 7 tips for those who want to purchase property with little cash
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Laila Maidan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

If you're starting with little cash, you need the right house to qualify for certain loans. Ana Snider is an active-duty Navy petty officer who also decided to get her broker license after taking an interest in real estate. Her top 7 tips for beginnersThe best way to prepare yourself for a property purchase is to connect with a loan officer from a bank or lender that offers down payment assistance programs. Before finding the houses, Snider recommends finding the buyers or investors. She recommends starting in your own backyard.

☆ A Navy officer explains how she built a $1 million real estate portfolio with $14,000 — and shares 5 ways that anyone can start buying property with little or no money down
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Laila Maidan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Before purchasing her first property, Snider had been living in military-base housing and wanted her own space. However, she was able to use a VA Loan, backed by the Department of Veteran Affairs, for her first purchase, which required no money down. Her new monthly mortgage payment would amount to $1,600, plus utilities which were about $150 to $200 a month. "I realized, oh well, I got this asset for free and now somebody's paying my rent," Snider said. Altogether, the three properties Snider now owns add up to a total value of $1.1 million, according to Zestimate.

☆ A 28-year-old who owns 42 cash-flowing properties explains how he’s growing his portfolio in the coming year. He shares his top 6 tips to get ahead, including the type of mortgage to secure.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Laila Maidan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In 2022, Harr had to quickly exit a few deals after rising mortgage rates slowed demand. He now can factor in higher interest rates, the bank's new requirements, and the expected correction in home prices. On the other end, he will keep multi-family homes because they provide higher cash flow under one roof. Additionally, since interest rates are higher, a pricier home means a bigger mortgage and more paid interest over principal, he noted. You can put down as little as 3.5% without getting hit with a higher interest rate.

☆ I spent $165,000 on a 215-year-old home I found via Instagram. It's falling apart, but I have big plans.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Kayli Angeleaux bought a home via Cheap Old Houses, an Instagram account with 2 million followers. She found it via Cheap Old Houses, an Instagram account and newsletter started by Elizabeth and Ethan Finkelstein that spotlights homes for sale across the country and abroad that are, mostly, less than $150,000. Cheap Old HousesAngeleaux and her husband Connor, 29, are chronicling the intense restoration process on YouTube. I was on the Cheap Old Houses Instagram, and I spent way too much time on there. And then on May 11, 2022, I got the Cheap Old Houses email.

The 2022 FHA mortgage borrowing limit is either $472,030 or $529,000 depending on the county. The conforming mortgage borrowing limit is $726,200 for all Delaware counties. Each year, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and Federal Housing Administration (FHA) set mortgage limits on conforming mortgages and FHA mortgages. Below, you'll find the 2023 mortgage borrowing limits for all Delaware counties, gathered from the FHA and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Delaware borrowing limits in 2023 for conforming and FHA mortgages by countyDelaware's conforming mortgage limits reflect many other parts throughout the US.

You can borrow up to $726,200 for a conforming mortgage in North Dakota, or $472,030 for an FHA mortgage. Your choice between a conforming or FHA mortgage may depend on credit score, debt, or insurance costs. The Federal Housing Finance Agency sets borrowing limits for conforming mortgages, and the Federal Housing Administration sets limits for FHA mortgages. Borrowing limits for both types of mortgages are the same in every North Dakota county. You'll need at least 3% for a conforming mortgage and 3.5% for an FHA mortgage.

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