Low Inventory, Rising Rates and a Bustling Spring Market

Low Inventory, Rising Rates and a Bustling Spring Market

RECBL - Real Estate News

Spring is here, and, with it, a busy home-buying and -selling season. While real estate markets can vary widely by region, housing is currently seeing similar developments across the country.

The Kiplinger Letter, an online source for personal finance advice and business forecasts, recently shared spring market trends. According to Kiplingers David Payne, staff economist, and Rodrigo Sermeño, reporter, REALTORS(R) can expect tight inventory, increased buyer competition and a rise in interest rates across the board this spring.

The biggest obstacle? Not enough homes, particularly in heavily-populated areas and others that are growing quickly.

"Buyers should expect tight inventory of existing homes across the nation, particularly in fast-growing metro areas such as Denver, Dallas, Seattle and Portland-but also most major metros in the West and in the South," say Payne and Sermeño.

Buyers are out in full-force, and with less inventory to choose from, they are flocking to any available homes in their price point and submitting aggressive bids.

"Buyers should expect more competition for entry-level homes, both existing and new," Payne and Sermeño say. "Tight inventories of existing homes will likely lead to bidding wars in many markets."

What the industry sorely needs right now is new construction, and that’s where the South is prospering.

"The South is seeing strong growth in residential construction, including starter homes," say Payne and Sermeño. "Builders are gradually adding entry-level homes in certain markets in the South, such as Dallas, Phoenix and Atlanta. Some builders are focusing on peripheral areas around these cities, where it is cheaper for them to build entry-level homes."

According to The Kiplinger Letter, buyers in the South and West can expect new homes on the market later this year, especially duplexes and townhomes; however, new-construction growth is generally slow across the U.S. due to high costs and insufficient land to build.

"Builders will continue to gradually bring starter homes to the market, but the rising cost of labor and building materials will make it difficult," Payne and Sermeño say.

While skyrocketing prices have been a concern with tight inventory, REALTORS(R) can breathe a small sigh of relief, as growing home prices seem to be slowing down, if only slightly, for the foreseeable future.

"Home price growth will slow a bit, to 5 percent from 6.5 percent last year," say Payne and Sermeño. "Price appreciation has been strong for a while, and some areas are seeing demand hurt by affordability problems, especially for high-end homes; however, the slowdown this year will only be modest because of continuing lack of inventory, especially at the low-to-middle price ranges."

REALTORS(R) are watching the market closely, as one factor could change the status of todays market. Rising interest rates are homebuyers biggest concern, and contributing to this springs flurry of home-buying activity.

"The prospective rise in interest rates this year and next is actually boosting buyer demand to purchase before rates rise further, according to REALTOR(R) surveys," Payne and Sermeño say. "Next year, once it appears that mortgage rates will be stabilizing, then the higher rates will have a somewhat depressive effect on prices and demand."​


Jason Grace is AZ Social Realty's content editor. Email him your real estate news ideas at jason@cashbuyerslists.com.





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5 Essential Home-Buying Considerations

5 Essential Home-Buying Considerations

RECBL - Real Estate News

(TNS)-Buying a house is a life-changing process that requires lots of upfront financial planning.

When looking for a home, keep certain factors in mind, including your financial situation, types of available loans, your credit score, the price of the house and your down payment so you can navigate the process smoothly.

Your Financial Situation
Before you buy a house, make sure that your monthly budget can handle such a large expense.

Unless you’re one of the few people who can pay cash for a home, you’ll likely be paying it off for 15 or 30 years, depending on the length of your loan.

In addition to the mortgage payment, you’ll want to factor in expenses like property taxes, homeowners insurance and routine maintenance.

Types of Mortgages
When buying a home, you have a few options for the type of loan you want to use. Two of the most common mortgage types are fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgages.

The interest rate on a fixed-rate mortgage stays the same over the life of the loan, with payments divided up into equal amounts that you pay on a monthly basis. The longer the loan term, the less you have to pay each month; however, you’ll likely pay more in interest than you would with a shorter-term loan.

An adjustable-rate mortgage, or ARM, has a fixed interest rate for an initial period, followed by a period when the lender may periodically adjust the interest rate. For example, a 5/1 ARM has an introductory rate of five years. After that five-year period, the interest rate can change annually. With an ARM, you need to consider how much your monthly payment could increase and your ability to pay if it does go up.

Your Credit Score
You also need to review your credit score before buying a house. Your credit score helps creditors determine your creditworthiness. Borrowers with credit scores of 740 or higher generally qualify for the best mortgage deals.

It’s still possible to buy a house if you have bad credit. You likely will have to accept a higher interest rate on your mortgage, which could cost you hundreds of dollars extra per month.

If your credit score drops too low, though, you might not qualify for a mortgage at all. Consider improving your credit score first before trying to buy a house.

The Price of the Home
The higher the price of the house you want to buy, the more you can expect to pay on a monthly basis. When looking at houses, consider your budget and how much you can afford to spend.

Remember to consider your needs, too. Do you have a new addition to the family and need the room? Have your kids moved out and you want a smaller home?

Also, take a look at the price range of the houses available in the area where you want to buy. Compare the prices you find to your budget and determine what home you can afford.

The Down Payment
A large down payment represents one way to reduce the monthly cost of your mortgage. As a matter of fact, a down payment of 20 percent gives you access to better interest rates and prevents you from having to pay private mortgage insurance. So, in addition to lowering the amount you owe initially, a down payment also can get you a lower interest rate, making a house more affordable. There are also mortgages that require no down payment or a small one.

(C)2017 Bankrate.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC




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5 Steps to Finding Your Best Mortgage Lender

5 Steps to Finding Your Best Mortgage Lender

RECBL - Real Estate News

(TNS)-You’re buying a home and you need a mortgage. How do you choose the right lender-one that will offer not only the best deal, but also good customer service?
You’ll find no shortage of banks, online lenders, mortgage brokers and other players eager to take your loan application. Here are five tips for selecting the best mortgage lender out of the bunch.

1. Compare Offers and Lenders
Start getting familiar with various lenders and the deals they’re offering by browsing through mortgage rates.

Lenders will "present price differently," notes Robert Davis, an executive vice president at the American Bankers Association (ABA). "Some lower rates might include fees with it, so the annual percentage rate is different than what you might think."

Also, understand that some lenders specialize. One might be a good choice if you’re financing a condo, while others might offer a better deal if you’re building your home from scratch. You’ll want to have a general idea of the type of property you’re interested in.

2. Check With Lenders and People You Know
You might find the right mortgage and the best lender without having to look very far. Go to the bank or credit union where you have a checking or savings account and ask about the types of mortgage deals that are available to current customers.

Compare any offer against what other lenders in your area and online and large national lenders will give you.

"Interest rates change as much as three or four times a day, so get quotes from three different (lenders) to increase your odds," says Brian Koss, executive vice president of Mortgage Network.

Be sure to ask family members and friends for referrals to loan officers and mortgage brokers who gave them good, professional service and helped them find the most competitive loans.

3. Decide: DIY or Hire a Broker?
One important decision is whether to seek out a mortgage and lender completely on your own or use the services of a mortgage broker.

A broker can help with your comparison-shopping by gathering quotes from several lenders, but it’s important to understand that a broker isn’t obligated to find the deal that’s best for you.

If you decide to work with a mortgage broker, it’s wise to look at how the loan offers from the broker size up against those you find on your own.

Look at differences in rates, fees, mortgage insurance and down payments-and compare what your bottom-line costs will be.

4. Talk With Your Real Estate Agent
Be sure to ask your real estate agent for lender recommendations. Smart loan officers rely on that business and take good care of the clients sent their way by local real estate agents.

Keep in mind that agents might have relationships with certain lenders, so when your agent gives you a name, ask whether there is any affiliation.

While some real estate brokerages have their own favored in-house mortgage lending businesses, good agents will not limit their referrals to those particular lenders.

5. Be Ready for a Possible Hand-Off
Many lenders will end up selling your mortgage to the secondary market, which means you will likely have a different company servicing your loan than your original lender.

This transfer is often outside your control, but you can ask the lender whether it knows if your mortgage will end up being serviced by a different company. If you want a lender you can reach out to immediately if problems arise, finding one who will hold onto your mortgage might be the best option.

"If it’s important for you to have local contact with the lender, then you’ve got to go to a bank that keeps your mortgage," says Davis.

(C)2017 Bankrate.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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Know Before You Owe: A Work in Progress

Know Before You Owe: A Work in Progress

RECBL - Real Estate News

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureaus (CFPB) "Know Before You Owe" harmonization of the Truth in Lending Act and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (TILA-RESPA, or TRID) has been a work in progress for several years, overhauling mortgage disclosure practices to improve clarity with the home-buying process.

With the CFPBs guidance and willingness to reduce ambiguities, lenders, real estate agents, and settlement providers have finally started adapting to the new system.

A National Association of REALTORS(R) (NAR) Survey of Mortgage Originators revealed that while TRID-related delays may still be occurring, cancellations attributed to the new processes have decreased.

When TRID went into effect in 2015, lenders were reluctant to share the new required Closing Disclosure (CD) with real estate professionals out of fear of liability for disclosing clients nonpublic personal information. Lenders claimed that sharing the CD violates federal privacy law (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, or GLBA); however, an exception within the GLBA allows lenders to distribute the CD to third parties, including real estate professionals.

In a new final rule issued in July, the CFPB reiterated that TRID did not amend this existing exception and explained that it is "usual, appropriate, and accepted for creditors and settlement agents to provide the combined or separate Closing Disclosure to consumers, sellers, and their agents." This language gives confidence to those hesitant to share the CD as it is "a confirmation, statement, or other record of the transaction" falling under the GLBA exception. The CFPB further clarified permissible CD modifications when necessitated by applicable state laws.

Access to the disclosure by real estate professionals ensures consumers are avoiding costly slowdowns for their real estate purchases, just as it was before TRID, when real estate professionals had access to the HUD-1. According to the NAR lender survey, only 16.7 percent of respondents reported sharing the CD unconditionally.

More than half indicated increasing fees for consumers to cover TRID-related costs, averaging $220 per transaction. When real estate professionals have access to the CD, instrumental oversight is added to the closing process, reducing errors that could result in preventable charges being passed on to consumers.

In addition to the TRID final rule, the CFPB has also issued a new proposed rule seeking feedback on how lenders use a CD to reset tolerances to reflect a valid change in circumstance. The CFPB seeks to minimize transaction disruptions and reduce unnecessary costs by easing restrictions on resetting tolerances after the CD has been provided. Such flexibility should increase lender confidence in addressing issues arising after a CD has been sent to the consumer and ensure smoother closings.

As the leading advocate for real estate professionals and their consumers, NAR supports regulatory reform measures that promote transparency, flexibility and certainty for the industry, striving to help qualified buyers with their real estate purchases.

Modifications to TRID must continue to put consumer interests first while eliminating excessive regulatory barriers for those working to further those interests and the benefits of homeownership.

Christie DeSanctis is a policy representative for business issues at the National Association of REALTORS(R).

This column is brought to you by the NAR Real Estate Services group.

For more information, please visit www.nar.realtor.

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New Bottom for Mortgage Rates

New Bottom for Mortgage Rates

RECBL - Real Estate News

Mortgage rates overall hit a new bottom first week of September, with the 30-year, fixed rate averaging 3.78 percent, a decrease from 3.82 percent the week prior, according to Freddie Macs recently released Primary Mortgage Market Survey(R) (PMMS(R)).

The 15-year, fixed rate averaged 3.08 percent, down from 3.12 percent the week prior, while the 5-year, Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable rate averaged 3.15 percent, up from 3.14 percent the week prior.

"The 10-year Treasury yield fell nine basis points this week, reaching a new 2017 low for a second consecutive week," says Sean Becketti, chief economist at Freddie Mac. "The 30-year mortgage rate followed, dropping four basis points to a year-to-date low of 3.78 percent."

The movement of mortgage rates is related, to an extent, to the movement of the key interest rate, which is set by the Federal Reserve and will be voted on at its quarterly meeting in September. Employment data for August suggest the key rate, and mortgage rates, as a result, will stay low.

"It has been a humdrum economy so far this year, seesawing between good to tolerable, yet certainly not great," said Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of REALTORS(R) (NAR), in a statement on the August jobs report. "Nonetheless, the 12-month job gains total still tops 2 million, and that will likely grow household formation and home-buying demand. The job figures...assures that interest rates will remain low for a longer period."

Source: Freddie Mac

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Struggling With Mortgage Payments? HARP May Help

Struggling With Mortgage Payments? HARP May Help

RECBL - Real Estate News

(TNS)-HARP, or the Home Affordable Refinance Program, is a great way to refinance your mortgage and save a ton of money in interest charges. HARP allows homeowners who have little or no equity in their homes to refinance their mortgages and get lower interest rates. You can even refinance if your mortgage is upside down.

The program was due to expire in September, but it has been extended through December 2018, adding 15 months to this popular initiative.

The 2008 housing crisis left many homeowners owing more on their mortgages than their homes were worth. The rate of foreclosures rose 81 percent in 2008 alone and more than 860,000 homeowners lost their homes.

In 2009, mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac launched HARP. More than 3.4 million homeowners have refinanced their mortgages through HARP since then.

By refinancing your home through HARP, you may be able to reduce the interest you pay.

If you don’t want to start over with a 30-year mortgage, that’s OK-your loan terms can be set from 10 to 30 years. HARP also offers a streamlined refinancing process that requires less documentation than traditional refinance programs.

For homeowners whose mortgage rates are much higher than current interest rates, they’re likely see an immediate drop in their house payments.

HARP loans are specifically designed for homeowners whose mortgages have a loan-to-value ratio of 80 percent or more.

To calculate your loan-to-value ratio, divide the amount of money you owe on your mortgage by your homes appraised value. For example, if you owe $170,000 on your mortgage and your homes appraised value is $200,000, your loan-to-value ratio is 85 percent.

You may be eligible to refinance your mortgage through HARP if you meet the following criteria:

• You’re up to date on your mortgage payments, have not been 30 or more days late in the past six months and have not been late more than once in the past 12 months.

• The home is your primary residence, a one-unit second home or a one- to four-unit investment property.

• Your loan is owned by Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae.

• Your loan-to-value ratio is 80 percent or greater.

• You had the mortgage before May 31, 2009.

Many people don’t know if their mortgage is owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, but you can use their online tools to find out.

If you were previously denied a HARP-sponsored mortgage because you were upside down on your mortgage, it may be time to apply again. Borrowers who owe more on their loan than their homes values are now eligible.

Like with refinancing any mortgage, you’ll have to pay closing costs (which can be rolled into your loan). While a lower mortgage payment reduces your monthly expenses, you’ll want to calculate whether the savings in your monthly payment outweigh your costs.

When you apply for your loan, the lender will give you a "good faith estimate" and a "truth in lending statement." This outlines your costs for the life of the loan. Compare these documents to your current loan terms to determine if you’ll come out ahead with your new refinancing package.

If your existing mortgage includes mortgage insurance, you’ll be required to have the same amount of mortgage insurance with your new loan. If your existing mortgage doesn’t have mortgage insurance, you won’t be required to carry it for the new loan.

If you think a HARP refinancing might save you money, gather your most recent financial records, including mortgage statements, pay stubs and income tax returns. Contact your lender and ask if it participates in HARP. If your lender doesn’t, contact a HARP lender approved by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac on their websites or on the Federal Housing Finance Authority website.

Visit Bankrate online at www.bankrate.com.

(C)2017 Bankrate.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC




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