Low mortgage rates have attracted more buyers to the market—especially first-timers—amid a supply shortage that’s showing no signs of letting up. Meanwhile, prices of expensive homes have risen just 2%. Prices of the most affordable third of homes in the
Making an Offer on a House? 11 Strategies to Win
So you’ve found your dream house and you’re ready to make an offer, but how do you make sure your offer stands out among all the others? How do you make your offer more appealing? Whether you’re dealing with a
A Record 27% of Homebuyers Are Looking to Relocate, as Pandemic Accelerates Trend Toward Affordable, Less Dense Areas
A growing share of Redfin users look to leave the Bay Area, Washington, D.C. and Seattle for places like Sacramento, Las Vegas and Nashville. A record 27.0% of home searchers looked to move to another metro area in April and
What Are Real Estate Mortgage Notes And How To Invest?
One of the best real estate investment opportunities available is also one of those that’s rarely discussed: mortgage note investing. Mortgage notes are also known as real estate lien notes and borrower’s notes. They have become a popular asset class
California Housing Market 2020 Overview
The coronavirus pandemic has literally gone viral and the California real estate market also got impacted by it. Today, we decided to take a look at the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the California housing market. We’ll also look
JMAC restarts jumbo lending after ‘pandemic pause’
JMAC Lending restarted its jumbo program on Monday, a week before the target date the company set in March when it suspended funding the bigger mortgages as the COVID-19 pandemic began hitting the U.S. economy. The revived jumbo program is
Rent is dropping across the country
The economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to influence rent prices across the country. California is seeing rents decrease in several areas. According to RealPage, operators in Los Angeles cut rents by 3.3% in May 2020 compared to May
RenoFi raises $6.4 million to help lenders offer home renovation loans
RenoFi, a fintech platform that aims to empower lenders to offer a “next generation” of renovation loans, has raised $6.4 million in Series A round of funding, the company has told HousingWire exclusively. Canaan Partners led the financing, which also
Mastercard buying fintech company Finicity for $825 million
This story has been updated with comments from Finicity Credit card giant Mastercard announced this morning its plans to acquire Finicity, a provider of real-time financial data aggregation and insights, for $825 million. As part of the agreement, Finicity’s existing
Sales of new houses spike in May on low rates
Sales of new houses jumped 16.6% in May as low mortgage rates and a shortage of inventory in the existing-home market enticed Americans released from stay-at-home orders to buy from builders. Purchases of new single-family houses rose to 676,000 at
Remote online notarizations surge 40% during pandemic
Since stay-at-home orders and self-quarantines began in March, more businesses have moved to digital solutions and that’s been particularly true for parts of the real estate transaction. A survey from Qualia revealed that there was a nearly 40% surge in
Real estate investors feeling optimistic about the housing market, LendingHome survey finds
In a survey from LendingHome, house flippers, landlords and real estate investment brokers explained their view of the market before, during and after COVID-19. “There was more optimism than we expected, and we were a bit surprised,” said Matt Humphrey,
Share of loans in forbearance falls for the first time since March
The share of mortgage loans in forbearance plans fell to 8.48% last week from 8.55% the week prior, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Forbearance and Call Volume survey. This marks the first time the total number of loans in
Current housing data doesn’t reflect the true fundamentals of the U.S. market
Monday’s existing home sales report showed a significant decline in the year-over-year metric for May. This May report showed sales were down 26.6%, the lowest sales print since the housing bust years at just over 3.9 million. The stay-at-home orders
CFPB to eliminate DTI requirement from qualified mortgage standards
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced Monday two notices of proposed rulemaking surrounding what’s commonly known as the QM Patch. One of those rulemakings would remove the debt-to-income requirement from qualified mortgages. Back in January, CFPB Director Kathy Kraninger sent
Sprout Mortgage enhances non-QM program
Sprout Mortgage is adding enhancements to its recently unveiled suite of non-QM programs. Last week, the lender announced the release of three modifications to complement its May 27 non-QM program release after a short freeze on non-QM lending. With an
Mortgage lending will surge to a 14-year high this year, MBA says
If you’re in the mortgage business, expect to have your busiest year in 2020 since the height of the housing bubble in 2006. Combined lending for home purchases and mortgage refinancings probably will total $2.65 trillion this year, the most
Virginia Realtor attacked at open house over the weekend receives outpouring of support
As states slowly reopen, real estate agents are once again able to conduct in-person home tours. While good for business, the return of in-person showings also means more safety risk for Realtors, as seen this weekend when a Keller Williams
Supreme Court ruling in CFPB case could impact FHFA’s plan to end GSE conservatorship
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is under the microscope as the Supreme Court prepares to issue a major ruling, expected this week, on whether the agency’s single-director structure is constitutional. The decision is seen as also impacting the Federal Housing
Protesters take to New York City streets over evictions
The hashtag #cancelrent was trending on Twitter Monday morning as protesters in New York City called for an extension on eviction moratoriums. Try and take our homes? We’ll take over the streets. @NYGovCuomo, extend the real eviction moratorium and #cancelrent
U.S. mortgage delinquency rate rises to 7.76% in May
The U.S. mortgage delinquency rate rose to 7.76% in May as Americans struggled to pay their bills during the worst public health crisis in more than a century. The rate rose from 6.45% in April and was 3.39% in March,
Existing home sales tumble 9.7% to a 9-year low in May
U.S. existing home sales tumbled 9.7% in May to the lowest level since late 2010 as COVID-19 plunged the nation into recession and chilled transactions. Sales of single-family houses, condominiums and cooperatively owned apartments fell to a seasonally adjusted and
Home Prices Flat, Other Indicators Suggest the Market is Rebounding from Coronavirus Shutdowns
Pending sales were up 33% and new listings increased 36% from April to May. Home prices nearly flattened, up just 0.5% from last year The housing market showed some early signs of recovery in May as the addition of homes
Homebuying Demand Rebound Amid Coronavirus Recession Highlights Wealth Divide
Homebuyers with secure, high-paying jobs and access to cash and credit take advantage of low mortgage rates, as job losses disproportionately affect low-income and Black workers, already excluded from homeownership. The impact of the coronavirus shutdowns on homebuyer demand has