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Housing Headlines Archives for 2016-10

Housing Headlines

Economy 
 

HousingWire

Millennial borrowers finally reap benefits of this year's low interest rates

Millennials reaped the most benefits from this year's low interest rate in August, as the average rates on home loans obtained by the generation fell to 3.76% for the month, the latest Ellie Mae Millennial Tracker data found.

 

Business Insider

The most expensive housing market in every state

Coldwell Banker recently released its annual Home Listing Report, which ranks the most expensive places to purchase homes in America.

 

MarketWatch

Mortgage rates rise but hold below 3.50%

Rates for home loans rose as investors sold safe assets like Treasurys in anticipation of a December Federal Reserve rate increase, mortgage guarantor Freddie Mac said Thursday.

 

MarketWatch

Immigrants close the homeownership gap on native-born Americans

Immigration has been a charged topic on the campaign trail, and data out Thursday shows that immigrants are increasingly achieving something that's widely considered a pillar of the American Dream.

 

HousingWire

Here's how student loan debt plays a role in the future of housing

Student loan debt is playing its biggest role in the mortgage process yet, and it doesn't look like it's changing anytime soon. After all, many Millennials have yet to finish college, and the tail end of the generation is barely 18.

 

HousingWire

Millennials see housing price bubble on the horizon

Many Millennials say they want to buy a home, however they are concerned with their ability to save for a down-payment, according to the Housing Confidence Index from ValueInsured, a provider of down payment protection for homebuyers.

 

Bloomberg

Expect long waits for post-hurricane home repairs

There will be plenty of large-scale reconstruction to do in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, which has been blamed for dozens of deaths since it made its first U.S. landfall Friday and is still causing catastrophic flooding throughout eastern North Carolina.

 

CNBC

Mortgage applications down 6% as rising rates take a toll

As pumpkins pop up on front porches across the nation, the highest interest rates in a month are scaring consumers away from the mortgage market.

 

Mortgage News

 

The Washington Post

New programs make mortgages available for many who had been frozen out

So you still think it's impossible to get a mortgage because lenders' standards continue to be super-strict and your profile doesn't quite fit the standard underwriting molds? You're right: It can be tough. But it's no longer impossible, thanks to new programs that are becoming available from national and regional lenders for applicants who qualify.

 

HousingWire

CFPB will soon allow new Fannie, Freddie mortgage application

A new loan application, also known as a 1003 (ten-o-three), required by the government sponsored enterprises recently left some lenders scratching their heads as they saw questions pertaining to the race of the applicant, as well as questions about how the information was obtained.

 

MarketWatch

These government-approved high-interest green loans are turning mortgage lending upside down

When Lucia Chavez saw her mortgage bill, she thought there had to be a mistake. For years, the 70-year-old Vista, California homeowner had paid about $990 every month. But in early 2015, after solar panels were installed on her roof, Chavez, a retiree, discovered a total of $1,500, a sum she couldn't afford, had been paid from her bank account.

 

Housing Finance 

 

HousingWire

Is it now time to finally raise conforming loan limits?

The chances the Federal Housing Finance Agency will raise the maximum conforming loan limits for mortgages to be acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2017 is high now after meeting one certain condition.

 

National Mortgage News

Small lenders worry GSE moves will leave them behind

As Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac continue to experiment with up-front risk sharing deals, some small mortgage lenders are worried they will be left out of the action. (Subscription may be required.)

 

Product News

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Passion for Perfection

For decks, siding, windows and doors ProLuxe provides a distinctively rich and vibrant finish. ProLuxe premium products are designed to provide unrivaled looks, durability and performance on all types of exterior wood.

 

Multifamily 

 

MarketWatch

Growth of NHL hockey nationwide boosts apartment markets

As the 2016 National Hockey League season gets set to drop the puck Wednesday night, one thing that isn't dropping are rental prices nearest hockey-only stadium venues.

 

Housing Headlines

Economy 

 

The Wall Street Journal

Some big cities see rents fall for first time in years

Apartment rents declined in some of the country's priciest cities during the third quarter, a dramatic reversal that could signal the end of a six-year boom for the U.S. rental market. (Subscription may be required.)

 

CNBC

European bank fears helped boost US mortgage applications 2.9%

Fears in the European banking community last week created something of a tantrum in U.S. bond markets, driving yields down and taking mortgage rates along with them.

 

HousingWire

NAR forecasts heated housing market in 2017

Predictions from the National Association of Realtors, the Mortgage Bankers Association, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac show that home sales are going to heat up in 2017, according to a blog by NAR.

 

CNBC

Home prices heat up: Crisis and opportunity

Rising buyer demand and increasingly short supply are lighting a fire under the U.S. housing market. Home prices in August surged on a monthly basis by the largest margin in 11 years, and the annual price gain of 6.2 percent is a sharp acceleration compared to the past two years, according to CoreLogic.

 

U.S. News & World Report

The 20 best places people are moving to in the U.S.

These places have the highest net migration over a five-year period.

 

MarketWatch

'Housing party' in the U.S. may be coming to an end

The focus has been less on housing but more on inflation data in FOMC circles recently, but on Thursday, we received very weak pending-home-sales data that puts housing front and center again. Housing was humming along, so to speak, with interest and mortgage rates still low, but in August something very interesting happened.

 

The M Report

Are construction spending declines a mirage?

On the surface, it looks like August's data shows it has been a rough six months for single-family construction spending.

 

The Wall Street Journal

A onetime housing skeptic plans $1 billion bet on homes

Donald Mullen Jr., the former Wall Street executive who a decade ago helped oversee Goldman Sachs Group Inc.'s lucrative bet against the U.S. housing market, co-founded real-estate investment firm Pretium Partners LLC, which is raising $1 billion to buy single-family homes to rent out to tenants, according to fundraising documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. (Subscription may be required.) 

 

 

Housing and the Election 

 

National Mortgage News

Clinton, Trump should be talking more about housing: Fannie CEO

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump should face more questions about housing policy, or so, says Tim Mayopoulos. (Subscription may be required.)

 

USA Today

Trumping real estate taxes: Our view

The revelation that Donald Trump lost nearly $1 billion in 1995 is reason to question whether it would be a good thing if he ran America like he ran his businesses. It is even better reason to question a tax code that can allow billionaires to pay less than teachers, secretaries and firefighters.

 

USA Today

Real estate's vital to the economy: Opposing view

The Real Estate Roundtable, a non-partisan group focusing on issues affecting our industry, has long maintained that all business investments, including real estate, be taxed on the economics of the investment. Tax incentives should be rare and limited to situations justified by market failures or societal goals.

 

Product News

 

Sherwin-Williams: Color & Paint Upgrades

Let us help you maximize profits with expanded color palettes and paint upgrades.

The experts at Sherwin-Williams have plenty of great ideas to help you differentiate your homes. In this article, learn how to maximize profits and increase homeowner satisfaction with unique color palettes and paint upgrades. More than 150 years of expert advice is just a click away.

 

Housing Finance 

 

National Mortgage News

A simpler path to housing finance reform?

A former top regulator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac wants to abandon the development of the common securitization platform and use the existing Ginnie Mae platform to issue government-guaranteed mortgage-backed securities. (Subscription may be required.)

 

The New York Times

Fannie Mae Is now getting more detailed information on borrowers

Borrowers seeking home loans should know that as of this week, many mortgage lenders will be scrutinizing more detailed credit data.