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Why Is There So Much Paperwork to Sign to Get a Mortgage?
We are often asked why there is so much paperwork mandated by the bank for a mortgage loan application when buying a home today. It seems that the bank needs to know everything about us and requires three separate sources to validate each and every entry on the application form.Many buyers are being told by friends and family that the process was a hundred times easier when they bought their home ten to twenty years ago.There are two very good reasons that the loan process is much more … [Read more...]
Don’t Get Caught in the Rental Trap!
There are many benefits to homeownership. One of the top ones is being able to protect yourself from rising rents and lock in your housing cost for the life of your mortgage.Don’t Become TrappedJonathan Smoke, Chief Economist at realtor.com, reported on what he calls a “Rental Affordability Crisis.” He warns that,“Low rental vacancies and a lack of new rental construction are pushing up rents, and we expect that they’ll outpace home price appreciation in the year ahead.”In the … [Read more...]
How Supply & Demand Impacts the Real Estate Market [INFOGRAPHIC]
Some Highlights:The Concept of Supply & Demand is a simple one. The best time to sell something is when supply of that item is low & demand for that item is high!Anything under a 6-month supply is a Seller’s Market!There has not been a 6-months inventory supply since August 2012!Buyer Demand continues to out-pace Seller Supply! … [Read more...]
How Scary is the Housing Affordability Index?
Some industry pundits are saying that the housing market may be heading for a slowdown. One of the data points they use is the falling numbers of the Housing Affordability Index, as reported by the National Association of Realtors (NAR).Here is how NAR defines the index:“The Housing Affordability Index measures whether or not a typical family earns enough income to qualify for a mortgage loan on a typical home at the national level based on the most recent price and income data.”Basically, a value of … [Read more...]
Housing Market Slowing Down? Don’t Tell Builders!
Many experts have been calling upon home builders to ramp up construction to help with the lack of existing inventory for sale. For the past two months, new home sales have surged, with July’s total coming in at the highest since October 2007.The latest estimates from the US Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development show that sales in July were 31.3% higher than this time last year, and 12.4% higher than last month, at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of … [Read more...]
2 Myths About Mortgages That May Be Holding Back Buyers
Fannie Mae’s “What do consumers know about the Mortgage Qualification Criteria?” Study revealed that Americans are misinformed about what is required to qualify for a mortgage when purchasing a home.Myth #1: “I Need a 20% Down Payment”Fannie Mae’s survey revealed that consumers overestimate the down payment funds needed to qualify for a home loan. According to the report, 76% of Americans either don’t know (40%) or are misinformed (36%) about the minimum down … [Read more...]
Whether You Rent or Buy, You’re Paying a Mortgage
There are some people that have not purchased a home because they are uncomfortable taking on the obligation of a mortgage. Everyone should realize that, unless you are living with your parents rent free, you are paying a mortgage - either yours or your landlord’s.As The Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University explains:“Households must consume housing whether they own or rent. Not even accounting for more favorable tax treatment of owning, homeowners pay debt service to pay down … [Read more...]
‘Old Millennials’ Are Diving Head-First into Homeownership [INFOGRAPHIC]
Some Highlights:‘Old Millennials’ are defined as 25-36 year olds according to the US Census Bureau.According to NAR’s latest Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers, the median age of all first-time home buyers is 31 years old.More and more ‘Old Millennials’ are realizing that homeownership is within their reach now! … [Read more...]
4 Stats That PROVE This Is NOT 2005 All over Again
Recent research by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) examined certain red flags that caused the housing crisis in 2005, and then compared them to today’s real estate market. Today, we want to concentrate on four of those red flags.Price to Rent RatioPrice to Income RatioMortgage TransactionsHouse FlippingAll four categories were outside historical norms in 2005. Home prices were way above normal ratios when compared to both rents and incomes at the time.NAR explained that mortgage transactions as a … [Read more...]
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