Mortgage credit availability isn’t fixed. Depending on current lending standards and loan programs, there will be times when it’s easier to get a mortgage and times when it’s more difficult. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s Mortgage Credit Availability Index tracks whether credit is loosening or tightening each month on a scale where any increase indicates access to credit has grown. In March, the index rose 1.1 percent. It was the third consecutive monthly improvement. Joel Kan, MBA’s vice president and deputy … [Read more...]

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates increased last week from the week before. Rates moved higher for 30-year fixed-rate loans with both conforming and jumbo balances, loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration, 15-year fixed-rate loans, and 5/1 ARMs. Joel Kan, MBA’s vice president and chief economist, says the economy is resilient and it’s keeping rates higher. “Mortgage rates moved higher last week as several Federal Reserve officials … [Read more...]

A “million dollar” city is one where the typical home is worth $1 million or more. These days, there are more of them than you might think. In fact, according to one new analysis, there are 550, up from 491 last year at the same time. The growing number of million dollar cities is largely due to the low inventory of homes for sale. Too few available homes has been driving prices higher for years and has continued to even after mortgage rates rose from historic lows. But while price increases have helped create more … [Read more...]

Fannie Mae’s monthly Home Purchase Sentiment Index is based on a survey of Americans which asks for their opinion on buying/selling a home, mortgage rates, prices, their job and financial security. The index hopes to capture Americans’ general feeling about the housing market. In March, it found respondents slightly more optimistic than the month before. In fact, the share who say it’s a good time to buy was up 4 percent and the share who say it’s a good time to sell rose 2 percent. Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae’s senior … [Read more...]

When you buy a home, you’re buying into a community. That means paying property tax to help better that community. Property taxes help cover the bill for things like schools, police and fire departments, road repairs, and libraries. Necessary stuff, for sure. But though they pay for things we need, taxes are never popular. And now, according to ATTOM Data Solutions, they’ve risen. In fact, according to ATTOM’s analysis of taxes on 89.4 million single-family homes across the country, the average tax increased 4.1 … [Read more...]

It’s been a while since the market favored home buyers. With inventory hovering near historic lows, home sellers have reaped the benefits of bidding wars, buyer competition, and spiking prices for most of the past several years. Now things may be changing. The number of homes for sale remains low but recent improvements have conditions looking better for buyers than they’ve been in years. In fact, according to a recent analysis from the National Association of Realtors’ consumer website, price cuts on homes for … [Read more...]

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates fell again last week. Rates were down from the week before for 30-year fixed-rate loans with both conforming and jumbo balances, loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration, and 15-year fixed-rate loans. But despite the declines, demand for mortgage applications was relatively flat. In fact, the MBA’s Market Composite Index – which measures both refinance and purchase loan activity – was down 0.6 percent … [Read more...]

It’s easy to only focus on the upfront costs of buying a home – especially when first considering whether or not to buy. Coming up with a down payment and money to cover closing costs is the top priority. Then buyers have to think about how their prospective mortgage payment fits into their monthly budget. What they don’t often consider, though, are the other costs of homeownership. Maintenance and improvements, utilities, property tax, and insurance all add up and, if you haven’t planned for them, may take you by … [Read more...]

There are many different factors a home buyer has to consider before shopping for a house. Things like what type of home they’d like and where they’d like to live are obviously important. But before a buyer can focus in on the number of bedrooms they’ll need or which neighborhoods they’ll target, they have to figure out whether or not they can afford to buy. Buying a home, after all, is a financial transaction. That means affordability is the first thing to consider. The good news is it’s improving. According to … [Read more...]

There is no age requirement to buy a home. If you can afford it, you can do it. But while you can buy a home at any age, factors such as cost of living, affordability, the inventory of available homes, and demographics influence at what age people actually do. That’s the basis of a new study from the National Association of Realtors. The study looked at the median age of home buyers in different parts of the country to determine which had the oldest and youngest home buyers. The youngest buyers were found in the … [Read more...]