COVID-19, the Federal Reserve cuts rates, and Rate locks now good for 60 days. A lot is going on in the housing market and the country as a whole. Let's dive in, and see how this could affect you and your mortgage.
Market Update for March 17th
Category: Real Estate Market
2019 Summer Market Update With Jim McMahan: Is it a good time to refinance?
In this video, Jim McMahan, President of Benchmark Mortgage, talks about the market, interest rates, and debt strategy to help you decide whether refinancing might be a good option for your financial goals.
2018 Homeownership Profiles: Millennial Buyers
In 2017, Australian millionaire Tim Gurner famously attempted to blame millennial homebuyer obstacles on their inability to avoid frivolous spending on $19 avocado toast, in comments that were widely mocked throughout the internet. Many commentators are still quick to point the finger at extravagant spending to explain why homeownership among younger adults has declined compared …
Mortgage Applications Rise 4.1% According to Most Recent Data
The Mortgage Bankers Association reported a 4.1% increase in mortgage applications from the prior week. Steve Remington, Benchmark’s Chief Operations Officer, noted that the increase in applications could be a consumer response to the recent trend in the market, indicating a shift from the prolonged period of low interest rates. “Mortgage Bankers Association Data indicates …
Conforming Loan Limits Set To Increase For 2018
Last year, the conforming loan limit was set to increased to $424,100 for this year (2017). Now, most of the United States will see an increase for single unit properties to $453,100 for 2018. The HERA (Housing and Economic Recovery Act) indicates that the baseline conforming loan limit should be adjusted with the change in …
National Home Price Index Up 6.2% In Last 12 Months
Source: September S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Home Price NSA Index Up 6.2% In Last 12 Months Recent Analysis of the September HPI figure show as a 6.2% annual gain in home prices, up 5.9% from the previous month. Several large markets that were hit hardest in the financial crisis are reporting the highest gains, including …
Facebook Introduces Targeted Real Estate Advertising
Calling it “Dynamic Ads for Real Estate,” Facebook describes the service, Facebook’s dynamic ads for real estate leverage cross-device intent signals to automatically promote relevant listings from your inventory with a unique creative on Facebook. This is the first time the social media giant has ventured into Real Estate specific advertising, raising potential concern for …
Under 35 Homeownership Rate Increases
The Rate of Homeownership has increased from 34.3% to 35.3% from first Quarter 2017 to Second Quarter 2017 for those under 35 years of age, according to a report from the United States Census Bureau. While popular media seems to portray Millennials as a generation of renters, a whitepaper from First American lists six reasons …
Why Rising Home Prices Are Good News!
Most agree that home prices have risen, and are still on the rise. We have written about why this is not like the housing bubble that we saw nearly ten years ago. In some areas, there are not enough homes for sale to meet the demands of home buyers, and prices are driven up organically. see – Low …
Appraisal Shortage Causing Delays In Home Sales
CNBC published an article on their Real Estate blog entitled, “‘Massive’ shortage of appraisers causing home sales delays” Below are a few quotes that summarize the story quickly, in case you don’t have the time or patience to read the article yourself. “The appraisal shortage is massive. You’re seeing significant delays, you’re seeing cost increases, …
