By Kevin Chiu More than 750,000 homeowners received assistance through a Housing and Urban Development program funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (TARP) to prevent them from becoming homeless, according to HUD. The figure brings to more than 4-million families who have been helped through government programs and private bank initiatives to remain… Continue reading 4-Million Receive Housing Assistance
Category: Mortgage
Pending Home Sales Surge
Driven by all-time record low mortgage rates, pending home sales surged in October as home buyers sought to take advantage of low interest rates before they rose, according to the National Association of Realtors monthly report. Pending sales, which are usually scheduled to close within a month or two and are still contingent upon inspections… Continue reading Pending Home Sales Surge
Refinances Drop as Mortgage Rates Rise
Refinances took a sharp drop demonstrating that most of those homeowners who wanted to refinance their mortgages have already done so or are unable to because their homes are too much upside down, according to a new survey from the Mortgage Bankers Association. The refinance index dropped 21.6% during Thanksgiving Day week on an adjusted… Continue reading Refinances Drop as Mortgage Rates Rise
Foreclosure Victim Turns Consumer Advocate
By Mike Colpitts Overcome by banking fraud and lies by bank and mortgage company employees, Michael Bang became a specialist on foreclosures before authoring a book on how to overcome the fraud of bankers and strategically walk away from a mortgage. As millions of American homeowners face the nightmare of foreclosure and tough economic times… Continue reading Foreclosure Victim Turns Consumer Advocate
A Daring New Year in Housing Prices
By Kevin Chiu Home inventories rising in most markets, mortgage rates moving higher and markets pulling out of their downturns only to return to negative territory. Some are. Some aren’t. Those are just a few of the factors impacting real estate markets as we move into the New Year affecting whether housing prices go up… Continue reading A Daring New Year in Housing Prices
Home Purchases Rise as Mortgage Rates Jump
By Mike Colpitts Mortgage applications to buy a home shot up more than 14% for the latest week reported by the Mortgage Bankers Association, indicating a major jump in home buying activity driven by near record low mortgage rates that are moving higher. Mortgage rates have slowly moved upward since hitting a record low of… Continue reading Home Purchases Rise as Mortgage Rates Jump
Home Sales Decline in October
Home sales declined in October after climbing for two straight months, according to the National Association of Realtors. Existing home sales are also nearly 26% below the pace a year ago when the federal tax credit was in effect. Sales on residential properties declined to a seasonally adjusted rate of 4.43-million for the month, a… Continue reading Home Sales Decline in October
Don’t Burn Down Your House on Thanksgiving
Deep fried turkey fires will cause more than $15 million in property damage to homes and other dwellings from deep fryers that get wildly out of control across the U.S. this Thanksgiving, according to the National Fire Protection Association. The fires, ignited by deep fried turkey cookers of hot oil that quickly get out of… Continue reading Don’t Burn Down Your House on Thanksgiving
Poll: Prices Won’t Go As High Again
Home prices are doomed, according to nearly 2 out of 3 people surveyed for the latest Housing Predictor poll. Some 60% said that housing prices won’t ever reach as high as they did during the boom or not at least “in my lifetime.” The survey is disappointing news for homeowners who are anxious to see… Continue reading Poll: Prices Won’t Go As High Again
Housing Affordability Best in Years
By Mike Colpitts Housing affordability is at its best level for the seventh straight quarter in decades, according to the National Association of Home Builders-Wells Fargo index. The lowest mortgage rates since 1951 triggered an increase in home sales. The index showed that 71.1% of all homes sold in the third quarter of the year… Continue reading Housing Affordability Best in Years