VA-like Housing Bill Proposed for First Responders and Teachers

New legislation would offer a benefit similar to VA loans to first responders and teachers looking to buy homes. This new bill called the Homes for Every Local Protector Educator and Responder Act was introduced on May 13th. This bill would allow first responders and teachers to finance up to 100% of the price of their home purchase subject to FHA loan limits. Similar to an FHA loan, borrowers would pay an up-front mortgage insurance premium which could also be financed. This would replace the monthly insurance premium. The new program, if passed, would be administered by the Federal Housing Administration. Under this proposed bill public/private school teachers, prison guards, police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and emergency medical technicians would all be eligible for this...

Fewer Mortgage Applications Submitted Last Week

For the second straight week, mortgage application volume has taken a 4% dip. Refinance activity has also dropped for the second straight week. Compared to 2020, purchase applications are down about 2% but still remain high in comparison to most other years. Inventory continues to be an issue for potential buyers as the prices are rising due to increased demand relative to available homes. These pricing increases are causing some buyers to feel priced out of the market and discouraging them from applying for home mortgages.   The FHA share of mortgage application volume increased to 9.6% from 9.1%. The VA share of mortgage application volume decreased to 10.9% from...

Save Money on Future Real Estate Taxes When Selling Your FL Home

Starting in 1995, if you own a primary residence in the state of Florida, you can apply for a tax benefit called Save Our Homes. This benefit can be applied to all primary residences in the state of Florida and limits the increase in a property’s assessed value to 3% per year. As market values rise, this can help limit the increase in your real estate tax bill. When selling a primary residence, this benefit can be transferred to your new home through a process called portability. If your new residence has a market value higher than your former residence, the portability amount is determined by finding the difference in the assessed value of your former home from its market value. Assume your previous residence has a market value of $500,000 but the assessed value is $300,000. That means that the assessed value of your new home can be reduced by $200,000 for tax purposes due to portability – which can result in big real estate tax savings. The maximum amount that can be ported is $500,000. If you’ve sold a home and did not transfer your prior benefit, you have two years from the time of your sale. For more information on Save our Homes and portability, check with your local property...

New Mortgage Application Volume Drops 4%

This week marked the first decrease in mortgage application volume in the past three weeks after two straight increases. Refinances made up about 61.4% of total mortgage application volume this past week. Year-over-year refinance activity is down 9%, but this could be expected as last year saw record levels of refinances. Purchase activity was 4% lower this week than a year ago, but again this was expected due to last years high levels.   The FHA share of mortgage application volume dropped to 9.1% from 9.2% last week. The VA share of application volume dropped to 11.2% from...

Back to Back Rises in Mortgage Application Volume

According to the latest report from the Mortgage Bankers Association, home mortgage application volume increased for the second straight week for the week ending May 14th, 2021. Refinance volume is once again fluctuating to mirror mortgage rates, but over all refinances made up 63.3% of mortgage applications during this past week. Desire to buy a home is still high across the country, but the lack of inventory is remaining a problem for the purchase market. The increasing cost of building materials such as lumber is increasing the average cost to build a single-family home by around $35,000. If this trend continues, the prices of already completed homes will continue to rise also as people are beginning to be priced out of the new home market.   The FHA share of total mortgage application volume dropped from 9.9% to 9.2% this past week. The VA share of total mortgage application volume increased to 12% from 11.7% this past...