by Bob Vaughan | Feb 4, 2022 | FHA Mortgage, Mortgage Information, Real Estate, VA Mortgage
This past week, mortgage application volume increased 12%. This increase was led by a somewhat surprising uptick in demand for refinances according to the Mortgage Bankers Association survey. When you compare these numbers to last year, mortgage applications dropped 37% overall with refinances specifically seeing over a 50% decrease. Refinance applications made up 57.3% of total applications this past week. With rates creeping up, seeing more refinance inquiries is definitely interesting. The FHA share of total applications decreased from 8.6% to 7.7% this past week. The VA share of total applications decreased from 9.9% to 9.1% this past...
by Bob Vaughan | Feb 2, 2022 | Mortgage Information, Real Estate
Starting in December, lenders enacted new condo financing guidelines in regards to the condo questionnaires filled out by management companies. New questions were added to the condo questionnaire that generally relate to the possibility of “deferred maintenance” to the subject building. These questions must be answered by the condo associations management company or condo boards in order for lenders to approve the condo for financing. We have been seeing pushback from several management companies’ legal teams since these questions are highly subjective and aren’t black and white. Some lenders do have possible workarounds such as meeting minutes, inspection reports, and engineering reports, but in general the new documentation needed to finance condos has been tedious to gather and confusing for all parties involved. These new condo guidelines are still temporary in nature and we are optimistic for improvement to this process in the future. When financing a condo, it’s more important than ever to work with someone who understand the guidelines and knows what is required to get the financing approved. Please call us with any condo...
by Bob Vaughan | Jan 31, 2022 | Mortgage Information, Real Estate
According to the latest Freddie Mac PMMS Mortgage Survey, the average 30-year-fixed mortgage rate declined one basis point this past week. This drop comes after nearly a month of consistent increases. The expectation is that mortgage rates will continue to move in concert with the 10-year Treasury yield. If the Federal Reserve continue to raise interest rates, there is a good chance mortgage rates continue to rise...
by Bob Vaughan | Jan 19, 2022 | FHA Mortgage, Mortgage Information, Real Estate, VA Mortgage
Mortgage application volume is up 2.3% from the previous period according to a report from the Mortgage Bankers Association. The amount of purchase applications rose 7.9% from the week prior, while the refinance numbers decreased 3.1%. The average loan size for purchase applications hit a record level this past week, at $418,500. The hot housing market creating higher prices has allowed record setting loan amounts to become more frequent over the last few years. The VA share of mortgage applications decreased from 11.4% to 10% last week. The FHA share of mortgage applications decreased from 9.9% to 9.3% last...
by Bob Vaughan | Jan 4, 2022 | Mortgage Information, Real Estate
2021 was another huge year for real estate in all parts of the United States. Specifically, the Southwest Florida real estate market saw higher than average home price increases when compared to the rest of the country. U.S. home prices rose 18.5% year-to-year in Q3 but eight Florida markets saw higher gain than that. Cape Coral-Fort Myers saw the 2nd highest annual gains nationally at 34.7% year-over-year with North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton coming in 8th highest at 25.6%. More notably, the Cape Coral-Fort Myers market saw a 9.8% increase from Q2 to Q3 of 2021. Overall, the real estate market stayed hot all of 2021 after a record 2020. The low interest rate environment coupled with increased home buying demand created a high level of competition for the already low inventory in Southwest Florida. Historically low interest rates not only allowed more potential home buyers to enter the market, but helped current homeowners save money through refinancing at record volume also. Whether homeowners looked to take cash out of their homes via cash-out refinances or simply just lower their interest rates and monthly payments, 2021 saw nearly 59% of total loan originations come via refinances. As we head into 2022 low interest rates and high buyer demand should keep the housing market on its current path. As the new year begins and people begin to implement their goals, what do you expect to happen in the housing...
by Bob Vaughan | Dec 22, 2021 | Mortgage Information, Real Estate
EP #588: D&V Home Mortgage with Derik...