As Higher-End Market Escalates, Mortgage Applications Fall

Mortgage application volume fell 0.6% for the week ending December 17th according to a report from the Mortgage Bankers Association. The lower end of the market specifically saw less applications for purchases coming in. Compared to last year, refinance volume was down 42.4% year-over-year. However, refinances still made up 65.2% of total mortgage application volume last week, up 1.9% from the previous period. The average purchase loan amount increased to $416,200 for last week’s period.   The VA share of mortgage application volume was 11.5% last week. The FHA share of mortgage application volume was 9.6% last week, remaining unchanged from the prior...

FHA Refis Lead Surge in Mortgage Applications

Mortgage application volume increased 2% for the period ending December 3rd according to a survey from the Mortgage Bankers Association. Compared to last year, mortgage application volume has dropped across all loan products, but still remains high overall. The main obstacle continues to be lack of inventory creating higher homes prices than some buyers are prepared for. Homebuying activity is still close to the highest levels the market has seen since March. Refinances made up 63.9% of total mortgage applications this past period.   The FHA share of mortgage application volume was 9.9%, up from 8.9% the previous period. The VA share of mortgage application volume was 10.7%, up from 10.0% the previous period.      ...

Average Home Prices See Historic Leap

According to a Federal Housing Finance Agency report, home prices posted the largest ever year-over-year gains since the beginning of the FHFA House Price Index. Home prices across the country rose 18.5% this past year. Specifically, the “mountain division”, including Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, went up 25% in the third quarter of this year. Annual gains can be seen in housing prices in every area of the country in 2021. As has been the case throughout the entirety of 2021, low inventory and high demand continue to play a part in the rising home prices in the United States. While home price increases month to month have started to slow, there is no doubt the demand for housing will remain high going into the new...

Investors Spend Big in Q3

According to a recent report by Redfin, real estate investors spent a record $63.6 billion on home purchases in the 3rd quarter of 2021. This number represents a 78% increase from this time last year. Investors acquired a total of 90,215 homes in Q3 which represents a 80.2% increase from 2020. As increasing home prices are forcing more Americans to consider renting, real estate investors have more opportunities for tenants in their properties. One negative impact that the market is seeing as a result of investors being more active in real estate is the competition this is bringing to individual homebuyers looking to purchase homes. These cash rich investors purchased homes with full cash offers 75% of the time in Q3. Of all real estate transactions in the third quarter of 2021, real estate investors made up 18.2%. This number is considerably higher than last year. In large markets such as Atlanta, Phoenix, and Charlotte investors made up over 30% of all transactions in Q3. As home prices continue to rise and more investors enter the housing market, it may become more difficult for homebuyers to compete for homes throughout the...

Mortgage Application Volume Propped Up By Refinances

For the week ending November 5th, mortgage application volume saw a 5.5% increase according to a Mortgage Bankers Association report. Refinances particularly saw a 7% increase in application volume despite being 28% lower than this time last year. New purchase application volume also rose 3% this past week.   The FHA share of total mortgage application volume increased from 9.9% to 10.2%. The VA share of total mortgage application volume decreased from 9.2% to...

As Q3 Ends, Purchase Mortgages Outpace Refinances

This quarter marked the first time since the pandemic that applications for new purchase mortgages outpaced the application volume for refinances. New home purchase mortgages accounted for 53% of the total application volume in the 3rd quarter. The demand for rate and term refinances decreased 23% year-over-year marking the end of what many would consider a year plus long refinance...