The end of March 2010, the Federal Reserve will stop buying mortgage backed securities and from that point on, mortgage interest rate will move up nearing 6% until the end of the year. Currently interest rate on a 30-year fixed US mortgage is 4.95%. Some homeowners wait and “gamble”, hoping for the interest rate to go down again, but after March, is not not likely to happen. When mortgage rates are above 6% chances are that the refinance market is going to die.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Popularity: 5% [?]
It is sad to see how people would just prey on their fellow countrymen and take advantage of today’s economy where a lot of people are striving to remain in their homes, struggling to be able to pay off their mortgage. Currently, mortgage loan modification frauds are rising in the US. Foreclosure scams use phone calls, direct mail, the Internet and even door-to-door visitation in order to get their victim attracted to their offer. Their prime target are those who are at the verge of losing their homes.
Popularity: 2% [?]
If you go to the websites of big banks you will notice that they are starting to look a little bit like real estate brokerages as they show a long list of properties that they have just repossessed. Based on the information from the National association of Realtors, many of those houses cost about 15-20% less than other homes in the same neighborhood. Even in Las Vegas, foreclosure homes has dropped to 34% in foreclosure sales. The banks have been careful not to flood the market with all the properties at once, but currently there are hundreds of thousands of listings and there will be half a million more in the coming year.
Popularity: 2% [?]
According a survey of the mortgage industry which was released last Thursday, over 14% of mortgage borrowers were in trouble during the third quarter. This survey would suggest that the forecloser rates may not peak until next year, considering the unemployment rates are still rising.
Popularity: 2% [?]
For the past few weeks now in many states, the real estate market has actually shown life. However, real estate watchers has also been cautious regarding another wave of foreclosure that is going to happen.
Last Thursday, Mortgage giant Fannie Mae explained that it would throw a lifeline to some people losing their homes to foreclosure by allowing them to lease those properties back for up to a year at market rental rates. This is the latest move by mortgage lenders who are trying to reduce the inventories of foreclosed homes on their books. The smaller the inventory, the greater the chance to keep another wave of foreclosure from hitting the housing market again. This new program will add to other efforts by the federal government to shorten the national foreclosure list.
Popularity: 1% [?]
In many states, the real estate market has actually been showing life. However, industry watchers still fear that another wave of foreclosure is on the way. There are valid reasons for them to fear this: the continuous increase of unemployement rate, the falling home prices, the mortgage rates climbing back to 5%. These all are setting up the stage for even more delinquencies.
Popularity: 2% [?]
As real-estate values dropped and the unemployment rate in the US soared, the Obama administration began introducing a stimulus program early this year that called the Making Homes Affordable program which is a so-called loan modifications in order to save the homes of millions of Americans. Through this program, lenders agree to adjust terms of the loan, lower the interest rate or extending the period of repayment. For borrowers who do not qualify for the stimulus program, mortgage companies provide their own programs.
Popularity: 6% [?]
Imagine if in America new homebuyers have to answer questions on alcohol and cigarettes to qualify for a new mortgage loan. How would Americans respond? In the UK, home buyers may be faced questions regarding how much money they spend on alcohol and cigarettes each month as a requirement to obtain a new mortgage. This is due to the new rules to determine people’s reckless lending.
Popularity: 3% [?]
It has only been a few days that the mortgage rates slipped below 5% and mortgage loan applications have already jumped up by 13% since last week. The average rate is 4.9% but some rates can be as low as 4.65% for a fixed, 30-year mortgage.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Popularity: 5% [?]
