By Robert Fishel, on January 27th, 2010 The mortgage market will be besieged this week by a wave of worry…demand concerns related to Treasury auctions to the question about what happens if Fed Chairman Bernanke is not confirmed for another term… uncertainty seldom pushes rates lower.
St. Louis Mortgage Rates – January 27, 2009 *
30-year fixed-rate mortgage 5.00% no points 15-year fixed-rate mortgage 4.375% no points 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage 3.875% no points 3/1 adjustable rate mortgage 3.750% no points
For more information or if you have questions on mortgage rates in St. Louis you may contact me by phone at my direct line, (314) 372-4319, Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on January 26th, 2010 Dennis Norman
For the St. Louis area 2009 marked another year of “bad” records for the housing market; record numbers of foreclosures, mortgage delinquencies as well as sales numbers and prices lower than we have seen in several years. However, as I compiled St. Louis area home sales data for 2009 and compared it to the prior two years I realized this is some positive news. It appears we are perhaps seeing the bottom of the market and a flattening of the downward trends.
Unfortunately as our national debt balloons out of control, we continue to see double-digit Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on January 25th, 2010 Dennis Norman
NAR’s “seasonally-adjusted” numbers show sales down 16.7 percent for the month…2009 finishes with 5,156,000 homes sold…My projection for the year was 5,143,000 homes….missed it by 13,000 (2/10 of 1 percent) hmm..not bad for a “non-economist” :)
According to the latest report from the National Association of REALTORS(R), existing home sales in December decreased 16.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted-annual rate of 5.45 million units in December from a revised level of 6.54 million units in November, and are 14.9 percent higher than the 4.74 million-unit pace in December 2008.
NAR’s Chief Economist, Lawrence Yun, said “It’s Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on January 22nd, 2010 Dennis Norman
FHA Announces Policy Changes to Address Risk and Strengthen Finances
This week FHA announced policy changes that are going to help them shore up their finances but will make it more difficult and/or costly for your clients to purchase a home.
The FHA policy changes include: Mortgage insurance premium (MIP) will be increased to build up capital reserves and bring back private lending The upfront mortgage insurance fee to the borrower will be increased to 2.25% from 1.75%. This will go into effect this spring. Update the combination of FICO scores and down payments for new Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on January 20th, 2010 Dennis Norman
We are long overdue for some good news on the St. Louis housing market and data from December home sales brought just that. Based upon my comparision of homes sold in December 2009 with the year prior, it appears to me the St. Louis housing market may have found it’s bottom and now be starting to level off.
There are still disturbing aspects of the data, like the fact that for the St. Louis metro area there were almost 8 percent fewer homes sold in December 2009 than in December 2008 but there is light at Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on January 18th, 2010 Dennis Norman
MortgageDaily.Com tracks mortgage company failures on it’s website The Mortgage Graveyard. According to The Mortgage Graveyard 225 mortgage-related firms in the U.S. ended operations or failed in 2009, higher than any year since they began tracking data in 1998. This was an increase of over 80% from 2008 which saw 124 firms fail.
The annual surge was fueled by a spike in bank failures — which increased more than 400 percent. Banks account for most of the country’s residential originations. Credit union failures, including corporate and state-regulated institutions, were up by more than a third.
Here in Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on January 13th, 2010 St. Louis mortgage rates this week remain unchanged on fixed rate loans this week but dropped slightly on ARM’s according to St. Louis-based Paramount Mortgage Company.
Lower interest rates, low prices and the extension and expansion of the home-buyer tax credit should be pretty tempting to buyers out there.
St. Louis Mortgage Rates – January 13, 2009 *
30-year fixed-rate mortgage 5.125% no points 15-year fixed-rate mortgage 5.00% no points 3/1 adjustable rate mortgage 3.875% no points 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage 4.000% no points
For more information or if you have questions on mortgage rates in St. Louis you may Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on January 7th, 2010 St. Louis mortgage rates this week bounced around a bit with 30 year fixed rate mortgages and ARM’s decreasing slightly while 15 year fixed rate mortgage rates increased according to St. Louis-based Paramount Mortgage Company.
Lower interest rates, low prices and the extension and expansion of the home-buyer tax credit should be pretty tempting to buyers out there.
St. Louis Mortgage Rates – January 6, 2009 *
30-year fixed-rate mortgage 5.125% no points 15-year fixed-rate mortgage 5.00% no points 3/1 adjustable rate mortgage 4.00% no points 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage 4.125% no points
For more information or if you have Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on January 6th, 2010 Dennis Norman
In the past I think closing costs associated with the purchase of a home were pretty much a mystery to many, if not most, home buyers with many not even being sure what they were paying for. Most buyers simply went through the process, paying for closing fees, notary fees, title examination, title insurance, survey, flood letters, courier fees, recording fees, etc. without ever realizing that these fees and costs may vary with other vendors.
January 1st changes went into effect in the RESPA (Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act) which will require lenders to fully disclose all Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on January 6th, 2010 Dennis Norman
Or should I say “It’s all in the headline”?
So what am I talking about? The pending home sales data that was released by the National Association of REALTORS today, of course. Actually I could be referring to any data on the housing market whether new home sales, foreclosure rates, interest rates, existing home sales or inventories of homes for sale.
There only major housing report that was released today was the Pending Home Sales Index for November by NAR. Being a report based upon data you would think the numbers speak for Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on December 30th, 2009 St. Louis mortgage rates inreased again this week bringing 30 year rates above 5 percent according to St. Louis-based Paramount Mortgage Company.
Lower interest rates, low prices and the extension and expansion of the home-buyer tax credit should be pretty tempting to buyers out there.
St. Louis Mortgage Rates – December 30, 2009 *
30-year fixed-rate mortgage 5.25% no points 15-year fixed-rate mortgage 4.75% no points 3/1 adjustable rate mortgage 4.25% no points 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage 4.50% no points
For more information or if you have questions on mortgage rates in St. Louis you may contact John Frank by Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on December 28th, 2009 Dennis Norman
In a just a few days we will say goodbye to 2009; a year that has been brutal to the housing market. So as the new year comes in, what will 2010 hold in store for the housing market?
To answer this question I turned to the housing forecast just released by Fannie Mae to see what their economists were predicting. Here are the highlights from the report, showing actual numbers for the 3rd quarter of this year as well as Fannie Mae’s projection for 4th quarter of this year as well as 4th quarter of 2010:
Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on December 24th, 2009 Dennis Norman
NAR’s “seasonally-adjusted” numbers show sales up 7.4 percent for the month…”actual” numbers show a 5.2 percent decrease….Sales up 44 percent from last year, lest we not forgot last year was the worst in over 10 years…
According to the latest report from the National Association of REALTORS(R), existing home sales in November increased 7.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted-annual rate of 6.54 million units in November from a revised level of 6.09 million units in October, and are 44.1 percent higher than the 4.44 million-unit pace in November 2008. Existing home sales are now at the highest Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on December 23rd, 2009
Dennis Norman
New homes were started in November at an annual rate of 482,000 homes and I asked why in my post last week since new home construction was already outpacing sales….well, today the gap got worse..
This morning the U.S. Department of Commerce released a report showing the sale of New Homes in November were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 355,000, an 11.3 percent decrease from the revised October rate of 400,000 and is 9.0 percent below a year ago.
My Mantra
As has been my long-running mantra, I don’t like “seasonally Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on December 22nd, 2009 According to NAR 51 percent of recent homebuyers are first-time buyers and 39 percent of recent home sales have relied on an FHA loan
Dennis Norman
The National Association of REALTORS just released a report showing that 51 percent of the homes sold recently have been to first-time home buyers and that 39 percent of all recent buyers have turned to an FHA loan for financing for their home purchase.
I think this clearly illustrates that the first-time home buyer tax credit, coupled with record low interest rates and drastically reduced home prices, is giving buyers, at least Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on December 18th, 2009 Dennis Norman
UPDATE June 7, 1010 – Here are links to the Forms from MHDC to claim the tax credit as well as some sample forms they have provided showing how to fill them in:
Program ApplicationHome Purchase AffidavitPromissory NoteHope Program Information and InstructionsSample Forms
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Just moments ago, the Missouri Housing Development Commission passed at $35 million economic development initiative. Part of this initiative (to the tune of $20 million worth) is aimed toward helping stimulate home sales in Missouri.
The initiative includes:
$15 million to pay the first year of property taxes for qualified homebuyers who Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on December 16th, 2009
New home construction is on the rise in November…. WHY??? They aren’t selling as fast as they are being built…didn’t we learn our lesson?
The U.S. Census Bureau and US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued a their report on New Residential Construction for November 2009 showing an increase in new home construction activity from October.
The report shows the following:
Building permits issued for single-family residences in November were at an annual rate of 473,000 which is 5.3 percent above the revised October rate of 449,000 and down 12.1 percent from a year ago. For the Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on December 15th, 2009 St. Louis mortgage rates inched up slightly this week but remained at near record-lows according to St. Louis-based Paramount Mortgage Company.
Lower interest rates, low prices and the extension and expansion of the home-buyer tax credit should be pretty tempting to buyers out there.
St. Louis Mortgage Rates – December 15, 2009 *
30-year fixed-rate mortgage 5.00% no points 15-year fixed-rate mortgage 4.75% no points 3/1 adjustable rate mortgage 3.75% no points 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage 3.875% no points
For more information or if you have questions on mortgage rates in St. Louis you may contact John Frank by phone Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on December 10th, 2009 Dennis Norman
Not surprisingly, builders in St. Louis (those that have managed to survive thus far) are not racing out to build homes. According to the latest data reported by the Home Builders Association of St. Louis, there were 228 permits issued in October for new homes in the St. Louis metro area (St. Louis City and the Counties of St. Louis, Jefferson, St. Charles, Franklin, Lincoln and Warren) down almost 19 percent from September when there were 281 permits issued.
Year-to-date, through October 31, 2009, there have been 2,321 permits issued for new homes in the Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on December 9th, 2009 St. Louis mortgage rates remained at near record-lows this week, with only the 30 year fixed rate mortgage rates increasing slightly, according to St. Louis-based Paramount Mortgage Company.
Lower interest rates, low prices and the extension and expansion of the home-buyer tax credit should be pretty tempting to buyers out there.
St. Louis Mortgage Rates – December 9, 2009 *
30-year fixed-rate mortgage 4.875% no points 15-year fixed-rate mortgage 4.375% no points 3/1 adjustable rate mortgage 3.625% no points 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage 3.875% no points
For more information or if you have questions on mortgage rates in St. Louis Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on December 8th, 2009 Dennis Norman
Laurie Goodman, the Senior Managing Director at Amherst Securities, testified today before the House Financial Services Committee hearing on “The Private Sector and Government Response to the Mortgage Foreclosure Crisis“. Amherst Securities specializes in the trading of residential mortgage backed securities and charges Goodman with keeping them and their customers abreast of trends in the market.
Today, in her testimony, Goodman told the committee she hoped to make two primary points in her testimony: “The housing market is fundamentally in very bad shape. The single largest problem is negative equity.” “The current modication program does not address Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on December 7th, 2009 Dennis Norman
For the first year or so of the real estate slump, it appeared to just be concentrated in the residential market, specifically homes and condos. However, over the past few months the attention has shifted more and more to the commerical and multi-family markets as well as the economy remains weak.
The Mortgage Bankers Association released their Third Quarter 2009 Commercial and Multifamily Mortgage Delinquency Report showing that delinquency rates on loans in this sector continued to increase. Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on December 2nd, 2009 St. Louis mortgage rates remained at near record-lows this week according to St. Louis-based Paramount Mortgage Company.
Lower interest rates, low prices and the extension and expansion of the home-buyer tax credit should be pretty tempting to buyers out there.
St. Louis Mortgage Rates – December 2, 2009 *
Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on December 1st, 2009 Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist, NAR
Is the increase real or have the tax-credits created an “artificial” market that cannot be sustained?
Today the National Association of REALTORS(R) issued their Pending Home Sales Index Report for October showing pending sales in the U.S. rose again for the ninth consecutive month – marking the longest streak since since NAR began the pending home sale index in 2001.
As I have expressed previously, I’m somewhat cautious about getting too excited about these recent encouraging reports on the housing market as I feel we still have many challenges out there.
Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on December 1st, 2009 Dennis Norman
I have done several posts on the homebuyer tax credit and received and answered hundreds of questions about the tax credits on the various blogs I write for. There appears to be a lot of demand for the credits by homebuyers but also appears to be many questions. If you have questions about the homebuyer tax credit I would suggest you check out the comments/questions and answers to a post I did at www.RealEstateConsumerNews.com.
In addition, the National Association of Home Builders has just updated their informative video on the newly extended and expanded tax credit Continue Reading →
By Debi Averett, on November 27th, 2009 In the ongoing debate about whether one should walk away from an underwater mortgage or not, one University of Arizona professor speaks out strongly in favor of taking a hike. According to Brent T. White, an associate professor of law at the University of Arizona:
A failure to grasp the true economics of the situation is holding back many Americans whose home values have dropped far below the amount they owe and who would be better off renting, Mr. White says. Fear, shame and guilt also are preventing rational decisions, he believes. And, he says, those “emotional constraints” are encouraged Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on November 25th, 2009 St. Louis mortgage rates remained at near record-lows this week according to St. Louis-based Paramount Mortgage Company.
Lower interest rates, low prices and the extension and expansion of the home-buyer tax credit should be pretty tempting to buyers out there.
St. Louis Mortgage Rates – November 25, 2009 *
Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on November 25th, 2009 Dennis Norman
This morning the U.S. Department of Commerce released a report showing the sale of New Homes in October were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 430,000, a 6.2 percent increase from the revised September rate of 405,000 and is 5.1 percent above a year ago.
My Mantra
As has been my long-running mantra, I don’t like “seasonally adjusted” numbers and “rate” of sales. Why, for one I can’t figure out how in the world they compute the numbers. Second, I just don’t think discussing the “rate” of new home sales paints a realistic picture of Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on November 24th, 2009 Dennis Norman
According to a report released today by First American CoreLogic nearly 10.7 million U.S. mortgages, or 23 percent of all mortgaged properties, are in a negative equity position meaning the borrowers owe more on their mortgage than their home is worth as of September 30, 2009.
Here in St. Louis, as of September 30, 2009, there were 87,557 homeowners in St. Louis that were “underwater” on their mortgage, meaning they owe more than their home is worth. This works out to 15.14 percent of the homeowners in St. Louis with a mortgage, Continue Reading →
By Dennis Norman, on November 23rd, 2009 Dennis Norman
National Association of REALTORS released a report today saying US Home Sales in October increased 10.1 percent for the month and are 23.5 percent higher than a year ago; I did an analysis of the data based just on ACTUAL sales and came up with an increase for the month of 6.6 percent and an increase of less than 1 percent from a year ago…When looking at the Actual sales number for US home sales, the St Louis market is performing pretty close…(to see my complete post and analysis of the NAR report click here)
Here Continue Reading →
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