St Louis Mortgage Rate Update; FHA good alternative for many home buyers

In this tighter credit environment, FHA remains to be a great alternative for buyers with limited resources for a down payment and closing costs or past credit problems. Underwriting guidelines are more lenient than conventional guidelines. Continue reading “St Louis Mortgage Rate Update; FHA good alternative for many home buyers

Mortgage delinquencies decline in October;   Foreclosures on the rise

The U.S. mortgage loan delinquency rate was 7.93 percent of all home loans in October, down 2.0 percent from the month before and down a whopping 14.6 percent from a year ago, according to the “First-Look” report issued by Lender Processing Services, one of the countries largest loan servicers and aggregators of loan performance data. The foreclosure rate, on the other hand, was 4.29 percent in October, a 2.5 percent increase from the month before and a 9.4 percent increase from a year ago. Continue reading “Mortgage delinquencies decline in October;   Foreclosures on the rise

St Louis Mortgage Rate Update; Understanding the types of loans available

Conventional Loan Programs

Conventional loans are traditional home mortgages, not backed by any government program of insurance or guarantee. There are standard underwriting guidelines for conventional conforming loans up to $417,000. These loans can carry fixed or variable (ARM) rates and a variety of repayment terms can be tailored to your individual needs. Buyers will need cash reserves/savings to cover two months of payments and generally, there is not a penalty for prepayment. Continue reading “St Louis Mortgage Rate Update; Understanding the types of loans available

2012 Presidential Elections: 69.6% of Americans Said Housing Will Influence Their Vote

Candidate positions on housing will be important considerations to nearly seven of 10 Americans (69.6%) in the 2012 presidential and congressional elections, according to a new national survey on housing released today by Move, Inc. This is especially true for Millennials(1) (70.7%), the next generation of homebuyers and the segment expected to play as important a role in the 2012 elections as they did in 2008. Continue reading “2012 Presidential Elections: 69.6% of Americans Said Housing Will Influence Their Vote

St Louis Mortgage Rate Update; The Do’s and Don’ts When Financing Your Home

As the mortgage industry continues to adjust to new financial regulations, it is more important than ever to ensure that the financing of your new home goes smoothly. Your loan approval is subject to the financial information you provide at the time of your loan approval. Any subsequent changes in your financial situation before the actual date of closing could jeopardize your loan approval and delay your closing. Continue reading “St Louis Mortgage Rate Update; The Do’s and Don’ts When Financing Your Home

Mortgage delinquency rate increases for first time since 2009

Dennis Norman St Louis RealtorThis morning, Trans Union released a report showing the national mortgage delinquency rate (the rate of borrowers 60 or more days past due) increased to 5.88 percent (from 5.82 percent in the 2nd quarter) during the third quarter of 2011, after falling in the previous quarter by the largest rate in two years. This is the first time mortgage delinquency rates have increased since the end of 2009. Continue reading “Mortgage delinquency rate increases for first time since 2009

St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rates Update;   Buying a home with less-than-perfect credit

With the challenging economy we’ve faced over the past few years, not everyone has perfect credit. People have been putting more of their debt on credit cards, which in turn affects your credit rating. If you have less than perfect credit, you can make it better with a little effort on paying down your cards.

Credit Scores and Risk

Risk is a very important factor when it comes to deciding whether or not to lend money. Continue reading “St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rates Update;   Buying a home with less-than-perfect credit

St Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update; How to make getting a home loan go smoother

A common complaint that consumers have regarding today’s mortgage loan origination process has to do with all of the hoops they have to jump through in order to get a loan.

Personally, as a loan officer, I try to be as thorough as possible going into the application as possible to avoid the last minute chase. After each deal closed, I review the process and question whether I prepared my clients for all that they needed to have or do in order to get the loan approved and closed. I will be the first to admit, I am not perfect. Continue reading “St Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update; How to make getting a home loan go smoother

St Louis Foreclosure and Mortgage Delinquency Rates Rise in August

St. Louis REALTOR, Dennis Norman foreclosuresThe St Louis foreclosure rates was 1.67 percent for August 2011, up from 1.64 percent the month before and up from August 2010 when the rate was 1.53 percent, according to a newly released data from CoreLogic. As usual, the St Louis foreclosure rate is significantly lower than the national foreclosure rate, which was 3.43 percent for July 2011. Continue reading “St Louis Foreclosure and Mortgage Delinquency Rates Rise in August

Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) Guidelines Eased and Deadline Extended

Dennis Norman St LouisUpdate August 10, 2012 – New HARP Program FAQ’s Click Here.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced it eased the requirements as well as extended the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) to December 31, 2013 from the current expiration date for the program of June 30, 2012. According to FHFA, as of August 31, 2011, nearly 894,000 borrowers have been refinanced through HARP and they (FHFA) feel easing the requirements will make it possible for many additional borrowers to refinance as well.
Continue reading “Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) Guidelines Eased and Deadline Extended

Mortgage deqlinquencies decline in September; Foreclosures on the rise

The “first-look” report from Lender Processing Services, one of the countries largest loan servicers and aggregators of loan performance data, shows mortgage delinquencies decreased 0.5 percent in September from the month before and decreased 12.7 percent from the year before. On the other hand, and perhaps part of the reason for the decline in the delinquency rate, the foreclosure rate increased in September by 1.7 percent from the prior month and was up 8.9 percent from the year before. Continue reading “Mortgage deqlinquencies decline in September; Foreclosures on the rise

Housing is cheap and can be an extremely attractive investment opportunity!

Dennis Norman, St Louis REALTOR - Investing in Real EstateBetween interest rates falling to record lows and home prices falling back to levels from 8 years ago, the housing market is starting to look like a very attractive investment opportunity.

One of my favorite companies that produce a home price index and monitor the market is RadarLogic and their RPX Composite Price Index. They published some data to illustrate just how attractive housing has become as an investment (granted, they are trying to stir up interest in their new RPX Futures you can invest in, but the data I think supports investing in residential real estate as well.)
Continue reading “Housing is cheap and can be an extremely attractive investment opportunity!

St Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update; First-Time Homebuyer Mistakes

Not knowing what you can afford – What the lender says you can afford and what you know you can afford may not necessarily be the same. Looking at homes that are outside your price range can put you in the dangerous position of trying to stretch beyond your financial means. Be sure to consider all of your monthly expenses when budgeting for your anticipated mortgage payment. Continue reading “St Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update; First-Time Homebuyer Mistakes

Mortgage delinquencies on the rise but down significantly from a year ago

Dennis Norman, St Louis REALTOR - mortgage delinquency ratesMortgage delinquencies in September increased to 2.10 percent of all mortgages, a 2.9 percent increase from the month before when delinquencies were at 2.04 percent but a decrease of over 33 percent from a year ago when the rate was 3.14 percent. The mortgage delinquency rate is something I pay close attention to because it is the “leading indicator” of foreclosures and foreclosures and REO’s are one of the major hurdles to a recovery in the housing market. Once we see delinquency rates decline, we’ll see the impact of foreclosures and REO’s lessen on the housing market and give it a chance to move into a recovery. Continue reading “Mortgage delinquencies on the rise but down significantly from a year ago

5 Tips on How to Find Rock-Bottom Mortgage Rates

Dennis Norman, St Louis REALTOR - 5 tips on how to find rock-bottom mortgage interest ratesMortgage interest rates hit an all time low in the past month with 30 year fixed rate mortgages dropping below 4 percent for the first time ever! Over the past couple of weeks, rates have ticked up slightly but are still dirt cheap! So what can you do to make sure you are getting the lowest mortgage rates possible? According to Doug Lebda, Chariman and CEO of LendingTree.com, if borrowers follow the guidelines listed below they can increase their chances of being approved for a mortgage loan at the most desirable interest rate: Continue reading “5 Tips on How to Find Rock-Bottom Mortgage Rates

St Louis Mortgage Interest Rates; FHA provides a reliable alternative in this tight credit market.

In this tighter credit environment, FHA remains to be a great alternative for buyers with limited resources for a down payment and closing costs or past credit problems. Underwriting guidelines are more lenient than conventional guidelines.

Highlights of FHA financing: Continue reading “St Louis Mortgage Interest Rates; FHA provides a reliable alternative in this tight credit market.

St Louis Foreclosure Rate Increases in July

St. Louis REALTOR, Dennis Norman foreclosuresThe St Louis foreclosure rates was 1.64 percent for July 2011, up from 1.62 percent the month before and up from July 2010 when the rate was 1.48 percent, according to a newly released data from CoreLogic. As usual, the St Louis foreclosure rate is significantly lower than the national foreclosure rate, which was 3.44 percent for July 2011. Continue reading “St Louis Foreclosure Rate Increases in July

Interest rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fall below 4 percent; first time in history

Dennis Norman, St Louis REALTOR - Mortgage Interest RatesThis morning, Freddie Mac released the results of it’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey revealing that the interest rate on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 3.94 percent, dropping below 4.0 percent for the first time in history! All I can say is WOW!

Continue reading “Interest rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fall below 4 percent; first time in history

St Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update; Slash Your Cost of Home Ownership

Mortgage interest rates have fallen this year to historical lows and with them so have the costs of home ownership.

Regardless of a borrower’s loan amount, bargain-basement interest rates have brought a home buyer’s monthly mortgage payment down to levels never seen in history. Continue reading “St Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update; Slash Your Cost of Home Ownership

Housing market not out of the woods yet

Dennis Norman St Louis RealtorMark Fleming, Ph.D., Chief Economist for CoreLogic, in a presentation yesterday, said the housing market is not out of the woods yet as the potential of a double-dip in our economy increases and as 30 to 40 percent of economists feel there is a chance of another recession. The economy’s “stall speed” was another issue Fleming said was a concern, describing it as similar to the stall speed of an airplane; that speed at which is still fast enough for the plane to be flying, but just on the edge of stalling and no longer able to maintain flight. Fleming said, for the economy, a 1 percent growth rate is historically the “stall” point and that is right about where we are presently. Continue reading “Housing market not out of the woods yet

Record low interest rates coupled with low prices make buying a home more affordable than ever

Dennis Norman, St Louis REALTOR - Mortgage Interest RatesThis morning, Freddie Mac released the results of it’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey revealing that the interest rate on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 4.01 percent, which is an all-time record low and the interest rate on a 15-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 3.28 percent, also an all-time record low! Continue reading “Record low interest rates coupled with low prices make buying a home more affordable than ever

MHDC Lowers rates for First Time Home Buyers Down-payment Assistance Program

First-time home buyers receive a forgivable 3% cash assistance loan (CAL) for down payment and closing costs.

The Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) provides a competitive interest rate on a 30-year fixed rate 1st mortgage. Your 3% advance loan is treated as a 2nd mortgage completely forgivable after five years of continuous occupancy. The current rate for the CAL is 4.25%.* Continue reading “MHDC Lowers rates for First Time Home Buyers Down-payment Assistance Program

Increased foreclosure activity and potential REO inventory growth point to trouble for real estate market

Signs point to trouble ahead for the housing market as recent growth in foreclosure filings suggest REO Inventories may balloon in coming months according to the Radar Logic July 2011 Monthly Housing Market Report. On the heels of a couple of upbeat articles I’ve been able to write about the market, I get hit with the glumness of this one….ugh. However, as I have said before, I have a lot of respect for this company and have found their market forecasts to be reasonably accurate, unfortunately. Continue reading “Increased foreclosure activity and potential REO inventory growth point to trouble for real estate market

St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update/ Which refinancing option is best for you?

There aren’t quite as many loan programs as there are borrowers, but it seems like it sometimes! We’ll work with you to qualify you for the best loan program to fit your needs. But there are some general considerations you can have in mind in advance.

Are you refinancing to lower your rate and monthly payments? Then your best option might be a low fixed-rate loan. Maybe you have a fixed-rate mortgage now with a higher rate, or maybe you have an ARM — Continue reading “St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update/ Which refinancing option is best for you?

Mortgage delinquencies decline in August; down almost 12 percent from year ago

I keep saying that, until the foreclosure rate gets back down closer to a “normal” rate and the REO inventory is absorbed to the point where they are no longer putting such immense downward pressure on home prices, we are not going to see any sort of sustainable recovery in the housing market. It all starts with mortgage delinquencies, and as those go so go foreclosures and REO inventory ultimately. Having said that, we have some good news: A “first-look” report issued by Lender Processing Services, one of the countries largest loan servicers and aggregators of loan performance data, shows mortgage delinquencies decreased 2.5 percent in August from the month before and decreased 11.8 percent from the year before. According to the report, the U.S. foreclosure pre-sale inventory rate increased 0.1 percent from the month before and was up 8.2 percent from the year before. Continue reading “Mortgage delinquencies decline in August; down almost 12 percent from year ago

Home ownership still central to the American Dream

Dennis Norman St Louis,  American Dream, Home Ownership, TruliaTrulia released the results of its American Dream survey today, which showed that, despite the tough economy and challenged housing market we are in, home ownership is still central to the American Dream. In fact, 70 percent of American’s said home ownership is a part of achieving the American Dream.  Continue reading “Home ownership still central to the American Dream

Double-dip recession concern by consumers is putting a damper on the housing market

Dennis Norman, St Louis REALTORFannie Mae’s Economics & Mortgage Market Analysis Group says that we are not out of the woods yet and that the economy is “flirting with another economic downturn” now after more than two years since the worst recession since the World War II era. Fannie Mae Chief Economist, Doug Duncan, said “the weakening economic backdrop, a persistently high unemployment rate, and fear of a double-dip recession are casting a shadow over the housing market.” Continue reading “Double-dip recession concern by consumers is putting a damper on the housing market

REALTORS offer suggestions to the Fed on how to deal with the REO problem

Dennis Norman, St Louis REALTORNational Association of REALTORS® (NAR) President, Ron Phipps, wrote a letter to Shaun Donovan, Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Timothy Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury Department and Edward DeMarco, Acting Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency with suggestions on how to improve the Real Estate Owned (REO) asset disposition programs for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA. NAR, like many other housing related associations and organizations, submitted letters in response to the government’s request for information on how to deal with the REO problem. Continue reading “REALTORS offer suggestions to the Fed on how to deal with the REO problem

Mistakes borrowers make when refinancing their home loan

Dennis Norman, St Louis REALTORThe top five mistakes consumers make when refinancing their home loan were revealed by LendingTree Network’s newly released “Monthly Lender Marketplace Survey”. According to the survey, the top 5 mistakes made by consumers refinancing their home loans are:

Today’s historically low rates increase your buying power! St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update

Mortgage interest rates have reached historically low levels. It’s truly amazing how much the average borrower’s purchasing power has increased! The following chart tells it all. Check out the chart showing the history of interest rates as well as the examples of the savings below: Continue reading “Today’s historically low rates increase your buying power! St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update