St. Louis homeowners with negative equity increases slightly in 2nd quarter

Dennis Norman St Louis

A report released today by CoreLogic shows that 17.30 percent (99,792) of all St. Louis homeowners with a mortgage were in a negative equity position in the second quarter of 2011, up slightly from 17.10 percent the prior quarter. Negative equity is also referred to as being “underwater” or “upside down” and refers to homeowners that owe more on their mortgages than the current value of their home. Continue reading “St. Louis homeowners with negative equity increases slightly in 2nd quarter

Foreclosure rate in St Louis decreases in June from month before but still up from a year ago

St. Louis REALTOR, Dennis Norman foreclosures

The St Louis foreclosure rates was 1.62 percent for June 2011, down from 1.71 percent the month before and up from June 2010 when the rate was 1.44 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 3.46 percent for June 2011. Continue reading “Foreclosure rate in St Louis decreases in June from month before but still up from a year ago

New FHA Loan Limits; St Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update

On October 1, 2011, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will implement new single-family loan limits as specified by the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA).

As a result, FHA will reduce loan limits in the highest cost metropolitan areas of the country, while limits would remain unchanged in most other parts of the nation. Continue reading “New FHA Loan Limits; St Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update

How to Earn Tax-Free Income as a Serial Homebuyer

Thomas J. Lucier - Avoid Bad Realtors
In my opinion, the capital gains tax exclusion that was granted to homeowners under the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, is the single best, wealth-building opportunity, that’s ever been made available to the average American. That’s because, under Section 121, of the Internal Revenue Code, a single homeowner can exclude, up to $250,000, from the sale of their principal residence, from capital gains tax, and a married couple, filing a joint tax return, can exempt up to $500,000. The only requirement is that a homeowner must have owned and occupied their home, for a total of twenty-four out of sixty months, prior to the sale. And best of all, homeowners can use this home sale tax exclusion, every two years, until they depart Planet Earth. Continue reading “How to Earn Tax-Free Income as a Serial Homebuyer

Slash Your Long-Term Home Interest Costs

As mortgage rates have dropped this year, so have the costs of homeownership. At every given loan size, bargain-basement interest rates have brought monthly mortgage payments to levels never seen in history.

It’s a great time to buy a home. It’s an even better time to refinance.

This isn’t cheerleading. This is fact. As a homeowner, your “total cost of homeownership” is tied to your mortgage. The higher your mortgage rate, the more interest you pay over time. And regardless of your mortgage interest tax-deductibility, over 30 years, mortgage interest accrues into something fierce.

Continue reading “Slash Your Long-Term Home Interest Costs

HUD Report says housing market continues to remain fragile

St. Louis REALTOR, Dennis NormanHUD released its U.S. Housing Market Conditions report for the 2nd quarter of 2011 which stated “housing data for the second quarter of 2011 indicate that the recovery in the housing market continues to remain fragile.” This did not come as a surprise, but what I did find a little surprising was the report showed that the market for new homes performed better than that for existing homes. The number of new homes sold rose in the second quarter and the year-over-year median sales price of new homes was up slightly. In contrast, the number of existing homes sold in the second quarter fell and the year-over-year median sales price of existing homes was down. Continue reading “HUD Report says housing market continues to remain fragile

MHDC’s CAL Cash Assistance loan rate is now 4.5 percent!

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

Program Highlights:

  •  3% Cash Assistance Loan (CAL) can be used for down payment and closing costs.
  • CAL is forgivable after 5 years of occupancy.
  • 30 Year Fixed Rate Mortgages & Competitive Rates.
  • CAL can be used with FHA, VA and USDA Rural Development loan programs.
  • First time home buyer requirement only applies to the last three years.
  • Loan is assumable for an MHDC-qualified borrower in an FHA, VA or USDA-RD loan program.
  • Eligible owner occupied properties include: Single-Family Detached, Duplexes, Semi-Detached, Condominiums, Town Homes. Continue reading “MHDC’s CAL Cash Assistance loan rate is now 4.5 percent!

Homeowners not happy with their mortgage servicers

Dennis Norman St Louis RealtorAfter all the bad press mortgage companies have received lately, this probably won’t come as a surprise, but according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Primary Mortgage Servicer Satisfaction Study, homeowners satisfaction with their mortgage servicers has “declined notably from 2010.Continue reading “Homeowners not happy with their mortgage servicers

What you need when applying for a home mortgage; St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update

Having been in the mortgage industry for a number of years, I have found a lot of my “issues” when it comes to underwriting was a result of missing something at time of application.   The following is a quick rundown of items that should be collected at application: Continue reading “What you need when applying for a home mortgage; St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update

Mortgage delinquency rate continues to fall in July

A report released this morning by Standard & Poor’s and Experian show a decrease in monthly default rates on first mortgages from 2.02 percent to 1.93 percent and a decrease in default rates on second mortgages from 1.40 percent to 1.25 percent in July. A continuing decline in mortgage delinquencies is one of the things we need to help move the real estate market into a recovery. As the delinquencies come down, so do the foreclosures eventually back to a point where they are not negatively impacting home prices to the extent they are presently. Continue reading “Mortgage delinquency rate continues to fall in July

Does the Mortgage Interest Deduction Help The Real Estate Market?

Dennis Norman St Louis RealtorLast week, The Washington Post published an article by Kenneth Harney which said “if you take mortgage interest tax deductions, the next 100 days could have significant financial implications for you, thanks to Congress’s new federal debt ceiling plan……the compromise legislation created an unusual mechanism — an evenly split, 12-member bipartisan supercommittee — that could call for major cutbacks on real estate write-offs by Thanksgiving.”

The question is, would doing away with the mortgage interest deduction put the final nail in the coffin for the housing industry? Read on to hear two opposing opinions on the topic. Continue reading “Does the Mortgage Interest Deduction Help The Real Estate Market?

St Louis Foreclosures Drop in July; Down Over 35 Percent From Year Ago

Dennis Norman, St Louis REALTOR - St Louis Foreclosures, St Louis REO'sFinally some good news for the St. Louis Real Estate Market!  This morning RealtyTrac released their foreclosure activity report for the St. Louis metro area for July 2011 showing that foreclosure activity in the St. Louis metro area in July was down 8.77 percent from the month before and down a whopping 35.46 percent from a year ago!  Continue reading “St Louis Foreclosures Drop in July; Down Over 35 Percent From Year Ago

What is a credit score? What affects my credit score?; St Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update

Credit Scores have and always be a hot topic in any economy.  Recently, Jim Gallagher of the St. Louis Post Dispatch wrote an article regarding consumers thatfork over $1 billion a year to the credit agencies and credit monitoring services to obtain their credit scores.” But the scores they get probably aren’t the ones a lender will use to judge their credit worthiness. Continue reading “What is a credit score? What affects my credit score?; St Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update

Mortgage delinquency rate declines by largest rate in two years

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) decreased for the sixth consecutive quarter, dropping to 5.82% at the end of the second quarter in 2011 which is a 5.98 percent from the prior quarter, the largest quarterly decrease in 2 years. Continue reading “Mortgage delinquency rate declines by largest rate in two years

Should you do a ‘cash-in’ refi?; St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update

Over the past years, many of Americans pulled money out their homes through “cash-out” refis.  Today, many of my clients are bringing cash into their refinance transactions.  Money is flowing in the opposite direction.

You might consider bringing cash to close your refinance to:

1.  Lower your mortgage rate:  If your LTV is close to the 80% Loan to Value (LTV) threshold, then bringing money to the table to push your LTV below 80% can get the borrower a better rate. Continue reading “Should you do a ‘cash-in’ refi?; St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update

SAVE $$$…Reduce Your Mortgage; St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update

One Additional Mortgage Payment a Year

There’s a simple trick to significantly reduce the length of your mortgage and save you thousands of dollars. The trick is to make one extra mortgage payment a year and apply that payment toward your loan’s principal. Continue reading “SAVE $$$…Reduce Your Mortgage; St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update

Mortgage delinquencies and foreclosure inventory increase in June

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 increased 2.4 percent in June from the month before and decreased 14.7 percent from the year before. According to the report, the U.S. foreclosure pre-sale inventory rate declined 0.2 percent from the month before but increased 12.8 percent from the year before. Continue reading “Mortgage delinquencies and foreclosure inventory increase in June

2011 Real Estate Market Performing about as Poorly as Predicted Thus Far

Radarlogic, real estate data and analytics company that frequently disagrees with the National Association of REALTORS® view of the housing market, released their RPX Monthly Housing Market Report for May 2011 yesterday and in it had a scorecard showing how their rather bleak predictions they made at the end of 2010 for the 2011 housing market were holding up. Unfortunately, as you will see below, it seems many of their predictions have been accurate and the housing market is performing as poorly as they expected in many areas. Continue reading “2011 Real Estate Market Performing about as Poorly as Predicted Thus Far

Should parents of college-bound kids buy an investment property instead of paying for dorm?; St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update

Over the last few months, I have had a few inquiries from parents of college-bound children about investment properties.  The combination of low home prices, low interest rates, and a large inventory of foreclosure and short-sale homes have made buying much more attractive for parents of college-bound children. Continue reading “Should parents of college-bound kids buy an investment property instead of paying for dorm?; St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update

Real Estate Agent, Loan Officer Among Five Defendants to Plead Guilty to $11 Million Mortgage Fraud

KANSAS CITY, MO—Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a former real estate agent and a former loan officer are among five co-defendants who have pleaded guilty in federal court to their roles in an $11 million mortgage fraud scheme that involved upscale homes in Lee’s Summit, Blue Springs, Liberty, Parkville, and elsewhere. Continue reading “Real Estate Agent, Loan Officer Among Five Defendants to Plead Guilty to $11 Million Mortgage Fraud

What to consider when buying a home; St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update

The home-buying process can be a little intimidating for not only first-time home-buyers but also repeat home-buyers.  Here is a basic outline of the home-buying process as well as recommendations of how to approach each task which I hope will help you with this process:

Get pre-qualified for a loan:  talk with your mortgage banker.

Local Rehab Loan Program Allows Buyers To Take Advantage of Distressed Sale Bargains

Would you like to buy one of those foreclosure or REO bargains, but don’t have the cash to have the necessary work done?  There’s a new rehab loan program in St. Louis that will help homeowners do just this!  This program allows buyers to buy Bank Owned or Foreclosed Property (let’s call them “distressed homes”) and also borrow funds for the rehabilitation of these properties.  Continue reading “Local Rehab Loan Program Allows Buyers To Take Advantage of Distressed Sale Bargains

‘Special’ Loans Available to Veterans 24/7

Recently, I heard a radio commercial on the radio about “special” financing for certain veterans.  The ad continues to imply this “special” loan is available for a limited time only.   The good news is that the VA offers loans to members of the armed forces who have generally served for two years in peace time, or 90 days during conflict. Members of the National Guard or Reserves who have served for six years are eligible along with widows of veterans if the veteran died in a service-related incident.  There are special circumstances for some veterans regarding eligibility. Continue reading “‘Special’ Loans Available to Veterans 24/7

REO’s and Shadow Inventory are Roadblock to Recovery of Housing Market

Dennis Norman St LouisA report issued yesterday by Equifax reveals just how severe the impact of shadow inventory (homes that have been, or should be, foreclosed on but have not been put back on the market for sale yet) and REO’s (properties owned by lenders after acquiring through foreclosure) are on a housing market recovery. Continue reading “REO’s and Shadow Inventory are Roadblock to Recovery of Housing Market

Report shows declining foreclosure rate; lenders showing delay in foreclosing

A report issued by Lender Processing Services, one of the countries largest loan servicers and aggregators of loan performance data, shows that while mortgage delinquencies continue to decline, lenders are taking longer to foreclose resulting in a drop in foreclosure sales. In fact, there are still significantly fewer foreclosure sales than there were before foreclosure moratoriums were put into place, and foreclosure sales are declining. Continue reading “Report shows declining foreclosure rate; lenders showing delay in foreclosing

Borrowers should know their ‘no’; St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update

Applying for a mortgage loan can be a nerve-wracking experience,” says Ruth E. Battle, Senior Vice President of Paramount Mortgage Co. “Even after completing all the paperwork and complying with document requests; the lender rejects the loan. Why does this happen?” Consumers should know their “no.”

Battle says some of the “basic reasons loans are denied include insufficient income, poor credit, inadequate assets and low appraised value.” Over the last few years, rejection reasons have become much more complicated. The reason a consumer can be told “no” may have “more to do with the lender than the consumer.” Continue reading “Borrowers should know their ‘no’; St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update

St. Louis Foreclosure Rate Declines in April; Mortgage delinquencies down significantly

Dennis Norman

The St. Louis foreclosure rate in April was 1.66 percent, down slightly from 1.71 percent the prior month, but up almost 17 percent  from a year ago, according to a report published by CoreLogic. The report shows that the St. Louis Mortgage Delinquency rate (Serious delinquency, 90+ days delinquent) decreased to 4.72 percent in April, down from 4.83 percent the month before and down 13.4 percent from a year ago.

Obtaining a home mortgage getting harder and harder; St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update

In the past 18 months, massive legislative changes have affected the mortgage landscape. What does that mean for consumers? It means people seeking a mortgage can expect to do more paperwork when planning to purchase or refinance a home. Listed below is pertinent information regarding the new law changes. Continue reading “Obtaining a home mortgage getting harder and harder; St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update

Mortgage Delinquencies and Foreclosure Inventory Decrease In May

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 0.1 percent in May from the month before and down over 18 percent from the year before. Other good news in the report is the U.S. foreclosure pre-sale inventory rate declined 0.7 percent from the month before. Continue reading “Mortgage Delinquencies and Foreclosure Inventory Decrease In May

Is this a good time to refinance?; St. Louis Interest Rates Update

Yes, but there are some considerations..

First of all, ask yourself how long do you plan on remaining in your current home? There are fees to consider that are incurred by refinancing.  So if you only plan on being in your home a short time, you may not recoup the fees. To ensure you can make that decision properly, request information in writing that includes all costs and fees incurred in the buying, selling and refinance process. Ask questions if you don’t understand any item. Continue reading “Is this a good time to refinance?; St. Louis Interest Rates Update