Home price appreciation cooled in July though growth remained elevated from a year earlier, according to new data. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Home Price NSA Index saw home prices decelerate, posting a 15.8% annual gain in July, down from 18.1% in the previous month. This is the largest monthly deceleration in the history of the index. “Although U.S. housing prices remain substantially above their year-ago levels, July’s report reflects a forceful deceleration,” said Craig J. Lazzara, Managing Director at S&P DJI. The 10-City Composite reported a 14.9% increase YOY, down from 17.4% in June, while the 20-City Composite rose by 16.1% YOY, down from 18.7%. July’s gains were less than June’s for each of the 20 cities analyzed. Tampa…
By CHUCK GREEN There are those who downright groove to the tune of a lifestyle embedded squarely in the middle of the action. You know, the big city, the vibe of being at the nexus of it all. Downright intoxicating. Conversely, others are swayed by the tranquility of a smaller city or town, finding it as relaxing as, oh, say, a running tab on hot totties. Oh, yeah. Pure nirvana. Now, for those who prefer to be where life can be chill but also gyrate to the beat of maintaining relatively close proximity to where it can be a regular buzzsaw of activity as well, the concept of adjacent cities just might speak their language. Adjacent towns or cities share…
Mortgage rates jumped by a quarter point this week in the wake of another 75-point rate hike from the Central Bank, Freddie Mac reported Thursday. Freddie’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) found that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.29%, up from 6.02% just last week. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 2.88%. “The housing market continues to face headwinds as mortgage rates increase again this week, following the 10-year Treasury yield’s jump to its highest level since 2011,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist. “Impacted by higher rates, house prices are softening, and home sales have decreased. However, the number of homes for sale remains well below normal levels.” Existing-home sales dropped for the…
By TYRONE TOWNSEND and KIMBERLEY HAAS Wells Fargo leadership has laid off employees in a move that is being blamed on a dramatically smaller originations market. In a statement to The Mortgage Note, Spokesperson Jennifer Langan said the latest Mortgage Bankers Association forecast has total originations for 2022 at $2.4T, down 40% year-over-year, with refinances down over 70%. “The home lending displacements are the natural result of cyclical changes in the broader home lending environment, as has been acknowledged by most mortgage providers across the industry. Employees affected by these changes have each been an essential part of our success. We are carrying out displacements in a transparent and thoughtful manner and providing assistance, such as severance and career counseling,”…
CrossCountry Mortgage is investing in the future of Hispanic homeownership through a new Spanish mortgage application and a focused Hispanic website. Leaders at the company announced their intentions on Tuesday. CCM is one of America’s largest retail mortgage lenders and has been included nine times on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private businesses. The company is also a partner of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, a trade association that works towards economic mobility for Hispanics, including homeownership. “Our support for the Hispanic community extends well past translated materials. This is personal,” says CCM Chief Brand Officer Laura Soave. “We have hundreds of Spanish-speaking loan officers with deep roots in the community. We’re partnering with organizations…
The value of a typical American home dropped for the second straight month, down 0.3% from July to August in the largest monthly dip since 2011. Zillow’s latest market report found that affordability is directing market declines, with lower-priced homes staying hotly competitive while expensive markets see drastic declines. The U.S. typical home value is now $356,054. Areas that saw big gains during the pandemic are now susceptible to fast drops, losing their appreciation momentum from the Great Migration. Midwestern markets, which tend to be more affordable, remain hot, while Western markets are comparatively tanking. Volatile mortgage rates are impacting these areas as borrowers find it increasingly hard to even qualify for a loan, let alone house-hunt. “Substantial day-to-day and…
By TYRONE TOWNSEND and KIMBERLEY HAAS The metaverse is attracting a lot of attention from real estate investors, but they are not the only ones looking to the virtual world for a source of profit. Criminals are watching as well. Non-fungible tokens are reportedly the target of widespread criminal activity, with schemes including fraudulent giveaways, browser wallet hacks, and social engineering, posing risks to participants. Scams, in general, such as fake airdrops and phishing URLs, are also a cause for concern. The theft of cryptographic assets is expected to account for more than 99 percent of all illicit activities. How much money are we talking about here? The metaverse is expected to be worth $13 trillion by 2030, according to…
Mortgage loan application volume fell last week as mortgage rates topped 6% for the first time since 2008, nearly doubling year over year. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s weekly survey shows that the adjusted Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased by 1.2%. The adjusted purchase index rose 0.2%, while the unadjusted purchase index dropped 12% and was 29% lower YOY. The refinance index dropped by 4% and was 83% lower than the same time last year. Refis made up 30.2% of total applications. “Higher mortgage rates have pushed refinance activity down more than 80 percent from last year and have contributed to more homebuyers staying on the sidelines. Government loans, which tend to be favored by…
By TYRONE TOWNSEND Robotic furniture may help people turn small spaces into comfortable homes. In a YouTube video published by the MIT Alumni Association in December of 2021, Ori CEO Hasier Larrea told interviewers that real estate has two big challenges today. “One of them is real estate sustainability and the other one is affordability,” Larrea said. “Those two challenges are really connected to one metric, square footage.” Ori was formed in 2015 by Larrea and a team of MIT academics who set out to build interiors that optimize the potential of usable space, allowing for a more extensive range of activities and settings inside dwellings, all within the same footprint. Larrea said they believe that robotic furniture and architecture…
Mortgage fraud risk dropped 7.5% YOY in Q2 2022, with one in 131 mortgage applications containing instances of fraud, CoreLogic reported. In contrast, Q2 2021 saw fraud in 1 in 120 applications. Mortgage fraud is defined as the deliberate act of lying or omitting information that is used by an underwriter or lender to fund, purchase, or insure a mortgage loan. CoreLogic’s Mortgage Fraud Risk Index showed fraud risk in mid-2022 coming down from a point of high risk in 2021. The company said it is also partly due to a recalibration of its sourcing model in Q1 2022. After the update, the index showed higher risk during certain months in Q2. For example, while overall fraud risk fell, income…
