Guild Mortgage has selected Victoria Garcia DeLuca as its first vice president of marketplace diversity strategy, the company announced. In this newly created position, DeLuca will promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in lending. It is part of the company’s goal to become an industry leader for first-time homebuyers in diverse, often underserved markets. She will head the company’s multicultural lending growth initiative. “I was attracted to Guild because of its strong reputation, vision for growth, and amazing leadership,” DeLuca said. “Guild retains some 70% of its clients because of a culture dedicated to creating customers for life. As a Latina, I was impressed by Guild’s demonstrated commitment to equity internally and externally to promote increased diversity and inclusion throughout the…
Active forbearance plans fell by 45,000 plans (-5%) last week, according to Black Knight’s blog, Vision. GSE plans fell by 24,000 (-9%), while forborne loans held by portfolios and PSL dropped 12,000 (4%). FHA/VA loans in forbearance fell by 3%, or 10,000 plans. New plan starts and restarts also decreased after weeks of climbing. In a recent webinar, RealtyTrac EVP Rick Sharga and Mortgage Policy Advisors Managing Director and Five Star Global Chairman Ed Delgado predicted 2022 would look much like 2021, with low rates of new forbearance plans and serious delinquencies. “The presumption at the start of the pandemic was that there was going to be this gradual swelling of foreclosures, as forbearances expired and consumers had nowhere to…
Mortgage rates stayed the same last week, once again averaging 3.55%, Freddie Mac reported Thursday. Freddie’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) found that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.55%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 2.73%. “The economy lost some momentum in January, leaving mortgage rates unchanged from last week and relatively flat for the third consecutive week. This stagnation reflects the economic impact of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, which we believe will subside in the coming months,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist. “As economic recovery continues going into the spring and summer, mortgage rates are expected to resume their upward trajectory. In the meantime, recent data suggests that homebuyer demand continues…
December 2021 saw a record annual surge in US home value, the largest gain seen in any December since at least 2001, according to a new analysis of Redfin’s Housing Value Index. U.S. home value rose 18.6% year-over-year (YOY) to $38.6 trillion. Austin, TX, saw home values double that, jumping 39.2% YOY. That shakes out to $365.9 billion, roughly the 2020 GDP of Ecuador and the biggest gain of any metro tracked by Redfin. December marked the 17th consecutive month of double-digit price gains as inventory shrank to a record low. Cape Coral, FL, saw the second-highest gains (36.9%), followed by Grand Rapids, MI (33.1%), Phoenix (32.8%), and Boise, ID (32.8%). Cape Coral and Phoenix have consistently made the list…
Despite challenging conditions for first-time homebuyers, Millennials are actively engaging in the housing market, especially in the nation’s largest metros, according to a new analysis from LendingTree. The analysis found that Millennials– people aged 25 to 40 in 2021– make up a majority of homebuyers in most of the US’s largest metros, especially Denver, Seattle, and Boston. Of mortgages offered in Denver, 63.3% were offered to Millennials. In Seattle, 61.35% were offered to Millennials, and in Boston, 61.08%. Miami, Jacksonville, and Tampa have the smallest share of buyers in this age group, at 46.54% across all three markets. San Francisco, New York, and San Jose have the greatest portion of older Millennials, with an average age of 33.51%, while Indianapolis,…
Mortgage loan application volume continues its rollercoaster trend of rising one week and falling the next, up 12% after falling 7.1% last week, the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) weekly survey shows. The adjusted Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 12%. The adjusted purchase index rose 4%, while the unadjusted purchase index rose 12% and was 7% lower YOY. The refinance index jumped 18% and was down 50% YOY. Refinances made up 57.3% of total applications. Mortgage rates continue to climb, with the 30-year fixed-rate reaching its highest level since March 2020 at 3.78%. “Despite the increase in rates, refinance applications were up 18%, driven mainly by a 22% jump in conventional applications. There has likely…
Home prices rose year-over-year (YOY) by 18.5% across the nation in December 2021, and by 1.3% from November, CoreLogic’s latest Home Price Index reported. Home price growth averaged 15% for 2021, which saw one of the hottest housing markets in decades. Q1 2021 started off with 10% appreciation but continued to grow, reaching 18% in Q4. By comparison, price appreciation for the full year of 2020 averaged only 6%. The states with the highest increases YOY were Arizona (28.4%), Florida (27.1%), and Utah (25.2%). The cities with the biggest gains were Phoenix (30.2%), Las Vegas (24.4%), and San Diego (22.4%). CoreLogic predicts that home prices will remain flat this month and rise by only 3.5% by next December. Comparing annual…
More than a third of US single-family homes for sale in December were newly built, the highest share on record, according to a new Redfin report. New construction accounted for 34.1% of single-family homes at the end of 2021, up from 25.4% year-over-year (YOY). These numbers are the result of builders trying to keep up with housing demand, which has increased while inventory dropped to historic lows. In December, existing-home inventory fell 14.2% YOY with a historic-low 1.8 months supply. However, new homes saw inventory increase 34.8% and had a 6 month supply. Though new home supply is rising, new home sales have remained consistent, which Redfin calls “another indicator that homebuyer demand is far outpacing supply.” “A lot of…
Home showings skyrocketed in 2021 as potential buyers scoured the hot housing market for a new home, according to a new report from ShowingTime. ShowingTime, a residential real estate showing management and market stats technology provider, released a report showing 2021 ended with an 11.5% year-over-year (YOY) increase in home showing traffic. The report notes that showings slowed as stock shortages continued to plague the housing market, but the ratio of showings per listing remained high in busy areas. “2021 was a banner year for residential real estate as buyer demand was up nationally for most of the year, pushing the ratio of showings per listing to historic highs,” said ShowingTime Vice President and General Manager Michael Lane. Seattle and…
The percentage of second home mortgage rate locks reached its highest recorded level in Q1 2021, dipping slightly in Q2 and Q3 before jumping back up at year-end, according to Pacaso’s Second Home Market report. Second home locks made up 5.7% of all mortgage rate locks in Q1 2021, a record high. They dropped slightly in Q2 and Q3, to 4.6% and 4.5%, respectively, but jumped back up to 5% in Q4 2021. “In April of last year, people stopped to take a beat, to see how things would shake out in what everyone hoped would be a post-pandemic reality,” said Pacaso CEO Austin Allison. “For some, that also meant going back to the office, and perhaps not coincidentally, second…
