By KIMBERLEY HAAS
It is being estimated that the average teacher can afford 12% of homes for sale within commuting distance of their school and just 27% of available rentals in the same area.
These numbers come from a Redfin analysis which looked at 2022 median teacher salaries in the 50 most populous U.S. metro areas. Commuting distance was defined as 20 minutes or less during rush hour and affordability was defined as no more than 30% of the metro’s median teacher income. For house sales, a 10% down payment was assumed.
In 2019, before the pandemic boom drove up prices, the average teacher could afford 30% of homes for sale within commuting distance of their school. A lack of…
By KIMBERLEY HAAS
Officials at the Federal Housing Finance Agency say racial and ethnic valuation gaps in home appraisals are being reduced in a majority of states.
According to a blog published Tuesday, “Although an appraisal valuation gap continues to exist between white and minority population tracts, data indicate a reduced gap following actions by stakeholders and federal, state, and local agencies, including the release of the PAVE Action Plan.”
The federal Interagency Task Force on Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity was created in June of 2021 to tackle the problem of racial and ethnic bias in home valuations. It is comprised of 13 federal agencies and offices and is co-led by officials at the U.S. Department of Housing and…
By KIMBERLEY HAAS
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were affected this week after Fitch Ratings downgraded the country’s credit rating.
On Tuesday, leaders at Fitch issued a press release saying they had downgraded the United States of America’s Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating from AAA to AA+.
Fitch is one of three nationally recognized statistical ratings organizations. The other two are Moody’s Investors Service and S&P Global Ratings.
Expected fiscal deterioration over the next three years, a high and growing general government debt burden, and the erosion of governance were cited as reasons for the downgrade.
“The repeated debt-limit political standoffs and last-minute resolutions have eroded confidence in fiscal management. In addition, the government lacks a medium-term fiscal framework, unlike…
By KIMBERLEY HAAS
The woman who led Guild Mortgage as it grew into a national company with operations in 49 states says the key to success is to have confidence and ask questions.
Mary Ann McGarry retired as the CEO of Guild at the end of June after nearly 39 years with the company.
“I would just remind everyone to have confidence in what they can do and their abilities. They don’t have to know everything 100%, especially in this business, and it changes every day, so you have to be able to learn,” McGarry said in a recent interview with The Mortgage Note. “Learn everything and then you’ll earn it. Just keep voicing ideas and asking questions. Don’t be…
By KIMBERLEY HAAS
Building credit is important for people who want to move into homeownership but some industry leaders are working to show lenders that there are alternatives to the traditional FICO score.
A recent survey conducted on behalf of the technology company FormFree shows that of the respondents, 40% said that insufficient credit scores are one of the biggest barriers to homeownership. FICO scores are used by a majority of top lenders for their credit risk assessment needs.
While 49% of respondents said their credit score should be considered during the home loan process, 53% would prefer that their ability to pay bills on time be factored in.
FormFree released its alternative to the traditional credit score model in…
As technology improves, mortgage lenders are looking for ways to work more efficiently and the vice president of customer success at Snapdocs says the adoption of digital closings improves bottom lines and consumer satisfaction.
Snapdocs uses patented AI technology and research performed by the California-based company suggests mortgage lenders can save more than $400 per loan by using eClose technology, according to a press release.
Todd Maki recently sat down with editor Kimberley Haas to talk about their product and the role artificial intelligence plays in the process.
Haas: Tell me some of the things that pop up the most often, some of the challenges you face.
Maki: We’re focused on digital closings with the lender side where we focus…
By KIMBERLEY HAAS
Leaders at Rocket Pro TPO have announced a new loan level pricing adjustment tool and the executive vice president says it is the result of listening to feedback from their partners.
Mike Fawaz sat down with The Mortgage Note on Monday to talk about Target Profit Control, which eliminates misquoting or loan adjustment oversights by applying systematic profit levels.
Fawaz said that before Target Profit Control, correspondent brokers were tracking files manually.
“Now, you have the ability to set your target profit per loan officer and you no longer have to really go into every single file manually. It’s now set on a loan officer basis,” Fawaz said. “It is an innovative technology. It’s something that is…
By KIMBERLEY HAAS
Buyers waiting on the sidelines for home prices to drop may be out of luck this year.
During a webinar on Thursday afternoon, Mike Simonsen, founder and president of Altos Research, said that by now it has been clear enough for long enough that even the most strident of bubble-bursters recognizes that the housing market has held up well despite gloomy predictions walking into 2023.
Simonsen said the results have been surprising.
“Very few of us forecast what was going to happen, and forecasts are always tricky, but the key is that those of us watching the data right now, and those of us on this webinar right now, are those who have been able to pay…
By KIMBERLEY HAAS
Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill this week that would restrict tax breaks for corporate investors that purchase large quantities of homes.
If passed, the Stop Predatory Investing Act would prohibit investors who acquire 50 or more single-family homes for rental purposes from deducting interest or depreciation on those properties.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), chair of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, says investors funded by Wall Street buy up homes that could have been sold to first-time homebuyers. He claims they rent them out at higher rates, neglect repairs, and then threaten families with eviction.
“Our bill will help prevent corporate landlords from driving up local housing prices and put power back in the…
The executive vice president of Rocket Pro TPO says a lack of housing inventory has been hurting mortgage professionals, but he is confident broker partners and loan officers have the tools to help homebuyers achieve their goals.
Mike Fawaz recently sat down with Editor Kimberley Haas to talk about this year’s successes and challenges.
Haas: Mike, so it’s great to have you here today as always. What have been some of the successes in this past year working with the Rocket Pro TPO team?
Fawaz: First of all, thanks for having me and I’m excited to have this conversation with you. When I think about the successes of Rocket Pro TPO this year with the broker channel, it’s been a…
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