Bill Introduced To Crack Down On Corporate Investors Who Profit From Buying Homes

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…

Sellers Try To Bait Buyers With Concessions

As buyers shy away from a pricey market, more sellers are hoping concessions will help them move their house. A new report from Redfin found that home sellers gave concessions to buyers in 42.9% of U.S. home sales during the three months ending April 30. This is up from 25.5% at the same time last year but below February’s all-time high of 45.6%.  Concessions can include money toward repairs, closing costs, and mortgage-rate buydowns. About one in five homes sold for less than the asking price along with a concession. Redfin analysts say seasonality is the reason concessions dropped off, as more buyers typically enter the market in spring, giving sellers an edge. But the high-rate, high-home price environment kept…

Brian McKray Joins MMI

Brian McKray has joined Mobility Market Intelligence as director of product development, the company announced in a press release. In his new role, Mr. McKray will be responsible for overseeing the product development team, as well as managing new product launches and enhancing existing products to meet customer expectations. “I’m thrilled to work with people I’ve known, respected, and interacted with on a variety of levels for so many years. To be part of this dream team that Ben [Teerlink] has put together is exhilarating and flattering at the same time,” McKray said. Utah-based Mobility Market Intelligence offers data intelligence and market insight tools for the mortgage and real estate industries. With over 20 years of experience, McKray has held…

Market Insights: Salt Lake City Slowing, Offering Opportunities For Buyers

Salt Lake City was a pandemic hot spot but as the housing market evens out across the nation, one senior loan officer who works in the metropolitan area says buyers are seeing some relief. According to data from Redfin, home prices in Salt Lake City were down 8.5% in March compared to last year, selling for a median price of $540,000. The city was ranked fifth on a recent Realtor.com list of the 10 U.S. cities where home sales were down the most, in part because fewer out-of-state buyers are relocating to the “Silicon Slopes.” In November 2021, there were 1,506 sales, compared to 708 in November of 2022. Cory Ure works at SecurityNational Mortgage Company in Salt Lake City.…

Americans Looking For Homes With White Christmases May Have To Pay A Premium

Americans may idolize a white Christmas, but owning a home in the nation’s snowiest states costs a premium, according to a LendingTree analysis. Median-priced homes in the states that got the most snow in December 2021 cost $56,814 more on average than those in the states with the least snow. Alaska, Idaho, and Utah saw the most snowfall last December. Their median home values – $304,900, $369,300, and $421,700 – are 4.93 times higher than their median household incomes. Warmer states are typically less expensive than frigid Northern states, as evidenced by the flood of affordability-minded homebuyers to the Sun Belt. But this isn’t always the case. LendingTree noted that the median home value in Hawaii ($722,500) is at least…

Home Prices Grew 18.5% In 2021, Should Cool In 2022

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…

MBA: Pace Of Forbearance Exits Drops To Lowest Since June 2020

The total number of loans in forbearance fell from 1.67% of servicers’ portfolio volume to 1.41% in December 2021, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Loan Monitoring Survey. The pace of monthly forbearance exits is at its lowest point since MBA began tracking exits in June 2020. MBA estimates 705,000 homeowners are currently in forbearance plans. Independent mortgage banks saw a 0.28% decline from 1.94% to 1.66%, while depositories saw a 0.28% drop from 1.52% to 1.24%. The share of forborne Fannie and Freddie loans fell to 0.68%, down by 8 basis points, while Ginnie Mae loans fell from 2.10% to 1.63%, down 47 basis points. PLS and portfolio loans in forbearance dropped by 51 basis points to 3.43%.…

MBA: Forbearances Fell To 1.67% In November

The total number of loans in forbearance fell from 2.06% of servicers’ portfolio volume to 1.67% in November, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Loan Monitoring Survey. MBA estimates 835,000 homeowners are currently in forbearance plans. Independent mortgage banks saw a 0.34% decline from 2.28% to 1.94%, while depositories saw a 0.5% drop from 2.02% to 1.52%. The share of forborne Fannie and Freddie loans fell to 0.76%, down by 16 basis points, while Ginnie Mae loans fell to 2.10%, down 42 basis points. PLS and portfolio loans in forbearance dropped by 106 basis points to 3.94%. “The share of loans in forbearance in November declined – albeit at a slower pace than October – as borrowers continued to…

Bidding Wars Reach Lowest Point Since December 2020

Bidding wars on home offers from Redfin fell to 59.5% in November, their lowest level in eleven months, the company reported. It’s the first time it’s fallen below 60% since December 2020. Month-over-month, bidding wars fell 2.3%, dropping from 61.8% in October. However, they were up slightly year-over-year, from 57.3% in November 2020. They reached a pandemic peak in April when 74.6% of home offers written by Redfin agents faced competition. The top three cities for bidding wars were Richmond, VA, at 80%, Salt Lake City at 73.8%, and San Diego at 72%. Honolulu followed up at 71.1% and Dallas just made the top five at 70.6%. “Bidding wars are still happening, but buyers are starting to get more breathing…

Hot Market, Inflation Causes Rental Rates To Skyrocket In America

By KIMBERLEY HAAS More than a quarter of the states in the country have experienced a rental price increase of 20% or more in 2021 and a senior research analyst says people moving out of cities and into more rural communities are partially to blame. Nick VinZant works for QuoteWizard by LendingTree. He co-authored an article that was published this month which shows that Florida had the highest percentage increase in the nation at 29%. The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Florida is about $1,425. Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, and Washington all saw rents increase by more than 20% for one-bedroom apartments in 2021, according…