Monthly Archives: December 2014

What’s a little fraud between friends

From the NYT: Falsified Mortgage Applications on the Rise Falsified applications are now the most common type of mortgage fraud, their incidence having risen steadily for the last three years, according to LexisNexis Risk Solutions’ annual mortgage fraud report. The … Continue reading

Posted in Mortgages, National Real Estate, Risky Lending | 63 Comments

2015 – Year of the millennial?

From Fortune: 4 predictions for the housing market in 2015 1. The demographic wave of Millennials will help boost prices: The U.S. has been stuck in a demographic rut, which has dragged down the demand for homes. For the past … Continue reading

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Employment, Housing Recovery | 71 Comments

3% is back

From MarketWatch: Feds hope 3%-down-mortgages will boost struggling housing market After announcing plans in October to boost lending for first-time and middle class borrowers by reducing down payment requirements, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac this week detailed guidelines to banks … Continue reading

Posted in Mortgages, Politics, Risky Lending | 115 Comments

Few bargains buying, fewer bargains renting

From HousingWire: Zillow: Renting is twice as expensive as buying It’s more affordable to buy a home now in most U.S. metros than it was 15 years ago, even for millennials putting down less money on a home, according to … Continue reading

Posted in Demographics, Economics, National Real Estate | 109 Comments

Mortgage rates hit 13 month lows

From MarketWatch: Long-term mortgage rates hit lowest level since May 2013 Long-term mortgage rates have reached their lowest level in more than a year, giving families an opportunity to secure cheap home loans, according to data released Thursday. On the … Continue reading

Posted in Housing Recovery, Mortgages, National Real Estate | 64 Comments

Jobs? Not here.

From the Record: Job surge skipping New Jersey so far In the biggest surge in almost three years, employers nationwide added 321,000 jobs in November — a leap forward that threatens to leave New Jersey further behind. Friday’s strong Labor … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Employment, New Jersey Real Estate | 67 Comments

Foreclosure crisis continues to abate, NJ now tops by a longshot

From HousingWire: CoreLogic: September completes 41,000 foreclosures There were 41,000 completed foreclosures nationally, down from 55,000 in October 2013, according to CoreLogic’s (CLGX) October National Foreclosure Report. This marks a year-over-year decrease of 26.4% and is down 65% from the … Continue reading

Posted in Foreclosures, National Real Estate, New Jersey Real Estate | 158 Comments

2015 doesn’t seem so bad

From Forbes: Housing In 2015: Consumers Upbeat, But Recovery Faces A Tricky Handoff What does 2015 have in store for the housing market? Nine years after the housing bubble peaked and three years after home prices bottomed, the boom and … Continue reading

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 143 Comments

Pressure to roll back FHA fees

From the Record: FHA faces more pressure to reduce borrowers’ annual fees After more than doubling home buyers’ annual fees in the wake of the housing bust, the Federal Housing Administration is facing pressure to roll back the fees, especially … Continue reading

Posted in Housing Recovery, Mortgages, Politics | 129 Comments

I really need you to hit this number

From the WSJ: Dodgy Home Appraisals Are Making a Comeback Home appraisers are inflating the values of some properties they assess, often at the behest of loan officers and real-estate agents, in what industry executives say is a return to … Continue reading

Posted in Mortgages, National Real Estate, Risky Lending | 138 Comments

Housing to moderate as investors pull back and home buyers sidelined

From HousingWire: Housing losing momentum? Not if but when Moderation in the housing market is now in its 11th straight month, according to the latest home data index from Clear Capital. National home price gains fell to 6.7% year-over-year and … Continue reading

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Employment, Housing Recovery, National Real Estate | 78 Comments