Are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s troubles over?

With all the housing market changes, how can I be sure I’ll make money on a flipped property before I invest in it?

How the New FHA Loan Limits are Calculated: A Quick Primer

Now that FHA’s loan limits are back to their pre-2008 numbers, getting an FHA mortgage might be quite a bit more difficult in certain areas of the country with above-average real estate prices.  If you’re interested in how this “ceiling” is now calculated, you have to first understand how FHA determines the national loan limit […]

Don’t Break the Bank: Buying an Affordable Home with an Optimal Mortgage

With the housing market in recovery, finally, and many other economic indicators looking positive for the first time in years, many people who decided to rent and weather the storm are emerging back into the market and looking to purchase homes.  But just because the housing market is stronger than it had been doesn’t mean […]

The Diminishing Value of HARP 2.0

While home prices in the country have seen a promising increase (more than 12% in the past year), HARP 2.0, one of the most popular refinance programs of the past few years, is seeing a decline in popularity.  The reason for this is since the HARP 2.0 program allows for high loan-to-value (LTV) mortgages, and […]

Mortgage Requirements Are Loosening for Prime Borrowers

A recent Federal Reserve survey of domestic loan originators shows that out of more than 70 banks within the US, most are loosening their mortgage lending standards—more in the last quarter than at any time during the last 10 years.  This survey, conducted once per quarter by the Federal Reserve, ascertains what the national lending […]

Rising Rates and Selling Your Home

If you’ve made the decision to sell your home – whether for a career move, retirement, or to move on to the next phase of your life from a starter home or into a downsized house – you might be watching the rising interest rates with some apprehension.  After all, higher rates means more expensive […]

Rates are rising. Is this the right time to refinance or a buy a house?

The Calm Truth about Rising Rates

Interest rates are rising.  House Hunters are watching those rates nervously, and they’re worried – quite sensibly – that rates will continue to rise.  But if you’ve been thinking about buying a home, all the recent news about rising interest rates and high home prices shouldn’t scare you off.  Just the opposite: Now is the […]

Top 5 Locations to Sell a Home in the Current US Market

As the housing market recovers—much to the relief of those of us who depend on that recovery—there are obvious shifts occurring throughout the country showing where the top sellers’ markets are.  According to Realtor.com’s most recently published data, there are five particular cities demonstrating a quicker turnover of inventory through low median time on the […]

Freddie Mac Publishes Latest Mortgage Trends Showing Upward Trajectory

Is the market looking up for you and your real estate business?  If not, it should be showing signs of improvement soon according to the latest report issued by Freddie Mac.  Although financing rates are certainly not at the lowest they’ve been in the past year, the good news is that the overall market outlook […]

The Reach and Scope of HARP

Since its inception, HARP has helped approximately 2.2 million struggling homeowners refinance their underwater mortgage under more favorable terms, leaving the state of America’s housing market in a much better condition than what it would be without the program.  Beginning in April 2009, the HARP program was initiated by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) […]