Archive for April 2020

Julia Falcon April 20, 2020 During a time when we are told to stay home for our own good, there are still home shoppers out there. But how are they shopping? According to a survey from Realtor.com, about 25% of shoppers say they would buy a home without even stepping foot in it. As more people are…

Mike Sorohan April 22, 2020 Several reports this week suggest despite the crippling effect the coronavirus has had on the spring housing market, home prices continue to increase. Below is a quick summary: Radian: Home Prices Up 5.8% Annually in March Radian, Philadelphia, said its Home Price Index showed home prices across the United States…

Alicia Adamczyk April 17, 2020 CNBC Make It is posting a new financial task to tackle each day for a month. These are all meant to be simple, time-sensitive activities to take your mind off of the news for a moment and, hopefully, put you on sturdier financial footing. This is day 10 of 30. Only…

MBA Newslinks April 16, 2020 The Federal Housing Finance Agency and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced the Borrower Protection Program, a joint initiative that enables CFPB and FHFA to share servicing information to protect borrowers during the coronavirus national emergency. Under the program, the CFPB will make complaint information and analytical tools available to…

David Stevens April 10, 2020 This has been an alarming thing to watch play out in real time. In the middle of a global pandemic, the administration and Congress passed sweeping legislation that could rock the foundation of the nation’s nonbank mortgage servicing for years to come. And while all of us “arm chair quarterbacks”…

Sarah Wheeler April 1, 2020 New York state announced Wednesday that it will allow those in real estate to resume providing some services, such as in-person showings, appraisals and inspections, something that had been forbidden by New York’s stay-at-home order on March 22. The Real Deal reported late Wednesday that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration reversed…

Michael Bates April 1, 2020 Will the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic destroy the spring home buying season in the U.S.? No doubt, it will have a major impact – but some economists are forecasting that the usual surge of home buying activity will merely be delayed until later this year, as opposed…

Drive-by appraisals can be used on FHA and VA loans Ben Lane March 30, 2020 With the coronavirus continuing to reshape the face of the country and the economy, the biggest players in the mortgage business are moving to make it easier to lend under these extraordinary circumstances. Last week, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac relaxed their standards for both…

MBA NewsLink Staff March 24, 2020 Just one-third of home buyers and sellers expect home prices to increase when the next recession hits, according to Redfin, Seattle. This marks a complete flip from just three months earlier, when 56% of those surveyed expected home prices to increase during the next recession. In December, 25% of…