Harder for Borrowers to Secure a Loan in February, Credit Availability Hits record low

Harder for Borrowers to Secure a Loan in February, Credit Availability Hits record low

As a private lender, my call volume and closings the first quarter have been off the charts as borrowers fall out of more conventional products.  This trend is now playing out with the Mortgage Credit Availability Index showing substantial tightening of credit for all...
Big changes to Freddie seasoning requirements: how will this impact the housing market

Big changes to Freddie seasoning requirements: how will this impact the housing market

Beginning in March of 2023, Freddie Mac, the largest buyer of mortgages is drastically changing the seasoning requirements for any loans it purchases which basically means any new conventional conforming loan will have to follow the new rules.  What big changes are...
Global Property Market Faces $175 Billion Debt Spiral: This cycle is different

Global Property Market Faces $175 Billion Debt Spiral: This cycle is different

I rarely say that Covid caused radical changes in behavior but the commercial property sector is bucking this trend.  This is not because of return to office or lack thereof, but leverage and the central bank.  In every cycle in recent memory as the economy started to...
Nightly rental market following in footsteps of Colorado Pot market

Nightly rental market following in footsteps of Colorado Pot market

Data from AirDNA, a short-term rental analytics firm, show as of October 2022, the number of future nights booked—a real-time indicator of the health of the short-term rental industry—was up 15.8% year-over-year.  At the same time, anyone in the short-term rental...
Federal government now considers $1.1m low/moderate income housing, big impacts to real estate

Federal government now considers $1.1m low/moderate income housing, big impacts to real estate

The federal government is about to back mortgages over one million for the first time. The maximum size of home-mortgage loans eligible for backing by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is expected to jump sharply in 2023, a reflection of the rapid appreciation in home prices...
Prices fall 6%, closings slip to lowest since 2015, what does this mean for 22-23?

Prices fall 6%, closings slip to lowest since 2015, what does this mean for 22-23?

  Home values slipped for the second consecutive month as mortgage costs continue to sideline buyers.  From June through August, prices usually decline about 2%, but this year they have fallen about 6%.  At the same time, mortgage rates hit highs of around 6.4%. ...