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NAHB: Home Builders Concerned Over Housing Market Conditions

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NAHB: Home Builders Concerned Over Housing Market ConditionsThe National Association of Home Builders’ Housing Market Index for November showed builders’ growing concerns over U.S. housing market conditions. November’s index reading dropped five points to 33 as compared to October’s reading of 38 and the November 2021 reading of 83. November’s home builder index reading was the lowest reading since June 2012 except during the pandemic. Readings over 50 indicate that most home builders were positive about housing market conditions.

All three index readings that contribute to the HMI reading were also lower. Builder confidence in current housing market conditions fell six points to an index reading of 39. Home builder sentiment over housing markets in the next six months fell four points to an index reading of 31. Home builder expectations for prospective buyer traffic in new housing developments fell five points to November’s reading of 20.

Home Builders Face Multiple Challenges

Home builders continued to face obstacles including rising materials costs and falling demand for homes. Rising mortgage rates and home prices sidelined potential buyers. The Federal Reserve’s decision to raise its target interest rate range to slow inflation caused mortgage rates to rise; home builders asked lawmakers to lower costs related to land development and home construction to offset the impact of rising mortgage rates.

NAHB chairman Jerry Konter said: “Higher interest rates have significantly weakened demand for new homes as buyer traffic is becoming increasingly scarce. With the housing sector in a recession, the administration and new Congress must turn their focus to policies that lower the cost of building and allow the nation’s home builders to  expand housing production.”

Builders reported offering buyer incentives including mortgage rate buydowns, paying discount points for buyers, and reducing home prices. 37 percent of home builders cut prices in November as compared to 26 percent in September. Price reductions averaged 6 percent. Current home price reductions were lower than reductions of 10 to 12 percent seen during the Great Recession in 2008.

NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz said, “To ease the worsening housing affordability crisis, policymakers must seek solutions that create more affordable and attainable housing.” Regional readings for home builder confidence were also lower. Builder sentiment in the Midwest fell 2 points to 38; Builder sentiment in the Northeast fell 6  points to 41, and builder sentiment in the South fell 7  points to 42. Home builder sentiment in the West fell 5 points to an index reading of 29.

The Top Reasons To Pay Off Your Mortgage Before You Retire

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The Top Reasons To Pay Off Your Mortgage Before You RetireAs you get closer to your retirement age, you should try to discharge as much of your debt as possible. Unfortunately, many people close to the age of retirement still have a significant mortgage balance they need to pay off. What are some of the top reasons why you should pay off your mortgage before you retire?

Your Portfolio Might Not Generate As Much Interest

You may have a very low rate on your mortgage, which means that your money is better served in the stock market; however, as you approach the age of retirement, your portfolio might not generate as much interest because you are shifting more of your assets into less risky investments. As a result, you might want to pay down your mortgage faster, as the interest rate between your mortgage and your portfolio is no longer as large.

Free Up More Cash

You should also try to pay off your mortgage because you will free up more cash. You want to enjoy your golden years, but if you are still spending thousands of dollars every month paying off your mortgage, your money will not go as far. You may not be ready to tap into those retirement accounts just yet, so you can generate more cash by paying off your mortgage now. Try to pay off your mortgage before you retire to maximize your golden years.

Tap Into Your Home Equity Later

Do not forget that your house can also be a very important retirement asset. If you are concerned about running out of money and your retirement account, you can tap into your home equity as an extra source of cash; however, what if you still have a mortgage on your house? You might not have as much equity to use. While you are still making money now, you should try to pay off your mortgage.

Pay Off Your Mortgage Before You Retire

Clearly, there are a lot of reasons why you should try to pay off your mortgage before you retire. When you retire, your income may drop significantly, so you should try to pay off your mortgage while you still have the flexibility to do so right now. 

 

Finding The Best Mortgage Deal: What To Do

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Finding The Best Mortgage Deal: What To DoYou have worked hard for your money, and you probably want to save as much of it as you possibly can. That means you need to find the best possible mortgage deal you can. What are a few steps you should take if you want to get the best loan terms possible?

1. Get Plenty Of Estimates

You need to get a lot of estimates from different types of lenders. Examples include private mortgage companies, commercial banks, and credit unions. If you have a real estate agent, you may want to see if they can refer you to a loan officer. Many of these institutions have forms you can fill out online. Then, they will give you a custom rate estimate. When you compare rates across institutions, you must make sure you use the same loan terms. For example, you might want to get a 30-year fixed-rate estimate from all of these institutions. 

2. Understand Closing Costs

When you get an estimate back from the lender, they will probably give you the total loan amount, the term (or length) of the loan, and the interest rate; however, you cannot overlook closing expenses. For example, some lenders will charge you a fee just for printing your loan documents. Pay attention to the closing costs and try to remove as many of them as possible.

3. Select A Lender

After reviewing the documents carefully, you should select a lender. Be sure to ask about the rate lock period, which guarantees your interest rate for a certain amount of time. You need to make sure your interest rate will not change before you get to the closing table. You should also ask about prepayment penalties, which refers to penalties you might have to pay for paying off your mortgage early. If you plan on making extra payments toward the principal, try to remove the prepayment penalty.

4. Finalize The Document

Once you are done with the negotiating process, go ahead and finalize the document. You cannot necessarily negotiate appraisal fees or government recording fees, but you can negotiate your closing expenses, interest rate, and points. Once you are done, work with your agent to get to the closing table and start the moving process. 

 

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – November 14, 2022

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What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week - November 14, 2022Last week’s scheduled economic news included readings on monthly and year-over-year inflation and the University of Michigan’s preliminary reading on consumer sentiment. Weekly readings on mortgage rates and jobless claims were also released.

Consumer Price Index: Inflation Shows Signs of Slowing

Government readings on October inflation showed signs of stabilizing and even slowing. The Consumer Price Index for October showed month-to-month inflationary growth of 0.40 percent as compared to the expected reading of 0.60 percent and September’s reading of 0.40 percent growth. Year-over-year inflation rose by 7.70 percent as compared to the expected reading of 7.90 percent and September’s reading of 8.20 percent.

Month-to-month core inflation, which excludes volatile food and fuel sectors, rose 0.30 percent in October as compared to expectations of 0.50 percent growth and September’s reading of 0.60 percent growth. Year-over-year core inflation rose 6.30  percent; analysts expected year-over-year core inflationary growth of 6.50 percent. September’s year-over-year reading for core inflation was 6.60 percent. The Federal Reserve considers year-over-year inflation of two percent as normal.

Mortgage Rates, Jobless Claims Rise

Freddie Mac reported higher mortgage rates last week as rates for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 7.08 percent and 13 basis points higher than for the previous week. Rates for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages rose nine basis points and averaged 6.38 percent. Rates for 5/1 adjustable rate mortgages averaged 6.06 percent and 11 basis points higher than for the previous week. Discount points averaged 0.90 percent for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages and 1.00  percent for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages. Points for 5/1 adjustable rate mortgages averaged 0.20 percent

Initial jobless claims rose last week with 225,000 new claims filed as compared to 220,000 new claims expected and  218,000 first-time jobless claims filed. in the previous week. 1.49 million continuing jobless claims were reported, which matched the previous week’s reading.

The University of Michigan released its preliminary consumer sentiment survey for November with an index reading of 54.7. Analysts expected a reading of 59.5 for November; October’s reading was 59.9. Index readings over 50 indicate that most survey participants view current economic conditions as positive.

What’s Ahead

This week’s scheduled economic reporting includes readings on housing markets, sales of previously-owned homes, government reports on housing starts, and building permits issued. Weekly readings on mortgage rates and jobless claims will also be released.

The Benefits of Using a Veterans (VA) Loan To Purchase Your Home

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The Benefits of Using a Veterans (VA) Loan To Purchase Your HomeU.S. military veterans have opportunities to enjoy some richly-deserved benefits in other aspects of their lives, including some special options for financing their homes. VA loans may give active military personnel, retired veterans, and sometimes surviving family members of veterans the ability to purchase homes that might not prove available to them through more conventional mortgage loans.

But the mere fact that you can do a thing doesn’t necessarily mean that you should. In some circumstances, military home seekers may find other types of loan options more amenable to their specific needs.

If you’ve decided to pursue a mortgage loan during or following your military career, you may want to examine these considerations before leaping into a VA loan application.

Loan Qualifications and Limits

A VA loan can open the door to home ownership for cash-strapped or credit-challenged military personnel who might otherwise struggle to get a conventional mortgage loan. This type of loan offers tremendous flexibility in qualifying factors such as credit scores and debt-to-income ratios; in fact, VA loans may come with no maximum debt ratio at all.

Potential For Zero Down Payment

Additionally, VA loans do not require the down payment typically needed for a more conventional or FHA loan. (The only other loan with no down payment requirement, the USDA loan, applies to rural areas and comes with some prohibitive income restrictions.)

The elimination of a mandatory down payment, coupled with the relaxed financial qualifications, can make a VA loan the most sensible choice for individuals who suffer from limited resources, “upside-down” credit and short credit histories.

Additional Qualifications To Consider

That said, VA loans usually impose some qualifications of their own — qualifications which may not appeal to some buyers. For one thing, a VA loan can only go toward the primary place of residence, not a summer cottage or second home. Military personnel who already own a home may therefore find this restriction a deal-breaker for their specific needs.

VA Loan Limits

VA loan amounts may also impose varying guaranty limits depending on where you live. The guaranty limit refers to your VA entitlement, the portion of your loan that escapes the down payment requirement.

As always, your best move is to call your trusted real estate and mortgage professionals to discuss the VA home purchase process and find out if it’s the best option for you.

3 Reasons Why Your First Home Should Be a Spacious One

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Go Big or Go Home: 3 Reasons Why Your First Home Should Be a Spacious OneBuying a home for the first time? One of the key considerations you’ll need to make is just how much ‘house’ you want to buy. While going minimal might seem like a good idea to save on costs, having a smaller living space can end up cramping your lifestyle in many ways. Let’s take a look at three great reasons why your first home should be roomy, spacious and luxurious.

You Might End Up With More Family Than You Think

Have you considered whether or not you want to have a family? Whether you’re a single young professional or part of a newlywed couple, there’s always a chance you’ll end up with more kids than you think. If you’re buying a home for the long haul, you’ll want to ensure that you have enough bedrooms to contain a growing family. It’s much easier to make other use of a spare room than to invent an extra bedroom if you end up with one or two more children than you had planned. Even if you don’t have kids, you may end up welcoming other family members into your home for extended periods.

Small Spaces Limit You In Just About Every Way

As you might imagine, small living spaces will limit your options. Whether you want to build out a new media room or just want more luxurious furniture, much of the time living small means living without. Buying a larger home from the start will give you all of the space needed to build your dream home. And over time, you’re far more likely to enjoy living in a home that you can tweak and customize to suit your changing tastes.

You Can Always Monetize The Extra Space

Don’t forget that extra space can always be put to good use. If you have a finished basement, you can possibly rent the suite out to a tenant. Or, you can host guests in your extra bedrooms using apps like Airbnb. If you’re more of an entrepreneurial type, you can start a small business out of one of the spare rooms.

These are just a few of the many reasons why buying a larger home is an excellent idea. For more information about purchasing a luxurious home, contact your trusted real estate and mortgage professionals today.