Customizing Homes For First Time Home Buyers
Friday, January 29
Sitting back and looking at the residential real estate market and the National Association of Realtors’ market statistics, I see a possible opportunity for investors to profit on first time home buyers. Here’s my theory: Millennials have grown up digital, with the ability to access whatever ...
A Short Lesson on Fed Lenders
Sunday, December 20
A Short Lesson on Fed Lenders, Or Why Most Homeowners Actually Get A Mortgage in 2015 The Federal Reserve raised interest rates 1/4 percent, the first time it’s raised interest rates since 2006. Basically, interest rates have been in the neighborhood of 0% for nearly 10 years. So, today I’m wonde...
A Birds-Eye View of Housing Supply and Demand in Dallas
Friday, December 11
I’m writing this post about Dallas, because I own a condo there and because Dallas is a good example of the basic economic laws of supply and demand.Let’s start with some general reporting from a recent Dallas Morning News: “North Texas home prices are at an all-time high. And the price increases...
HUD’s Inspector General Issues Warning For Reverse Mortgage Lenders
Monday, December 07
Seniors, aged 62 years old and older, have the right to get involved in a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage, more commonly called a reverse mortgage. Homeowners get to stay in their homes and yet they benefit from a loan against their equity, without having to make monthly payments on it. Using the...
Mortgage Lenders Scrambling to Follow New TILA-RESPA Requirements
Saturday, December 05
Just as I suspected, the demise of our old, familiar HUD-1 closing form and the implementation of the new TILA-RESPA integrated disclosure requirements (TRID) has thrown residential mortgage lenders for a loop. The change was scheduled for August 1, 2015, then delayed until October 3, 2015. Now C...
Fewer Chinese Buyers Shopping US Residential Real Estate
Monday, November 30
When I saw an article in the Wall Street Journal about Chinese buyers pulling back from purchasing residential real estate in the US, naturally I got curious about the reason.Turns out, it’s them, it’s not us.From March 2013 through March 2015 the annual investment made by Chinese buyers in US re...