The Morning

The New York Times December 1, 2022 Good morning. The increasing cost of living means that many homeowners in the U.S. can’t leave their homes and some in Britain may not be able to stay in theirs. Quadruple whammy Economic policymakers around the world are raising interest rates to try to tame the rising cost […]

Foreclosure Rate Holds Steady

A data set reflecting July, the last month of a federal government moratorium on foreclosures, showed a total 12,483 U.S. properties with foreclosure filings—default notices, scheduled auctions, or bank repossessions. The report from ATTOM indicated a 4% decrease in July compared to June but a 40% increase from the previous year. It also showed a 5% month-over-month […]

Forbearances Fall With Job Market in Recovery Mode

With approximately 2.1 million homeowners currently in forbearance plans, the share of loans in forbearance is down for the 12th consecutive week, as the latest Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Forbearance and Call Volume Survey finds the total number of loans now in forbearance decreased by three basis points from 4.22% of servicers’ portfolio volume in […]

An Eye on the Rural Rebuild

With housing in short supply and inventory at all-time lows, many are migrating away from crowded cities as a result of remote work opportunities. These home seekers are searching for larger homes to accommodate work from home situations, and once quiet pockets of the nation are becoming target destinations for this growing segment. On Tuesday, […]

Q&A: Colliers’ Food Advisory Services Group Talks Cold Storage

The cold storage sector of industrial real estate now represents a more than $98 billion market globally and is projected to have a compound annual growth of 12.1% through 2025. But as investors warm up to the cold storage sector, prices for assets are on the rise, due to undersupply. We caught up with Colliers’ […]

FHFA: Potential Changes for Appraisal Process

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has issued a Request for Input (RFI) related to its appraisal policies, practices, and processes. The RFI follows the challenges that appraisers have faced over the past year, including issues during the COVID-19 pandemic when many appraisers were either unable or unwilling to perform on-site inspection due to the […]

Stimulus and Moratoria Extensions: The Need for Long-Term Solutions

Foreclosure and eviction moratoria, which are working in the short-term to keep homeowners in their houses, are not long-term solutions, according to Columbus Distressed Assets Manager and Auctioneer Rich Kruse (a Gryphon USA Ltd. principal). Such stimulus efforts, he says, “will allow the incoming administration of President-elect Biden to revisit the issue after Inauguration Day.” […]

Threats to First-Time Home Buyers’ Path to Ownership

Higher home prices are translating into higher down payments. The median home price is $350,000, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. That means a buyer would have to put down $70,000 (or 20%) on a purchase to avoid private mortgage insurance. Low down payment loans are available for those who can’t reach that 20% […]

Are Mortgage Rates Finally Stabilizing?

Mortgage rates have remained below 3% for more than two months. And they likely aren’t going to drop much further, according to Freddie Mac. “The yearlong slide in mortgage rates seems to be ending as rates have flattened over the last month and the economic rebound has slowed,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. […]

How to Improve Your Credit

Credit scores play a big role in determining whether you’ll qualify for a loan and what your loan terms will be. So, keep your credit score high by doing the following: Check for errors in your credit report. Thanks to an act of Congress, you can download one free credit report each year at annualcreditreport.com. […]