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- 10 Days Left in Fed's MBS Purchase Program. What is Potential for Extension?18 March 2010, 5:03 pm
The Federal Reserve reported on their weekly purchases of agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS). In the week ending March 17, 2010, the Federal Reserve purchased a gross total of $10.6 billion agency MBS. In that week the Fed sold $601 million mortgage-backeds (supported the roll), for a net total of $10.0 billion agency MBS purchases. This amount is unchanged from the previous three reporting periods. The goal of the Federal Reserve's agency MBS program is to provide support to mortgage a...
- Fannie Mae Cuts Home Sales Forecast. Reduces Origination Outlook Again18 March 2010, 10:55 am
While investment in residential real estate still looks relatively strong for 2010 compared to 2009, the results in the first quarter have been less robust than expected according to Fannie Mae's Economics and Mortgage Market Analysis for March. The research piece opens with the following statement: "Severe weather was disruptive to economic activity during the first two months of the year. If economic fundamentals have not deteriorated , the weather impact will likely fully reverse at ... - The Day Ahead: Data Deluge Hits Cautious Markets18 March 2010, 8:19 am
The day ahead offers several fresh data points and a range of speakers from the Federal Reserve. Traders are being cautious as equity prices are slightly down after earlier gains in the week. 90 minutes before the opening bell, Dow futures are up 9 points to 10,663 and S&P 500 futures are flat at 1,161. Key Events Today: 7:30 ― Elizabeth Duke , a governor of the Federal Reserve, and Sheila Bair , chairman of the FDIC, speak to the American Bankers Association government relations summit in... - Loan Demand at Stand Still. Are You Nervous About the Year Ahead?17 March 2010, 10:56 am
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending March 12, 2010. The survey covers over 50 percent of all US residential mortgage loan applications taken by mortgage bankers, commercial banks, and thrifts. The data gives economists a look into consumer demand for mortgage loans. A rising trend of mortgage applications indicates an increase in home buying interest, a positive for the housing industry and economy as a whole. Furtherm... - The Day Ahead: Stocks Continue to Tick Higher Before PPI and Fed Speak17 March 2010, 8:02 am
Despite yesterday’s news that housing starts fell nearly 6% in February (led by weakness in multi-family starts), stock markets managed to move upwards yesterday and this morning that upward trend continues. Sentiment was in part bolstered from the language of the FOMC statement, wherein the central bank said it would maintain "low levels of the federal funds rate for an extended period" and the "labor market was stabilizing". Two hours before the opening bell, Dow futu...
- Just Do Something! 5 Baby Steps to Ease New Investor Fears18 March 2010, 3:57 pm
Best-selling author and motivational coach Mike Litman often says “You don’t have to get it right. You just have to get it going.” Getting started can be one of the most challenging hurdles for aspiring real estate investors. You may frequently hear people talk about the importance of taking “massive action” but as I [...]This Article is Copyright © 2004-2010 BiggerPockets, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Just Do Something! 5 Baby Steps to Ease New Investor Fears... - FHA Rules Changing Faster Then I Change My Underwear18 March 2010, 12:22 pm
I hope I got your attention? If you have not been paying attention to the changes the leading mortgage lender in the country is up to, you may want to start paying attention now! A little background: For many years FHA has served a specific portion the home buying population that could not obtain mortgages through [...]This Article is Copyright © 2004-2010 BiggerPockets, Inc. All Rights Reserved. FHA Rules Changing Faster Then I Change My Underwear... - Crime Scene Photos: A Surprisingly Effective Marketing Tool18 March 2010, 8:17 am
I was all set to write this week’s article about the pros and cons of hiring a mentor for your real estate wholesaling career, but then I happened to see this article that fellow BiggerPockets blogger, Florence Foote wrote earlier this week. As I was reading through her hilarious post about the ridiculous remarks that some [...]This Article is Copyright © 2004-2010 BiggerPockets, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Crime Scene Photos: A Surprisingly Effective Marketing Tool... - Federal Mortgage Intervention Ending By End Of Month!17 March 2010, 6:24 pm
All good things must come to an end; especially when that good thing may or may not have been that good to begin with. I’m talking, of course, about the Federal Reserve’s affirmation this week that it plans to go ahead and stop buying mortgage-backed securities by the end of this month. These purchases are what have [...]This Article is Copyright © 2004-2010 BiggerPockets, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Federal Mortgage Intervention Ending By End Of Month!... - Calculating Fixed Costs on a Rehab, Flip or Wholesale Real Estate Deal17 March 2010, 10:13 am
Last week, my blog post discussed my method for determining the maximum purchase price you can offer for a property that you plan to rehab/resell or wholesale. In the formula I presented, I referred to “Fixed Costs” and I mentioned that I know my Fixed Costs to be about $17,000 on a typical project. [...]This Article is Copyright © 2004-2010 BiggerPockets, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Calculating Fixed Costs on a Rehab, Flip or Wholesale Real Estate Deal...
- Health reform: Where the money will come from18 March 2010, 6:58 pm
Democrats pushing for health care reform are closer to the finish line than ever, but it's not over yet. And the question of cost will remain a central issue in coming days.... - One jobs bill down ... what happens next?18 March 2010, 6:47 pm
Now that it's taken its first baby step towards creating jobs, Congress is looking at more measures to spur employment.... - Student loan reform shares health care fate18 March 2010, 6:43 pm
When the House votes on a health care package this weekend, it will also consider a proposal to make federal government the one-stop-shop to get cheap student loans.... - Greenspan offers a mixed mea culpa18 March 2010, 5:18 pm
Alan Greenspan acknowledged Thursday that U.S. regulators had failed to grasp the magnitude of the financial crisis, but the former Federal Reserve chairman argued that low interest rates were not to blame.... - Can Dodd wake the watchdogs?18 March 2010, 4:33 pm
The latest financial regulatory reform proposal leaves many chefs in the kitchen. But will anyone actually mind the stove?...
- What Are “Lender Overlays”?18 March 2010, 4:30 pm
Virtually everyone has seen the commercial where a big dot com mortgage lender portrays how they have less paperwork than any of their competition. Likewise most people have some idea of the basic mortgage qualifications for Fannie and Freddie loans and FHA insurance. Skip forward. There are literally dozens of major banks who offer the same home [...]... - HAFA: 2 Guys, 2 Burgers and a Voice Recorder17 March 2010, 11:58 pm
I try to eat lunch every day. And earlier this week, I happened to bring a voice recorder with me and taped a conversation about the new HAFA program with a local Arizona short sale expert, Dean Ouellette. Justin: Hey, what do you think about the recently announced HAFA program? Dean: HAFA? It should be short for “Keep [...]... - VA offers host of ways for vets to avoid foreclosure16 March 2010, 12:58 pm
VA loans have the lowest foreclosure rate of any product on the market, according to a winter announcement from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Part of that success is due to the loan counseling experts at the VA, who work tirelessly to keep veterans and their families from losing their homes. The VA has a handful [...]... - Wanting A USDA Loan? Better Hurry. Maybe.15 March 2010, 10:47 pm
USDA loans have become a popular option to finance a home (when the property qualifies) because with a USDA loan, there is no mortgage insurance and no down payment requirement. Yes, you read that right - you can still get 100% financing when you finance an eligible property with a USDA loan. It seems that pretty much [...]... - Renovation Financing: Would you invest $2,500, if in 6 month you would be handed $29,000?12 March 2010, 10:05 am
I don’t know about you…But I would… That has been the average return on the additional closing costs associated with a renovation 203K loans that I have closed in the last quarter. By no means am I saying that buying a home is a can’t miss investment…but if you are in the market for a home [...]...
- 3 Reasons VA Loans Will Be Prominent in 201018 March 2010, 12:07 pm
2010 is shaping up to be a good year. The economy is beginning to rebound and, according to most financial experts, most of us should begin seeing the benefits of a more stable and productive marketplace in the next several months.... - Governator Pushing New Homebuyer Tax Credit For Californians12 March 2010, 4:05 pm
Well, he’s hitting the road again with some pretty hard hitting talk about making the $10,000 homebuyer tax credit a reality for potentially 20,000 California home buyers. Following is the video posted on the Governor’s website as well as all of the important excerpts regarding the credit from his speech….if you’re a “cliff notes” person like [...]... - Pacific Northwest Housing Summit – March 18-1910 March 2010, 9:23 pm
2010 Pacific Northwest Housing Summit and Real Estate Bar Camp are coming to Seattle on March 18-19. The Pacific NW Housing Summit is an opportunity to bring together professionals from all aspects of the real estate industry with the intent to evaluate the current market conditions, forecast the coming years prospects and plan for the resurgence of the housing industry here in the Northwest.... - Making Some Design Changes On Lenderama.com8 March 2010, 4:15 am
You may notice a few changes on our blog over the next week or so. I realize that there are a few missing links and contributors, but this is still a work in progress. Just didn't want anyone thinking we were sitting around on the job.... - Enhancing Your Social Media Presence Through Email5 March 2010, 3:29 pm
One simple step everyone can take to make their mortgage marketing email efforts more compatible with their social media efforts is to link all of your emails to your social networking profiles or blogs. Most of us already have email signatures, so why not add these links right there with the rest of your contact [...]...
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