1. Three reasons the White House is optimistic on growth
“The U.S. economy in the next two years is well positioned for growth assuming no adverse shocks or bad policy decisions.”
2.NAR Generational Trends Study Shows Confidence in Market, Some Challenges
“WASHINGTON (March 11, 2014) – Young home buyers remain optimistic and see their home as a good investment, while older buyers are more likely to trade down to a smaller property to match changing lifestyles, according to the 2014 National Association of Realtors® Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends study, which evaluates the generational differences of recent home buyers and sellers.”
3.Mortgage Credit Availability Increases Slightly in February
“WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 11, 2014) — Mortgage credit availability increased slightly in February according to the Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI), a report from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) which analyzes data from the AllRegs® Market Clarity® product. “For the third month in a row, mortgage lenders and investors slightly expanded credit offerings in February on net, as a result of offsetting factors,” said Mike Fratantoni, MBA’s Chief Economist. . Specifically, the recently implemented QM/ATR sections of the new CFPB regulations stipulate that ARM loans must qualify at the highest allowable rate for the first five years of the loan. As a result, many investors have discontinued loans whose interest rate adjusts after only 3 year (also known as 3/1 ARMS). While there was significant pull-back on these 3/1 programs, lenders and investors added several new 5+ year ARM programs, including those for Jumbo loans, to their repertoire resulting in a net increase to the MCAI.” “
4.Securitizing mortgage advances market set to boom
“The market for administering, financing and securitizing advances will grow from $4.5 billion in 2013 to as much as $25 billion in 2014, according to the morning panel on the topic at the Information Management Network’s first-ever Residential Mortgage Servicing Rights conference.”
5.Mid-Atlantic real estate agents expect spring home sales, prices to rise
“A new survey by Rockville market research firm MRIS found that 71 percent of mid-Atlantic real estate professionals predict transactions will increase this year from 2013. Some 82 percent project average home sale prices will also increase”
6.Here’s How Much Real Estate A Million Dollars Buys You In Every Major US City
“How much housing you can buy with a million dollars very much depends on what city you are looking to buy in.”
7.American Real Estate Investors Academy Student Makes $15,000 On His First Real Estate Deal
“A student in the American-REIA apprentice program just closed his first deal. The student had no previous real estate investing experience and his profit was $15,000.”
8.Private Lender Announces New Texas-Focused Hard Money Loan Offerings
“Leading private hard money lender announces offering of new hard money and bridge loan services for Texas-based real estate investments.”
9.Are you ready for deflation?
” For a generation, western investors have been haunted by the fear of inflation. Anyone who remembers the crazy 1970s, when prices rose by double-digits each year in most developed countries, flinches at the memory.”
10.Boarded-up, abandoned, foreclosed homes fading into memory in Sacramento
“At the height of the foreclosure crisis, roughly one in 20 homes in the Sacramento region were vacant and for sale, one of the highest rates in the nation, census figures show.”
11.Economic confidence sags to lowest level of the year
“Americans’ economic confidence continued to drop last week, according to a new survey by Gallup Inc.”
12.San Diego Home Prices & Values
“The median home value in San Diego is $473,300. San Diego home values have gone up 14.5% over the past year and Zillow predicts they will rise 4.5% within the next year.”
13.Study suggests MLS played little or no role in nearly half of 2013 home sales
“SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — What’s the fate of multiple listing services, if nearly half of all homes sold last year were never listed in an MLS or were listed only after a buyer had already been lined up?”
14.Redfin adds new-home listings sourced from NewHomeSource.com
“Redfin users can now search thousands of new-home listings from NewHomeSource.com in the 23 markets where the online brokerage and referral site operates.”
15.As vacancy falls, market conditions continue to tighten in Southeast Wisconsin
“Conditions continue to tighten in the Southeast Wisconsin submarket, as vacancy has dropped below 8 percent and only 10 options for more than 100,000 square feet of contiguous space are currently available, according to a recent industrial market report by NAI Hiffman.”