America’s housing inventory is ballooning with foreclosures and abandoned homes. Short sales, where owners sell their homes for less than what they owe, are commonplace. Also commonplace is that these homes typically need repair or updating. In the last several ...

Tagged with: home sales housing mortgage Robert Nusgart

A major change is coming to the loan officer’s world beginning April 1, and it’s no April Fool’s Day joke. On that date, the method of how loan officers in the mortgage industry get paid will change drastically, and it ...

Tagged with: compensation consumers federal reserve home loans housing mortgage Real Estate Robert Nusgart

In the last 10 days, it has become apparent that homeownership in the U.S. will be more of a privilege than a right in the coming years. Last week, the Obama administration released its thoughts on how to deal with ...

Tagged with: fannie mae federal housing administration Foreclosures freddie mac homeownership lenders mortgage Robert Nusgart

I’ve heard the line many times. “I have a 780 credit score and I’m putting down 20 percent. They should want me as a customer.” Well, they do. But now, even the most creditworthy borrowers are being hit with pricing ...

Tagged with: credit score fannie mae loan mortgage Robert Nusgart

And the rates keep moving north. First, the Federal Reserve began its second round of quantitative easing around Thanksgiving, and all that did was put the fear of inflation into the mortgage market, which led to rates shooting up in ...

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The election is over. The Federal Reserve has met. And Friday, the employment report for November is being released. So, how have the mortgage markets responded? After some breath-holding, it was apparent that it was business as usual, with rates ...

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The mortgage mess has now evolved into the foreclosure mess. With Bank of America and other major lenders re-examining the apparently faulty paperwork done in foreclosing on thousands of homes, there surely will be consequences — for the lenders, servicers, ...

Tagged with: Bank of America foreclosure homes lenders mortgage paperwork Real Estate Robert Nusgart

The refinance index released by the Mortgage Bankers Association last week jumped to its highest level in almost two months as mortgage rates continued to dip to some of the lowest levels in the last 50 years. Even homeowners who ...

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For anyone who thinks that the nation’s housing mess is getting better, think again. Yes, sales in the area are moving in a positive direction, and the decline in home values — although still a significant problem — is not ...

Tagged with: Robert Nusgart

A couple of deadlines are beginning to creep up on home buyers and those who are thinking about refinancing, while another deadline got an extension from the federal government. The two benchmark dates that are fast approaching are March 31 ...

Tagged with: Robert Nusgart