Housing Wire

DECEMBER 20, 2024

and Pete Sessions (R-Texas) on Thursday, the bipartisan bill allows borrowers to stop paying mortgage insurance once their loan-to-value (LTV) ratio reaches 78%, rather than paying it for the life of the loan. This is comparable to existing policies in the market for conventional loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

FHA loan

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 4, 2024

The third party origination (TPO) division of Rocket Mortgage on Monday announced the rollout of its latest product, 24 Takeoff, which allows mortgage broker partners to receive a 24 basis point credit on all eligible loans until Nov. billion through its TPO channel.

Mortgages

Housing Wire

MAY 5, 2025

ICE attributes this to a higher interest rate environment that continued to dampen repeat buyer participation in the market. Younger homebuyers are picking up market share with lenders this spring, with people age 35 and under accounting for more than half of financed home purchases by first-time buyers in Q1.

Lending

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 13, 2025

Loan locks for refinances rose more than 20% year over year while purchase lock counts saw a 6% decrease, according to Optimal Blue ‘s January 2025 Market Advantage mortgage data report released Thursday. Jumbo mortgage rates were up 2 bps, VA loan rates were up 4 bps and FHA loan rates remained unchanged.

VA loan

Housing Wire

MARCH 24, 2025

Jumbo loans exceed the Federal Housing Finance Agency ‘s conforming loan limit, which currently stands at $806,500 for a single-family home for most of the country. “A mix of borrower, loan, and market characteristics likely explains the state-level variation we see in mortgage denial rates,” Hale said.

Debt-to-income ratio

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 27, 2025

Higher payments across loan types Borrowers across different mortgage programs also saw their payments rise. FHA loan applicants faced a median monthly payment of $1,934, up from $1,866 in December. Conventional loan applicants saw their median payment increase to $2,225, up from $2,128. Nevada (254.3) Arizona (218.7)

Mortgages

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 18, 2024

Market data at HousingWire ‘s Mortgage Rates Center showed an average fixed rate of 6.87% for 30-year conforming loans on Wednesday, a slight increase from the week ending on Dec. The average rate for 30-year fixed-rate loans for conforming balances (up to $766,550) rose by 8 bps to 6.75%.

VA loan

Housing Wire

JUNE 30, 2025

Financing options, misplaced guidance Conventional loans remain the most common path to homeownership , but many first-time buyers also turn to government financing. Nearly 29% of first-time buyers used Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans , which require a minimum down payment of 3.5%. Another 9% used U.S.

VA loan

Housing Wire

JANUARY 14, 2025

A report released Tuesday by Optimal Blue found that the conforming loan share sank to historic lows in December. Optimal Blue’s December 2024 Market Advantage report is a monthly study that analyzes key indicators to provide insights into U.S. mortgage market trends. ” The conforming loan share dropped by 1.5%

VA loan

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 27, 2024

With the growth in for-sale inventory and signs that the economy remains strong, buyers have remained in the market even though rates have increased recently. The increase in conventional purchase applications helped push the average purchase loan size to $439,200, its highest level in almost a month. of applications. of applications.

Mortgages

Housing Wire

JANUARY 22, 2025

Mortgage escrow accounts are an important, yet widely misunderstood asset in the housing market. Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan borrowers must maintain escrow accounts for the entire loan cycle, regardless of equity. And those who don’t understand are paying dearly.

FHA loan

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 9, 2024

After a year filled with rate swings, unpredictable markets and a bit of drama (thank you, inflation), the real estate world is ready for a fresh start. Whether youre looking to buy your first home, upgrade or simply gain clarity on the current market , this guide is your insiders playbook to tackle 2025 with confidence.

Mortgages

Housing Wire

MARCH 20, 2025

Conversely, a handful of smaller markets saw an uptick in flipping activity. Additionally, the share of flipped homes sold to buyers using Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans remained steady at 10.7%. The top market for FHA buyer activity was Merced, California, where 38.3%

FHA loan

Housing Wire

APRIL 8, 2025

A strong wave of refinance activity and renewed buyer interest lifted mortgage rate lock volumes in March, according to Optimal Blues latest Market Advantage report. FHA loans saw an 8-basis point drop to 6.27%, while VA and jumbo loan rates nudged up slightly to 6.13% and 6.73%, respectively. after a February rally.

Loans

Housing Wire

MARCH 27, 2025

By product type, the median mortgage payment for conventional loan applicants was $2,226, up from $2,225 in January and up from $2,194 in February 2024. For FHA loan applicants, the median payment was $1,907 in February, down from $1,934 in January and up from $1,872 in February 2024. The national PAPI increased 0.1%

Mortgages

Housing Wire

MARCH 5, 2025

According to the MBA, rates for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans dipped to 6.42%, while refinance activity posted its fastest pace since October 2024. “But you still have a buyer’s market. So now that rates are dropping, a renovation loan will be in the 7% range.

Loan Officer

Housing Wire

JUNE 10, 2025

“Rising mortgage rates are squeezing borrower affordability, while tighter spreads are putting pressure on lenders in the secondary market,” said Brennan O’Connell , director of data solutions at Optimal Blue.

Loan Officer

Housing Wire

JULY 24, 2025

Profit margins dropped year over year in 123 markets, or nearly 79%. On a quarterly basis, margins increased in 77 markets. Markets that saw the largest year-over-year gains included Hilo, Hawaii (up to 65.7%); Kalamazoo, Michigan (69.3%); Flint, Michigan (69.7%); Trenton, New Jersey (81.4%); and Bridgeport, Connecticut (69%).

FHA loan

Housing Wire

APRIL 7, 2025

ICE expects mortgage rates to continue to drop, as it noted that 30-year futures pricing currently implies that the market anticipates 30-year rates to dip below 6.4% ICE says that with the current rate of improvement, the market would be on pace to return to pre-pandemic for-sale inventory levels in the back half of 2026.

FHA loan

Housing Wire

MAY 28, 2025

The 5/1 option provides a fixed interest rate for the first five years, after which the rate adjusts annually based on market conditions. ARMs typically gain market share when rates are elevated, as borrowers can access lower initial rates compared to traditional fixed-rate mortgages. FHA loan rates averaged 6.68%.

VA loan

Housing Wire

JULY 23, 2025

“This is a real achievement considering the difficult environment, with persistent high mortgage rates contributing to ongoing affordability challenges, sluggish home sales, and home prices coming under pressure in some markets.” Borrowers had an average FICO score of 737 and an average loan-to-value ratio of 51% in Q2 2025.

FHA loan

Housing Wire

JULY 31, 2025

The median purchase application amount decreased to $324,800, and we expect that home-price growth will continue to stabilize as more inventory comes onto the market in many parts of the country.” The national median mortgage payment for conventional loan applicants was $2,205, down from $2,235 in May and up from $2,180 in June 2024.

Mortgages

Housing Wire

APRIL 18, 2025

By product type, conventional loans composed 49.0% of loan applications, FHA loans composed 37.0%, RHS/ USDA loans composed 0.9% and VA loans composed 13%. The average loan size for new homes decreased from $397,516 in February to $381,921 in March. compared to a year ago.

VA loan

Real Estate News

JUNE 16, 2025

The shift from a sellers market to the more balanced markets recently seen in many metro areas could also be factoring in. With more inventory in the market, some sellers may be willing to accept lower down payments in order to sell their home, Anderson suggested. of mortgage sales used an FHA loan in April, up from 14.2%

VA loan

Housing Wire

JANUARY 15, 2025

While the market composite index increased over 33% on a seasonally adjusted basis, the index increased 52% on an unadjusted basis during the same time period. This week’s reading, for the week ending Jan. 10, 2025, is a stark difference from last week’s applications , which reflected a seasonal lull following Christmas.

Fixed-rate mortgage

Housing Wire

JULY 7, 2025

“While the slowdown in home price growth may be easing affordability pressures, and negative equity volumes remain low, we’re beginning to see localized pockets of recent homebuyers becoming financially exposed,” said Andy Walden , head of mortgage and housing market research at ICE. In some markets, the risk is higher.

Equity

The Mortgage Report

JUNE 13, 2025

Buy a Home Home-Buying Loan Types Low Down Payment Mortgages Conventional Loans VA Loans FHA Loans FHA 203k Rehab Loan USDA Loans Investment Property Mortgages Compare Home Buying Loans Home Buying Help Do I Need 20% Down? You don’t have to be a first-time buyer to use an FHA loan.

FHA loan

Real Estate News

JULY 7, 2025

While there are signs that the market is shifting in buyers' favor , affordability remains a pressure point for many as home prices and mortgage rates remain high. Majorities of both groups use conventional loans, and many (29% of first-time buyers and 10% of repeat buyers) use FHA loans, which offer down payments as low as 3.5%.

VA loan

Housing Wire

MAY 14, 2025

Last week saw steadier mortgage rates, as the FOMC meeting played as predicted, and market movements led to a small two-basis point increase in the 30-year conforming rate to 6.86%, said Mike Fratantoni , MBAs SVP and chief economist.

Fixed-rate mortgage

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 5, 2025

Mortgage rates moved lower last week, consistent with lower Treasury yields following the FOMC meeting and a volatile week for [the] stock market. Year over year, the unadjusted purchase index was 0.2% The 30-year fixed rate declined to its lowest level in six weeks at 6.97%, said Joel Kan, MBAs vice president and deputy chief economist.

Fixed-rate mortgage

Housing Wire

JULY 11, 2025

Considering the fluctuating state of the housing market and inflated mortgage rates, it’s even more crucial to showcase your expertise and amazing service to bring qualified clients into your orbit. All of these professions come into contact with individuals who are buying homes and could need a loan. Check out LendingTree.

Mortgages

Keeping Current Matters

AUGUST 4, 2025

If you qualify for an FHA loan, you may only need to put 3.5% And VA loans typically don’t require a down payment at all. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the typical down payment for first-time buyers has been between 6% and 9% since 2018. But there’s more to the story.

VA loan

Housing Wire

APRIL 2, 2025

Treasury yields continue to be volatile as economic uncertainty dominates markets. Overall purchase activity has shown year-over-year growth for more than two months as the inventory of existing homes for sale continues to increase, a positive development for the housing market despite the uncertain near-term outlook.

Fixed-rate mortgage

Redfin

JANUARY 28, 2025

If you’re exploring mortgage options or looking to sell your home, whether its a charming home in Nashville or a spacious townhome in Houston , you might wonder: Are FHA loans assumable? Here’s how FHA assumable mortgages work and why they might be worth considering. Are FHA loans assumable?

FHA loan

Housing Wire

AUGUST 6, 2025

Capitalizing on momentum Wacksman said Zillow is seeing this strategy come to life in its enhanced markets, where the company is working to connect high-intent consumers with Zillow partner agents. “In In Q2, 27% of connections came through the enhanced market experience on our way to a long-term goal of at least 75% of connections,” he said.

Agents

Housing Wire

MARCH 27, 2025

“As inventory recovers, the housing market is very slowly tilting toward more balance between buyers and sellers. The markets shift toward pricier properties further inflated down payments. Modest down payments often used by first-time buyers or those with government-backed loans also increased but remained below 2022 peaks.

Equity

Housing Wire

MARCH 19, 2025

The Market Composite Index, which measures mortgage loan application volume, decreased 6.2% However, purchase application volume inched up to its highest level in six weeks, led by a 3% increase in FHA purchase applications, said Mike Fratantoni , MBAs senior vice president and chief economist. Mortgage applications decreased 6.2%

Fixed-rate mortgage