2022 is here and the first full week is ending. What a powerful first few days it has been for sure. After a record setting 2021 for mortgage purchase dollar volume of more than $1.6 TRILLION in closed purchased loans, is everyone ready for an even better 2022? It will be better for you the better your balance of purchase to refinance volume is. I know many of you may not been aware at the record dollar volume for any number of reasons, but if you were a purchase focused originator, your dollar volume should have been the best it’s ever been! If it wasn’t, you really need to take stock and pay attention, you won’t have trillions of dollars in refinances to carry the load. The strategies on the purchase side require some effort and consistency, and it isn’t about calling realtors and setting coffee or lunch appointments. You…
Posted On Monday, 10 January 2022 00:00 Written by
“A bend in the road is not the end of the road, unless you fail to make the turn.” Successories You just parked your car in the driveway, unpacked your suitcase and holiday presents and swept the last of New Year’s confetti out of the floorboard. Once inside the house, you flip on the news to get the latest financial headlines.  Inflation, higher interest rates and increasing real estate values are the headlines.  It’s time for another road trip—a financial road trip, using your real estate to protect your finances. 
No one has a crystal ball, but history tells us that inflation erodes the value of our money and higher interest rates reduce our buying and borrowing power.  Which road do we take to protect ourselves against inflation and rising rate market forces?  Here are the routes some homeowners decided to take to protect their wealth based on…
Posted On Monday, 10 January 2022 00:00 Written by
“It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.” www.inspirational-picture-quotes.com Are you thinking about buying a home this year but not sure if this is a good time to do it?  Let’s explore the trail map for real estate and mortgages in 2022.   Ask yourself these questions to give you confidence and make your journey more enjoyable.
Questions to Answer: How long do you plan to keep this property?  1. (Will the property appreciate enough using conservative predictions to allow you to sell at a profit?) If you need to sell within the next two to three years, could you rent it for more than your house payment and maintenance costs? 2. Does the house payment fit comfortably enough into your budget to cover the mortgage payment and repairs on the home if you could not sell later and did not want to rent…
Posted On Monday, 03 January 2022 00:00 Written by
Yesterday was a bad day for bonds. A poor 7yr note auction pushed the UMBS 30 2.5% coupon down 36bps to a floor of support at 101.80, while the 10yr T rose 8bps to 1.55, which is just 5 bps below the current ceiling of resistance of 1.60. I always get nervous when the markets move sharply right before a holiday weekend, and with this weekend bringing in the New Year, it bears watching closely. As I have maintained for a while now, if you like it, LOCK IT! I am interested to see activity in the housing markets this weekend. With buyers still hungry for homes and the excuse of waiting to after the holidays are over now past, it will be very interesting to see the first few weeks of January go, especially if we see mortgage rates ticking up as well. So be aware of the markets…
Posted On Monday, 03 January 2022 00:00 Written by
The FED had it’s meeting this week and made some observations and projections that they supported with their “FACTS”. While Jerome Powell has tried to bury his whole “tapering” comments with a simple shrug of the shoulders and the comment that we won’t use the word transitory any longer, it doesn’t absolve the facts that keep getting shared are just as big a fantasy going forward. So how about we just get real here for the next few minutes. With all the data the FED looks at, it’s hard not to see they almost always ignore reality. CPI & PPI are significantly flawed measurements because one doesn’t take a real measure of costs, especially food, energy, and housing. When they do look at those numbers, the measurements they use so far behind the reality, it almost makes it a moot point. The other makes assumptions as to how much of…
Posted On Monday, 20 December 2021 00:00 Written by
The last few days of 2021 are upon us and now we begin the final countdown to 2022. A simple checklist of tasks and items will help create a smooth transition form year to year and allow you to enjoy as much time as possible enjoying family and friends. 1. Get very clear as to your calendar. What loans are left to close, is everything complete on those files, are they scheduled to be completed, and is everyone on the same schedule? 2. When are people open and when are they closed? Never assume everyone is working the same schedule as you are, even in your own company! 3. What are your targets for events and time off? Don’t play the holidays by ear! Be aware of what you want and need to do! 4. Personally contact everyone of your unclosed pre-approvals from 2021 and find out status, update as…
Posted On Monday, 13 December 2021 00:00 Written by
“The Only Bad Time to Buy Property is LATER” simplimihomes.com You have searched for several weeks, looking for the right house to make your new home.  You finally walk through the door of the perfect house, but other people are making competitive offers to buy this same house.    How much do you offer to pay without paying too much? 
Here are five points to consider: 1. Set up your budget and stick to it.   Review your bank statements and credit card statements.  How much is your income?  What expenditures can you eliminate or replace with something less expensive?  What debts can you restructure to help your cash flow? After considering all of this, determine the maximum house payment you can comfortably afford.  How much can you comfortably pay down at closing without disturbing your emergency fund? Make allowances in your budget for repairs and unexpected events. …
Posted On Monday, 13 December 2021 00:00 Written by
“Believe you can, and you are halfway there.” Anonymous The top three hurdles mortgage customers must conquer are fixing credit issues, finding enough qualified income, and fast-tracking the funds needed to close the real estate transaction.  Time is a great healer when it comes to older derogatory credit accounts. An experienced mortgage loan officer can help find qualified income for a borrower, sometimes in the back pages of the tax return. A borrower who does not have enough funds to close the loan can get help from agencies and gifts from other people. 
Overcoming Credit Issues Benton and Baily were disappointed that their payment would be slightly higher since the mortgage rates had gone up before they got their offer accepted on buying a home. So the answer for Benton and Bailey was to improve their credit scores.   By paying down their credit cards to show they were…
Posted On Wednesday, 08 December 2021 00:00 Written by
Last April, the Federal Reserve addressed inflation fears with the word “transitory”. The conversation was directed to the markets to believe that current inflation pressures were not severe, and in fact, would dissipate as people went back to work and the supply chain corrected itself. Many in the markets weren’t so sure that this explanation was valid, but the more the markets pushed back, the more the message persisted that inflation fears were a moot point, as they were just “transitory” and would self-correct. The more that position was shared, the harder the markets pushed back. I have been writing in this post that inflation was real, it was going to get worse, and sooner or later, the FED would have to acknowledge that the inflation pressure was in fact real, and that it wasn’t not only not going away, but was going to be a significant issue going into…
Posted On Monday, 06 December 2021 00:00 Written by
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