With record-high home equity and declining mortgage rates, the temptation to do a cash-out refinance is stronger than ever. I’ve certainly considered it myself. However, after careful reflection, my conclusion is that it’s probably not the best move. Having written about refinancing since 2009, I’ve seen too many unfortunate cases where people took out a [...]read moreThe Temptation To Do A Cash-Out Refinance As Rates Collapse
With the real estate industry finally lowering commission rates after August 17, 2024, a battle is brewing among brokerages and agents to win business. For example, Sotheby’s has decided to charge 2% to the seller and 2% to the buyer—or even less—to stay competitive. Other brokerages will likely follow suit. For individual real estate agents, [...]read morePerformance-Based Commission Rates By Top Real Estate Agents
How To Improve Webinar Attendance Rates Increasing your eLearning webinar attendance rates is vital for your marketing strategy to attract potential customers and convert them into leads. Naturally, many people may become unavailable at the last minute, but a consistently high number of registrations with low attendance rates is problematic. While the company that is [...]read more8 Proven Tactics That Increase Webinar Attendance Rates
In This Article Key Takeaways CPI data shows inflation fell by 0.1% to 3.3% in May but the Federal Reserve kept rates unchanged. New projections suggest that a rate cut could be possible in September, but Fed Chairman Jerome Powell left no indication of any movement. The Fed’s “higher for longer” approach could, in [...]read moreThe Fed Stalls as High Rates Cause More Pain—What Is Powell Doing?
Key Fed inflation metric expected to drop June 28 following unexpected decline in May wholesale prices and jump in jobless claims to highest level since August 2023. At Inman Connect Las Vegas, July 30-Aug. 1, 2024, the noise and misinformation will be banished, all your big questions will be answered, and new business opportunities will [...]read moreMortgage Rates Have More Room to Fall on New Inflation Data
Mortgage applications shot up 15.6% from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) weekly application survey for the week ending June 7. On an unadjusted basis, the market composite index increased 26% compared with the previous week. The refinance index increased 28% from the previous week and was also 28% higher [...]read moreRefi business is picking up on falling mortgage rates
As expected by virtually all market participants, the Federal Reserve maintained its short-term policy interest rate between 5.25% and 5.5% at its June meeting that concluded Wednesday afternoon. That’s the seventh consecutive time policymakers with the Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC) kept the rates unchanged, reflecting mixed signals from the leading U.S. economic data. Job [...]read moreFed holds rates steady amid mixed economic signals
After last week’s jobs week, everything gets more intriguing as each month passes. The labor market has gotten softer but hasn’t broken yet. As we approach the midway point of the year, let’s examine last week’s data. 10-year yield and mortgage rates Last week, the labor data, a vital driver of the 10-year yield and [...]read moreHow much longer will we have to deal with higher mortgage rates?
Almost all Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs) originated today utilize the adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) option. In stark contrast to traditional mortgage lending, the reverse mortgage business is dominated by ARMs, representing over 99% of Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured reverse mortgages originated today. This is due, in part, because borrowers want to control how much they [...]read moreThe month in reverse mortgage rates: June 2024
In bankruptcy court, the Huntsville, Alabama-based mortgage lender says it plans to repay creditors by claiming more than $20 million in tax credits and clawing back $1 million from warehouse lenders. At Inman Connect Las Vegas, July 30-Aug. 1, 2024, the noise and misinformation will be banished, all your big questions will be answered, and [...]read moreHometown Lenders’ National Expansion Collided Head On With Rising Rates