Remove Closing costs Remove Loans Remove Title search
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Closing costs: Here’s how much money you really need to buy a house

Housing Wire

Understanding what expenses are required at closing to buy a house will help you budget and save more effectively. In this article, we break down exactly what closing costs are so you’re prepared when you start shopping for a home: What are closing costs? Loan Origination Fee. Title Search Fee.

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ALTA: Protecting property rights with title insurance

Housing Wire

Title insurance is different than most other insurance products. There are also strict guidelines for the way title and settlement fees are disclosed to consumers and when changed circumstances allow for alterations to the disclosures. The buyers purchased title insurance, which turned out to be an excellent investment.

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Bipartisan congressional caucus calls on FHFA to halt title waiver program

Housing Wire

While the co-chairs of the caucus wrote that they “applaud” Thompson and the FHFA’s efforts to promote homeownership for low-income Americans, they believe that the pilot program will not help to achieve the goal of “finding ways to ‘responsibly reduce closing costs for homeowners in a safe and sound manner.’”

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Opinion: Title and settlement fees aren’t a barrier to homeownership

Housing Wire

The research found that title and settlement fees are neither regressive nor represent a significant component of the overall closing costs. The Fannie Mae research finds that for title and settlement fees, “differences in charges across borrower groups mostly disappear (after controlling for the transaction characteristics).”

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If you haven’t refinanced yet, is it still worth it?

Housing Wire

Refinancing means taking out a new mortgage loan and replacing it with your current one. With a lower interest rate, homeowners pay less in interest and can even shorten the length of their loan. So while you might eventually save money from refinancing, you’ll also spend money on closing costs.

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Opinion: Improving housing affordability without exposing homebuyers to more risk

Housing Wire

However, Fannie Mae’s own research from 2022 found that title insurance is not a significant component of the overall closing costs when buying a home. Accounting for geography, differences in title and settlement costs across groups of borrowers were not “economically meaningful.”

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How hybrid title and valuations help increase lending efficiency

Housing Wire

HousingWire: What are some due diligence and underwriting challenges loan originators face today? Historically low interest rates in 2020 led to an all-time high in mortgage lending for new loans, but with forbearance moratorium deadlines being extended, some lenders are getting nervous. It’s easy to see why. Altisource does.

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