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More homebuyers seek government-backed loans as an affordability lifeline

Housing Wire

Chris Porter, a senior vice president at the firm and the author of the latest outlook, said this correlates with buyers dedicating more of their income to housing and seeking accessible financing options. It also ties into architects and builders creating smaller, denser homes to help close the affordable housing supply gap.

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Lenders: Looking to simplify closings? Work with an insurance agency

Housing Wire

HousingWire recently spoke to Tom Kriby, vice president of client development and partnerships at Westwood Insurance Agency, about how working with an insurance agency can simplify the closing process for their customers, even in times of interest rate uncertainty. HW: How does working with an insurance agency simplify the closing process?

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Mortgage quality control report reveals sharp rise in insurance defects

Housing Wire

ACES releases a quarterly report that uses post-closing quality control data that’s derived from the company’s benchmarking system. Loan applicants also struggled as rising premiums made it difficult for them to qualify for mortgages due to higher debt-to-income ratios.

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How will first-time buyers fare if sellers can’t offer buyer agent compensation?

Housing Wire

But for first-time and other cash-strapped buyers—those who are not relying on the proceeds of a home sale, who may be using a 100% financed VA loan, whose agents may be layering forms of assistance to put together enough cash for closing—knowing in advance about the seller’s contribution to their agent costs may be essential.

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Buy now, pay later: How do mortgage pros deal with ‘phantom debt’?

Housing Wire

Racamato is now orienting his team to look closely at clients’ bank statements to find multiple — and often interest-free — installments of a few hundred or thousand dollars paid to the same company on a biweekly or monthly basis. But these sources also told HousingWire that they don’t see an imminent “systemic risk” tied to BNPL debt. “I

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5 tips for finding the right mortgage lender for you

Housing Wire

To find a qualified lender, you need a good credit score and a good debt-to-income ratio, which is the percentage of a consumer’s monthly gross income that goes to paying down debt. Before you start searching for a lender, check your credit score and debt-to-income ratio.

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Should I pay off student loans before buying my first home?

Housing Wire

Your Debt-To-Income Ratio Is High. How much of that money do you use to pay off debt? If a majority of your monthly income goes to debt, your debt-to-income ratio (DTI) is too high and most lenders will only approve those with low DTI’s (around 43%). buying a home is expensive.