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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. He noted that despite a national slowdown in home sales , St. Louis continues to see multiple offers on good houses.

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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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Housing market hinges on mortgage rates and supply, not commission structures

Housing Wire

Incomes, wealth, life events, mortgage rates all play a role in determining housing demand, while on the supply side we have land costs, government regulations in terms of zoning rules, geographic constraints to building and builder financing costs,” Divounguy added. “So, As these business practice changes begin Aug.

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Builders rediscover a tool from the 1980s that keeps new home prices from falling

Housing Wire

This phenomenon becomes clearly apparent when compared to existing home sales, for which these buydowns are very rare. As shown in the chart below, existing and new home sales for the 19 largest home builders had roughly the same note rates until January 2022. As of July 2023, the gap had slightly narrowed to 0.8 2022 to Dec.

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A housing boom doesn’t portend a bust

Housing Wire

Homes that reach the market sell quickly, bidding wars are the new normal and the investor share of sales continues to rise. Various mortgage finance innovations facilitated larger loans at the same monthly payment to keep up with growing home values – which is one reason why house prices kept going up. Moderation, not bust.

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Opinion: A rebuttal to Steve Broebeck and the CFA’s anticompetitive price fixing position

Housing Wire

Let’s address these concerns: First, Steve’s argument presupposes buyers, especially those at the lower end of the income spectrum, can easily finance agent commissions through their mortgage. The reality is that financing commissions are unfeasible. This assumption is fundamentally flawed.

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MBA seeks clarity on GSE investment property policies

Housing Wire

The Mortgage Bankers Association on Tuesday sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mark Calabria expressing concern over several amendments to the Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreements announced in January , including changes to investment properties.