Mortgage Grader

Jan
10
2020

Skip payments on a modified mortgage and California cuts you a big break
An appellate court ruling prevents lenders from reverting to the original note and its default rules. You’ve heard of ivory tower thinking. How about the Ivory Court of California? Last month a California appellate court concluded that a mortgage lender could not require its...

Jan
03
2020

Prediction: Home values will drop by 25% to 50% in decade ahead
One loyal column reader inquired last week about what the decade ahead holds for California real estate and mortgage matters. Here it goes: 1) Real estate agents and mortgage brokers will experience a compensation squeeze as much of their need for labor-intensive research will be...

Jan
03
2020

2020 Real Estate Trends: Is It a Good Time To Buy or Sell?
Some of the first things we look at when determining a favorable seller’s and buyer’s market are employment, income, and consumer confidence levels. Those 3 points combined with current rates and loan programs give us an excellent sense of how big the opportunity is for...

Dec
28
2019

Mortgage prediction for 2020: a 30-year fixed at 2.875% without points
Bet on real estate in 2020, says my crystal ball. 1) The Freddie Mac 30-year fixed rate will average 3.4%, about one-half point lower than 2019. Why? Equilibrium. Approximately 30% of global bonds are negative (bank pays you to borrow mortgage money and you pay the bank for the privilege of...

Dec
26
2019

Saving For A Downpayment: Where To Keep Your Nest Egg
Saving for a downpayment is one of the first steps to buying a home --apart from getting pre-qualified for a mortgage. Starting your savings also requires quite a bit of commitment. It takes discipline to forgo that weekend getaway with friends or reduce everyday purchases like your usual...

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