Jonathan Burdick

Ben Bernanke Can’t Refinance Because Credit Is Still Ridiculously Tight Things have come to a pretty pass when even Ben Bernanke can’t refinance his mortgage, as he lamented at a conference in Chicago on Thursday. It’s likely that the former chairman of the Federal Reserve can’t refinance his mortgage because most of his income comes from 1099 sources rather than W-2s. Never mind that these are very large 1099s—he gets at least $200,000 per speech, Bloomberg reported last mon

On Tuesday, Fannie Mae released its latest contribution to a seemingly unending stream of research on one of the biggest problems facing the housing industry: What is preventing millennials from buying homes? The thrust of Fannie’s report said that millennials have reasonable access to affordable housing but are not buying, largely for reasons already known: high unemployment, not enough access to downpayment capital, lots of student loan debt and subpar median incomes. Fanni

US Housing, A Global Marketplace The housing market is rapidly becoming an international marketplace with an increasing number of transactions representing global sales. According to the National Association of Realtors®2014 Profile of International Home Buying Activity, for the period April 2013 through March 2014, total international sales are estimated at $92.2B, an increase from the previous period’s level of $68.2B. Favorable exchange rates, affordable home prices and ri

5 Common Credit Score Myths Myths and misinformation abound in the world of credit scoring. Here are some of the most common credit scoring myths, and the truth of the matter: 1: Credit scoring used for pre-employment screening Truth: Credit scores are not and have never been used by employers for employment screening purposes. Employers don’t even have access to credit scores. Credit reports, which are different than credit scores, can be used for employment screening purp

Improvement In The Lending Environment A couple of recent solid reports on mortgages paint a picture of a market that’s healing, with loan access and demand rising. Recent mortgage reports indicate that consumer access to mortgages is opening up and demand is rising. Low interest rates are fostering rising demand in both existing and new homes. However, now the challenge is for available housing inventory to balance with the market demand. The demographic profile of consumers

First-time homebuyers are key to the housing rebound The typical first-time homebuyer is about 30 years old, and income gains for younger households have been weaker than average. Median household income was flat from 2008 to 2012 for households aged 25 to 34 years. Growth in the median income for all households was weak but did advance by 0.8% per year. Job and income growth will accelerate and help first-time homebuyers overcome rising house prices and enter the market. Mor

There's No Doubt, The Economy Is Mending Moody’s Analytics recently released their latest U.S. Macro Forecast, by economist Mark Zandi. Here are two central themes highlighted to support their belief that the economy is truly recovering: Recovery is in high gear - Since it began five years ago, real GDP growth has been tepid, averaging just over 2% per year. The pace now looks closer to 3%. - Behind the pickup is the winding down of fiscal austerity. Government spending cuts

CPLs protect lenders from the unauthorized actions of settlement agents. When you secure a mortgage to purchase a home or other piece of real estate, your lender will require that you purchase title insurance to protect the loan. This title insurance premium will be paid one time during the escrow/settlement period of the real estate transaction, and the coverage will last until the loan is settled — paid, refinanced or foreclosed. When the title insurance company agrees to i

One of the foremost economists covering the housing market is Celia Chen with Economy.com. Over the next three issues we will be covering her latest U.S. Housing Outlook, just released. Here is a summary of her key projections: • As employment conditions improve, pent-up housing demand will be released. • Home sales will remain at 5.5 million this year and accelerate to 6.4 million in 2015. • Credit remains tight, but mortgage lenders are expected to ease in coming months. •

So you are wanting to buy a home and want a home loan, you have waddled through all the paperwork needed and you have given them to your loan officer. The list of documents needed was long but you made the copies and sent them in to complete all the requested documents. You now think that all you have to do is wait. But that is not true. There are several places that might need some more information from you. The underwriter might request other documentation from you. Se