Category Archives: housing market

New Home Sales Surging

Posted on March 28, 2015 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner New U.S. homes sold at an annual rate of 539,000 in February to mark the best month of sales in seven years, the government reported Tuesday. The pace of sales for January was also revised up sharply … Continue reading →

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2014 Household Formation Rebounds

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs Breaking news. The latest Homeownership & Vacancy Survey, released by the Census Bureau, estimated household formation surged to 1.7 million in 2014 from 400,000 the previous year. That is really big news. Household formation, which is the bottom … Continue reading →

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Will 2015 Interest Rates Remain This Low?

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Record low interest rates are holding, in spite of the latest stock market selloffs, and may remain low throughout 2015. Why? Oil prices are still below $50/barrel, and overall prices are falling throughout the developed world. The … Continue reading →

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Pending Home Sales, Consumer Confidence Looking Better

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Oh, the winter is freezing consumers, as I’ve said! It affected January existing-home sales, but the NAR’s January Pending Home Sales index rose sharply 1.7 percent. So pending sales of contracts signed may give a boost to … Continue reading →

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Fed Chair Yellen Still Dovish, Economy Still “Sluggish”

Posted on February 27, 2015 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly Federal Reserve Chairperson Yellen wants to keep interest rates as low as possible for at least the “next couple of FOMC meetings”, even as there are signs that economic growth is accelerating. This is in the face … Continue reading →

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January Existing Home Sales, Mortgage Applications Dip

Posted on February 26, 2015 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Oh, the winter freeze! It seems to put the housing market into a deep freeze, as well. Total existing-home sales, completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, fell 4.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted … Continue reading →

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Mortgage Refinancings Surge in 2015

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner The still record-low interest rates are making a difference. Refinancings jumped 66 percent in January’s first two weeks, according to the MBA. And borrowers who refinanced during the fourth quarter of 2014 were able to reduce their … Continue reading →

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Housing Sales-Construction Continue to Expand

Posted on January 26, 2015 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner The NAR reports total existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, rose 2.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.04 million in December from a downwardly-revised 4.92 million … Continue reading →

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Mortgage Applications Increase Incredible 49 percent in January

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Mortgage applications increased 49.1 percent from one week earlier, said the just released Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending January 9, 2015. It was the largest increase since 2008 at the start … Continue reading →

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CFPB Releases Borrower Guidelines

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner The Consumer Protection Financial Bureau, set up as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street and Consumer Protection Act, has just published guidelines for mortgage borrowers to help them get the best possible terms. Knowing mortgage guidelines and … Continue reading →

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