Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Happy Memorial Day!  I hope you are all having a fun and safe 3 day weekend, and you are able to take a little time off and enjoy time with your families.

PRODUCT UPDATE ALERT:  LISTING AGENTS TAKE A LOOK!

First Cal now allows minor withholds at closing for conventional loans.  It is case by case basis, but generally speaking as long as the job is completed within 2 weeks we will allow the funding to take place and withhold up to $10,000 in repairs.  WE will also allow this on FHA loans, up to $5,000 in repairs, but only on HUD homes.  

Financial Markets
Stocks across the board ended the week on a high note as the Dow closed at 16,613 and the S and P 500 closed above 1,900 for the first time ever.  The primary catalylist for the stock market rallies was the better than expected new home sales report that was released Friday morning.  April new home sales were up 6.4% from March, and revised the seasonally adjusted annual rate of sales to 433,000 homes.  March sales were also revised from 384,000 to 407,000.  

Mortgage-backed Securities, in particular, the Fannie Mae 4.0 coupon, improved by nearly 75 basis points over the past two weeks, with 30 yr fixed rate mortgages trending down and hovering in the upper 3’s and low 4’s.  It is somewhat rare to see both bonds and equities rally along-side each other.  To me, this is a strong indication that the U.S. has become the safest haven for international investors to invest, with China’s economy slowing and the political turbulence in Eastern Europe. 

Southern Nevada Real Estate Related Data
Nevada’s foreclosure numbers continue to improve with respect to the rest of the nation, and the state’s overall ranking fell to 14th highest. 

Delinquency Status
Percent of Loans
National Ranking
30 Days
1.69
43
60 Days
0.66
40
90 Days or More
3.77
2
Total Past Due
6.11
21
In Foreclosure
3.51
8
Total Past Due or In Foreclosure
9.62
14

For more real estate financing information, please visit my website: http://www.matthewtmaltese.com/home.html

Monday, May 12, 2014

Duck Video is cool to check out for Mother's Day...and borrowers should look to lock in their rate!

Check out these ducks video, very fitting for Mother’s Day….Speaking of which, Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there!


Financial Markets
The Dow reached its all time high Friday, closing at 16,583. It seems that record highs will be somewhat of a norm until we see a noticeable correction.  Investors, for the first Friday in a while, were ok with leaving holdings in stocks despite the volatility in Eastern Europe.  The rally in stocks resulted in a rally killer in the bond market. 

The Fannie Mae 4.0 coupon improved by roughly 100 basis points over the past two weeks (equivalent to an improvement of roughly .25% in interest rate to the consumer).  The instrument traded positively in 10 of the past 13 trading sessions, and that streak ended Friday as the instrument experienced selling pressure.  Clients should be looking to lock in the rate to avoid the eventual correction.  IMO…..(I recently learned that means “In My Opinion”…LOL)

Southern Nevada Real Estate Related Data
Below is an interesting article sourcing Zillow, who states that The “:breakeven horizon”, or time it takes until owning a home becomes less expensive than renting one, has dropped to 1.5 years, which is one of the fastest rates in the nation.  This, despite one of the fastest home value appreciation percentages in the nation, is due to the rising rent rates in Southern Nevada, according to Zillow. 


The median priced home in Southern Nevada dropped 1.5% in April from the month prior, but up 15% from April 2013.  This should not be deemed as all that concerning as most real estate economists predict a “bobbing along”, and would expect to see rolling hills (as opposed to jagged cliffs)  on its way to 5% annual appreciation. 


For more real estate financing information, please visit my website: http://www.matthewtmaltese.com/home.html