During the fourth quarter of last year, some housing experts projected home prices were going to crash in 2023. The media ran with those forecasts and put out headlines calling for doom and gloom in the housing market. All of this negative news coverage made a lot of people have doubts about the strength of the residential real estate market.
Have you ever wondered how inflation impacts the housing market? Believe it or not, they’re connected. Whenever there are changes to one, both are affected. Here’s a high-level overview of the connection between the two.
The biggest challenge the housing market’s facing is how few homes there are for sale. Mark Fleming, Chief Economist atFirst American,explainsthe root causes of...
Last week’s scheduled economic reports included preliminary monthly readings on inflation and consumer sentiment along with weekly reporting on mortgage rates and jobless claims.
Many agree that the mortgage process can be overwhelming for anyone. Sure, we can make the process of filling out a mortgage application easier for borrowers with the convenience of online, over the phone or in person. But are we capturing all of the information we need to make a decision? Are we providing a good experience for the borrower or complicating it by not asking the right questions?
Interest rates were incredibly low over the last couple of years, along with the inventory of homes for sale. This resulted in bidding wars and a rise in home prices. While it’s true that we have seen an uptick in the interest rates coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, buyers are still continuing to purchase homes.
So, what can we do to set our borrowers up for home loan success in this market?
Offer Pre-Approvals
Set buyers up for success before they shop by offering a pre-approval. We’ve all heard this phrase before, but what about a pre-approval underwrite? Working with a partner who offers a full underwrite before they shop, is like giving them purchasing power times a thousand. If you recognize there could be hurdles because your borrower has variable income, the application is for a government backed loan or to simply have a second set of eyes take a look at an out of the box scenario, a pre-approval underwrite is a fantastic way to set your borrower up for success in this competitive home buying market.
How much is your borrower comfortable paying each month?
"What would you be comfortable with for a monthly payment?” What a powerful question, because it allows you to back into the loan amount by considering first, what your borrower wants to pay monthly versus how much you can get them pre-approved for. Perhaps they are currently paying rent of $800 monthly but feel they could increase to $1,100 a month for a housing payment. Personal circumstances should be the primary driver for financial choices.
How much of down payment do they have?
Lastly, but very important, how much of a down payment does your borrower have to bring to the closing table? This answer will aide you in determining the loan type that best suits their situation. Even no money down or low money down programs like FHA, VA, USDA and some conventional programs have closing costs. Funds available for the purchase loan will be a key driver in determining what loan type best fits them.
About the Author:
Kristina Dewitt has over 20 years of experience in the financial industry, including leading mortgage teams and in the mortgage lending industry. Kristina truly embodies being in the business of serving people. More important to me, she says, are the relationships built over the years.
Over the past five years, community lenders share of the first-mortgage market has grown significantly. Added to that increase? Important industry changes (TRID 2.0, HMDA, URLA) that require the services of a lending partner who’s ahead of the curve. A partner you can trust to ensure that your loans are compliant and salable. One with extensive industry knowledge to help you prepare for new government mandates and the home-buying demand. Here are three crucial factors to consider when choosing the partner that will compliment your mortgage offerings and provide your borrowers a great experience.