It's been a cold, snowy winter.

The mortgage delinquency rate hit the lowest level in 5 years and dropped below 4% for the first time since 2008.
According to TransUnion’s latest mortgage delinquency report, the rate of borrowers 60 days of more delinquent on their mortgages ended the fourth quarter of 2013 at 3.85%.
 “It’s encouraging to see the mortgage delinquency rate drop for two consecutive years, but at the same time, mortgage delinquencies continue to be twice as high as levels observed prior to the housing bubble,” said Steve Chaouki, head of financial services for TransUnion. -- Brena Swanson in HousingWire
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Since Jan. 18, the CFPB's amendment to Regulation B hasrequired lenders to send loan applicants free copies of "all written property valuations" created to support a mortgage credit application. That includes appraisals, automated valuation models and broker price opinions.
Hence DataQuick is offering alternative data support to lenders trying to comply with the new CFPB requirement. It has updated its online property intelligence portal, PropertyFinder 2G, so users can customize comparable sales data and analysis to accurately assess the property without generating a valuation estimate subject to the notification requirement. -- Amilda Dymi in Origination News
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Johnstown Castle Gardens, Ireland

Shared by Tina En
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New single-family homes recorded a sharp uptick in January, running at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 543,000, according to the latest findings from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Builder Applications Survey. 
“It is also worth noting that the significant January increase also followed a particularly slow pace of sales in November and December,” Fratantoni continued.
Meanwhile, the estimated 543,000 unit sales pace for January increased 35% from December’s pace of 402,000 units.
The average loan size of new homes decreased from $300,444 in December to $289,358 in January.  -- Brena Swanson in HousingWire
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Crowdfunding Real Estate, with the SEC's Blessing
Now a New York startup is trying to harness the power of the Internet to raise capital for real estate developments, with less risk and greater transparency for the small-time participants than most crowdfunding platforms.
Investments start at $100. Groundfloor connects independent developers seeking alternative funding outside the traditional banking structure with mass-market investors. Interest rates offered to investors are determined by an algorithm that benefits the earliest who pledge to invest. For example, more than 69 investors are currently set to earn 8.75% interest or more on the inaugural Groundfloor project. "The offered rate decreases incrementally as projects near full funding." -- Amilda Dymi in Origiantion News.
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Landschaftspark Duisburg

Shared by Ralph Leuschner
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"My single-family forecast for 2014 is pretty aggressiv—822,000 starts which is likely 200,000 more than 2013," said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. "There are five key points to the turnaround. Consumers are back, pent-up demand is emerging, there is a growing need for new construction, distressed sales are diminishing and builders see it."  -- Shared by Sonja Bullard in Angle Oak Weekly.
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The debate continues over how much the weather is really to blame for the poor December and January economic numbers – ranging from job creation and retail sales to home sales and home starts – and now our friends at Trulia (TRLA) have weighed in on the subject......
Finally, housing activity tends to bounce partway back the month after bad weather (unless that next month is unusually bad, too). Rain and cold don’t last forever, and neither do their effects on housing. Therefore, bad winter weather will only delay some construction and sales activity, rather than make it disappear. Severe winter weather may cause housing activity to wobble, but cold, rain, and snow won’t hobble the housing recovery. -- Trey Garrison in HousingWire
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Lunenburg, Novia Scotia

Shared by Nancy Dempsey
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Mortgage rates now between 4.3% and 4.75% and trickling up. -- Geoff Smith
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Nat'l Real Estate Post:

Last week we reported that high level investment execs have been killing themselves. Two of those guys were from Chase and now yet another Chase banker has decided it would be better to jump off a building in Hong Kong rather than go to work the next day. That’s three from Chase in the past few weeks. One jumped off a cliff and the other two jumped off of buildings.
And what if you bank there, or have a mortgage there, does it make you concerned that this most unusual activity is happening within the walls of one of your financial institutions? Is there something coming your way that you should be concerned about? Well, let us know what you think about all this down below and to learn more watch the video above.
-------------------------------------------
Castle in Trevejo, Spain

Shared by Xalima Miriel
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Auction.com and the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals are joining forces to advance sustainable Hispanic homeownership.
NAHREP promotes Hispanic homeownership by educating and empowering the real estate professionals who serve Hispanic buyers and sellers. The partnership will help real estate professionals and their clients take advantage of opportunities to buy and sell through Auction.com. -- Trey Garrison in HousingWire
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The oldest Slovenian castle, Bled castle is a medieval castle perched on a rock and rises 130 meters over the glacial Lake Bled in Bled, Slovenia. The castle dates back to the 11th century with most of the present structure coming from the 16th century. The castle forms a dramatic backdrop to the romantic island and the beautiful area set against the Julian Alps makes it a popular tourist destination.

Shared by Yen Baet
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Fannie Mae reports $84.8 billion income for 2013 and $6.6 billion for 4Q13

Payments to Treasury finally exceed bailout amount

Fannie Mae reported annual net income for 2013 of $84 billion, which includes the release of the company’s valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets, and annual pretax income for 2013 of $38.6 billion.

Fannie Mae reported net income of $6.5 billion for the fourth quarter of 2013, the company’s eighth consecutive quarterly profit, and pretax income of $8.3 billion for the fourth quarter of 2013.

Fannie Mae will pay Treasury $7.2 billion in dividends in March 2014.

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Shared by Uros Kralj
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Housing starts dropped in January, but what would you expect with all that snow on the ground?  I don't know of any contractors who would even try.  Just wait until the weather warms up and housing starts will explode.  JPierce
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Nat'l Real Estate Post:  Zig Ziglar says that 84% of all salespeople have some sort of call reluctance. We think it’s more, don’t you?
http://thenationalrealestatepost.com/enough-with-the-call-reluctance-already/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheNationalRealEstatePost+%28The+National+Real+Estate+Post%29
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Bandra-Worli Sea Link, shared by Rajinder Jindal

The Target hacking scandle and the effect on home loans.

"Energy and Persistence conquer all things." Benjamin Franklin.
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Nat'l Real Estate Post:

ARM's (adjustable rate mortgages) are beginning to catch up with FRM's (fixed rate mortgages) again.  This is not a bad thing.  Check out the link, http://thenationalrealestatepost.com/arms-preferred-over-fixed-with-consumers/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheNationalRealEstatePost+%28The+National+Real+Estate+Post%29
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From the Bureau of Economic Analysis:
(DPI) decreased $3.8 billion, or less than 0.1 percent, in December according to the Bureau of Economic
Analysis. Personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $44.1 billion, or 0.4 percent. In November, personal income increased $29.8 billion, or 0.2 percent, DPI increased $14.4 billion, or 0.1 percent, and PCE increased $74.8 billion, or 0.6 percent, based on revised estimates. Real disposable personal income decreased 0.2 percent in December, in contrast to an increase of 0.1 percent in November. Real PCE increased 0.2 percent in December, compared with an increase of
0.6 percent in November.--------------------------------------------

Shared by Xalima Miriel, Sortehla Spain, a city from the middle ages.

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With Bloomberg breaking news Tuesday night that American Homes 4 Rent, the nation’s second-largest single-family landlord, has tapped Goldman Sachs (GS) to arrange a bond backed by house rental payments, it looks like REO-to-rental as an asset class is here to stay a while.  -- Trey Garrison in HousingWire
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The Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes reveal the Federal Reserve is taking its taper of asset purchases a bit further, reducing monthly acquisitions of Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities by $10 billion total.
Starting in February, it will scale back agency MBS purchases by another $5 billion, acquiring the assets at a pace of $30 billion per month rather than $35 billion. -- Brena Swanson in HousingWire
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Shared by Guy Kawasaki, Ancient ghost city of Ani
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2014/01/the-ancient-ghost-city-of-ani/100668/

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Nat'l Real Estate Post:
Master Bedroom? Safe Neighborhood? Bachelor Pad? Are you offended? Probably not, but at the drop of a hat someone else could be and if your real estate advertisement offends someone, it could mean a lawsuit. There’s certain phrases that are obviously offensive, but more and more real estate agents and builders are starting to shy away from virtually “anything” that can be perceived as offensive.
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CFPB director on the defensive:
Rep. Stevan Pearce, R-N.M., said the CFPB's rules on a "qualified mortgage" and restrictions on high-cost loans would largely exclude manufactured housing—and then accused Cordray of purposely trying to oppress lower-income families.
"Fifty percent of the homes in New Mexico are trailer houses. And now then, because of that [rule], almost all of our lenders are out of that market," Pearce said. "You're going to choke down the rural small areas, the areas that don't fit your definition of what's really right for people to live in. It is a war on the poor that is being conducted by you and this administration. It is one where the low-income suffer the most, they don't have other options." -- Rachael Witkowski in HousingWire.----------------------------
Shared by Uros Kralj, shot by Emanuele Serraino, Trajan's Market, Rome Italy

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The conventional thinking is that the flow of REO into the market is slowing and prices are too high to generate the kind of returns institutional investors expect.
But institutional investors are “changing their business model,” according to Auction.com executive vice president Rick Sharga.
They are buying single-family properties between $85,000 to $150,000, Sharga said. And they are also starting to offer financing to smaller investors that buy and rent those single-family homes.
“What you are seeing is that a lot of slack that you would expect to see with the big guys moving away is being taken up by individual investors,” Sharga said Tuesday at a National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals conference in Washington.
Auction.com sold 40,000 properties in 2013 via its online auction platform. The Irvine, Calif., company is also offering bridge loans of $500,000 to $1 million to small investors that buy distressed properties. -- Brian Collins in Origination News
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Nat'l Real Estate Post:

If you’re not aware, the Tax Exemption that saved people on huge tax consequences due to a short sale or foreclosure is gone. This could definitely put a slow down on the real estate market. The lack of this exemption could be the very thing that stops someone from going through with that short sale. These taxes can be devastating to people.
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U.S. housing is now the most unaffordable that it ever has been, says Anthony Sanders, distinguished professor of real estate finance at George Mason University.
“Real median household income (has been declining) since peaking in 1999 and is now $5,000 lower or 9% lower,” Sanders says. “Average U.S. house prices are, on the other hand, 68.4% higher today than in December 1999.”
The bottom line: the outsized and growing number of single-family rentals may be a serious indicator of an unhealthy housing market, but the impact it’s having on rental rates in general is nil, and at least part of the price appreciation the market has seen is as much a rebound effect as it is the impact of investor dollars pouring in and snatching up bargains. -- Trey Garrison in HousingWire
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Shared by Karol Nienartowicz, Sniezka, Karkonosze Mountians, Poland

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I thought this was interesting from the Census Bureau

Goods and Services

The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of

Economic Analysis, through the Department of Commerce,
announced today that total December exports of

$191.3 billion

and imports of

$230.0 billion resulted in a goods and services

deficit of

$38.7 billion, up from $34.6 billion in November,

revised. December exports were $3.5 billion less than
November exports of $194.8 billion. December imports were
$0.6 billion more than November imports of $229.4 billion.

Selected Not Seasonally Adjusted Goods Details

The December figures show surpluses, in billions of

dollars, with Hong Kong $3.3 ($2.9 for November), Australia
$1.6 ($1.2), Brazil $1.5 ($1.1), and Singapore $1.2 ($1.2).
Deficits were recorded, in billions of dollars, with China $24.5
($26.9), European Union $11.3 ($10.1), Japan $6.0 ($5.8),
Germany $5.9 ($5.9), Mexico $4.2 ($4.1), OPEC $4.0 ($4.8),
Canada $3.4 ($1.5), Saudi Arabia $2.8 ($2.9), Ireland $1.8
($1.8), Venezuela $1.6 ($1.5), India $1.5 ($1.0), and Korea
$0.8 ($1.2).----------------------------------
Shared by Gia Huy Au Duong, Paris


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According to the Fannie Mae National Housing Survey, approximately 40% to 50% of eligible mortgage borrowers said they have not refinanced the mortgage, despite the opportunity for potentially significant savings.
Therefore, at this point, whether or not a borrower refinances could be up to the lenders, and how well they communicate information to their clients. -- Jacob Gaffney in HousingWire
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Commercial and multifamily mortgage originations are expected to grow to $300 billion in 2014, rising 7% from 2013 volumes and will continue to rise to $333 billion in 2016, as HousingWire posted Monday. -- Brena Swanson in HousingWire
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Shared by Kyoung Woo Park

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Nat'l Real Estate Post:
Now we’ve all heard about this issue. In fact at least 70 million people had their credit card information stolen, and the truth is the number is looking like it’s going to me much more. Yikes! That’s a lot of people! In fact, it’s 1 in 5 people. So take a look around guys, someone you’re looking at has some A-Hole buying a flat screen TV on their dime and isn’t going to make the payments for it.
That means there’s a bunch of people that are going to have issues getting home loans for problems that they didn’t create. Look, it’s just a fact man, so deal with it. When you start seeing this stuff pop up, don’t say we didn’t tell you.
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With 105,000, foreclosure starts ended 2013 at the lowest level since April 2007. -- Evan Nemeroff in Origination News
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Shared by Dieter Birr

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In the last month mortgage interest rates have dropped to between 4.125% and 4.375%
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How community banks will reign in 2014
Despite some small lenders choosing to shut the door on originating mortgages, community banks could have just the right kind of leverage to succeed in 2014’s lending environment.
“Community banks, I think, are best prepared and best equipped. They are uniquely positioned, and their market is well defined,” Christina Boyle, vice president and interim head of the Single-Family Sales and Relationship Management organization with Freddie Mac said. “They are not trying to be positioned in everything.” -- Brena Swanson in HousingWire
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Twisted staircase, shared by Sergey Alimov

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Yet, even (Robert) Shiller acknowledges the advantages of homeownership over and above renting under the US legal system. More importantly, he also notes that the concept of homeownership began in the early twentieth century as a means of encouraging families to save.
So, in the 21st century, perhaps we can revisit our heritage, realizing that the acquisition of a home can be a far more personal and important decision to an individual than merely serving as an investment vehicle.
While the value of one’s home is an important barometer of the welfare of that individual and their family, the purchase of a primary residence should not be undertaken with an eye towards investment as its paramount purpose. It is only when we, as a country, end the comparison of real estate values and other investment vehicles, that the real estate sector of our economy can begin to heal.  (Robert Schiller won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2013.) -- Behzad Gohari in Origination News
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Tunneling beneath London, shared by Guy Kawasaki

Real Estate industry in flux.

Nat'l Real Estate Post:
There are 19 lenders sitting on top of $325 billion dollars of Heloc’s that are ready to reset. When they do, lenders are somewhat fearful that it may result in new defaults.
Back in 2005 there were a lot of HELOC’s that were made. Well believe it or not, many of them are still alive and kicking and are close to resetting. When they reset, the we either come due as a balloon payment or they will become amortized. Either way this can be a problem for many homeowners. The question is, will people be able to deal with it, or will they throw in the towel and default.
---------------------------------------------
Short sales, bank-owned sales and public foreclosure auction purchases accounted for 16.2% of all U.S. residential sales in 2013, according to RealtyTrac. This figure is up from 14.5% of all sales in 2012 and is higher than the 15.2% mark seen during 2011. -- Evan Nemeroff in Origination News.
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London lake and Towers shared by John Brody

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Fitch Ratings sent a note today warning that extended foreclosure timelines are increasing the severity of losses in residential mortgage-backed securities.
There are some bright notes for mortgage investors. Home prices increases from the last two years help offset extended liquidation timelines. -- Jacob Gaffney for HousingWire
---------------------------------------------

Where are home sales headed?

Realtors: Strength hinges on job market

"It looks as if the job market will expand which suggests another pick up in home sales in 2014. Will it be as big...probably not. We saw almost a 9% gain in 2013, but for 2014 we expect it to be closer to 5% or 6%," said Nationwide Chief Economist David Berson. "If you look at November and December together, they were the weakest months of the year, which was partly due to weather, mortgage rates and continuous home price gains." -- Brena Swanson in HousingWire

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Sortelha, Spain Shared by Xalima Miriel

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Builders unscathed by rising loan limits

Lone Star state comes out on top

"The larger public builders will continue to have superior access to capital markets and well-positioned land, enabling them to exploit the on-going cyclical housing expansion," Fitch Ratings noted in its own report this week.
According the latest National Association of Realtors report, in all of 2013, there were 5.09 million home sales, up 9.1% from 2012: the strongest performance since 2006. -- Brena Swanson in HousingWire
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3 dangers housing finance faces in 2014

Ambiguous, complex, and inconsistent enforcment ahead

The overly complex demands of Dodd-Frank, the rise of non-subject matter regulators, and the politicization of the regulatory process are challenges the industry must face going forward, because there’s no relief in sight until housing reform becomes a priority, which most don’t see happening before 2016. -- Trey Garrison in HousingWire

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Shared by Tina En

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Here's where Zillow says home values are headed

Real estate megalith expects some markets to have affordability issues

Homes values are estimated to rise another 4.8% through December 2014, but local market trends are expected to differ, which may cause confusion and uncertainty among homebuyers and sellers, the latest Zillow report found. -- Brena Swanson in HousingWire

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Freddie Mac reported a slight increase in mortgage purchases during December even though refinancings dropped to the lowest level of the year.

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Halkidiki in Greece, shared by Dimitris Xlias

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When some of the oldest, big mall stores hit never ending struggles it is significant — reflective of larger economic trends derailing middle-class consumers, one of the largest home buying segments.
However, from a broader economic perspective – with large-box retailers struggling and homeownership declining – perhaps, it's safe to say staples of middle-class life are dying a slow death…just like the suburban shopping mall. -- Kerri Ann Panchuck in HousingWire
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New home sales fell 7% in December

Market inventory reaches a 5-month supply

New home sales fell in December, falling 7% below November’s revised rate of 445,000 sales to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 414,000 units, the Commerce Department reported Monday. -- Brena Swanson in HousingWire

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Shared by Beny YHW

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Think Millennials are stalling the housing market?

Think again. They have nothing on reluctant thirty-somethings

For starters, rental prices keep going up, according to new data from TransUnion, which shows average rental prices rose nearly 4% from $1,034 in the third quarter of 2012 to $1,072 in the third quarter of 2013.

The credit risk of rental applicants also is improving, which suggests consumers are back to making enough money to cover their payments and are able to function in the rental market at a higher success rate.

Long term this is a positive trend for housing if these renters eventually make the transition to homeownership. -- Kerri Ann Panchuck in HousingWire
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First by state: The states with the highest percentage of delinquent loans include Mississippi, New Jersey, Florida, New York and Louisiana.
The states with the best record for staying current are Montana, Colorado, Alaska, South Dakota and North Dakota.
Really good news: In December, foreclosure and seriously delinquent (90+ days) inventories reached their lowest levels since 2008. Also, foreclosure starts were down 23% for the entire year. The total U.S. foreclosure pre-sale inventory rate hovered at 2.48%. -- Trey Garrison in HousingWire
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Noravank in Armenia, shared by Jacob Surland

Real Estate Summary News: The housing recovery isn't what the White House tells us.

Real Estate Summary News: The housing recovery isn't what the White House tells us.

The housing recovery isn't what the White House tells us.

The mortgage rate dip last week has resulted in application volume increasing nearly 12% on a seasonally adjusted basis according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. -- Brad Finkelstein in Origination News
---------------------------------------
Reuters is running a pretty shocking exclusive right now. Apparently the Federal Bureau of Investigation, of all agencies, is investigating the claim that derivative traders are front running swaps orders from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

....this is proof Dodd-Frank isn't working. The financial reform made plenty to do with how it would regulate derivatives and how this was going to happen: "The Dodd-Frank Act divides regulatory authority over swap agreements between the CFTC and SEC." -- Jacob Gaffney in ReWired
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Shared by Philo Yan
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Non-QM [mortgage lending] is a huge opportunity, the largest we've seen in 30 years," said one investor with a hedge fund, who asked not to be named. "It's going to take a little time to sort out the details as an industry, but once we do I see a strong market ahead." -- Paul Jackson in ReWired
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Shared by Dieter Birr
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Here are the top six budget places to buy, with a ski resort next door, in reverse order:
8: Truckee, CA. ($379,492)
7. Steamboat Springs, CO ($357,497)
6. Mammoth Lakes, CA. ($341,425)
5. Red Lodge, MT. ($338,581)
4. South Lake Tahoe, CA. ($321,713)
3. Bend, OR. ($281,314)
2. Taos, NM. ($274,496)
1. Whitefish, MT. ($249,736)
Jacob Gaffney in ReWired
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According to Veros, here are the top five strongest and weakest #realestate markets projected for 2014.

Projected Five Strongest Markets
1. #SanFrancisco-#Oakland-#Fremont, #CA +13.4 percent
2. #SanJose-#Sunnyvale-#SantaClara, CA +10.7 percent
3. #Seattle-#Tacoma-#Bellevue, #WA +10.2 percent
4. #LosAngeles-#LongBeach-#SantaAna, CA +9.6 percent
5. #Midland, #TX +9.5 percent

Projected Five Weakest Markets
1. #AtlanticCity, #NJ -1.7 percent
2. #Kingston, #NY -1.7 percent
3. #Fayetteville, #NC -1.3 percent
4. #Norwich-#NewLondon, #CT -1.2 percent
5. #Rockford, #IL -1.1 percent

Shared by Tony Garcia

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Church in Lindau

Shared by Dieter Birr
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Georgia, the first state to file for Constitutional Convention.
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Fannie Mae is sending letters to lenders with new requirements for pre-qualifying borrowers.
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Shared by Dieter Birr
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The stock market is set for a bull run due to wars and rumors of wars and bad weather.
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http://sharedscience.org/2014/01/16/previously-unknown-pharaoh-discovered/
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The percentage of student loans classified as delinquent shot up by 13% in 2013, as other types of credit — auto, credit cards and mortgages — continued to see notable payment improvements, data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York claims.
There’s only one conclusion that can be drawn from this – student loans are the new mortgages. Everyone under a certain age seems to have at least one education debt to pay off. And they are more expensive than ever as this debt sector expands to a tally of $1 trillion-plus in outstanding student loans.
With this expansion, comes fewer Americans who are financially stable or qualified enough to buy new or existing homes. But how troubling is the data, really?
D'Vari's take: "Follow the money because the next financial litigation battle is going to be an education about higher education." -- Kerri Ann Panchuck in HousingWire
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A thatched house in East Stratton, Winchester UK

Shared by Neil Howard

The new year is here.  Make the most of it.
----------------------------------------------------

Homebuyer demand took a sharper-than-expected drop in December, according the Redfin Real-Time Demand Pulse report that analyzes housing market demand based on home tour and offer data.

Offers declined 20.2% from November to December, compared to 16.7% during the same period of 2012.
Offers signed by Redfin customers dropped 20.2% between November and December 2013, compared to a 16.7% drop during the same period last year.
Homebuyers are increasingly concerned about their budget and overall homeownership affordability, argues Olson. “They're also worried about facing stiff competition in the coming months as more buyers enter the market." -- Amilda Dymi in Origination News.
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RealtyTrac released its U.S. Home Equity & Underwater Report for December 2013, which shows that 9.3 million U.S. residential properties were deeply underwater, or about 1 in 5 of every property with a mortgage.
That was down from 10.7 million residential properties deeply underwater in September 2013, representing 23% of all properties with a mortgage, and down from 10.9 million properties deeply underwater in January 2013, representing 26% of all properties with a mortgage. -- Trey Garrison in HousingWire
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Shanghai, JinMao Tower

Shared by Gia Huy Au Duong
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Nat'l Real Estate Post:  Bitcoin
What an interesting thing to consider. Let’s say you made a million dollars worth of Bitcoin in a year. Do you know what your tax liability is on that? Nothing. Yep, nothing. Can you buy stuff with Bitcoin? Yep, all kinds of stuff and now it appears houses are in that mix. Everyday more and more companies are accepting Bitcoin as payment for their goods or services.
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Nat'l Real Estate Post:
First on the list is QM of course. People might not be able to qualify for as much as they used to. There are going to be fewer loan options available to them as well since many lenders simply won’t offer programs that don’t fit the safest aspects of QM.
Then there are increased Loan Level Price adjustments. These are adjustments in pricing on a buyers loan based on their profile. Things like their credit score, loan to value and property type already impact the pricing on a loan, but this year they’re going up.
How about the “g-fee” increase? This is how the GSE’s make money. They increase them to make more money and supposedly encourage private capital into the market. When the g-fee increases, it makes it down the the rate sheet and your buyer pay more. Well, we have a new FHFA Director coming in, Mel Watt, and he’s temporarily put a hold on these increases until he can see why their being bumped. For now it’s slowed down, but you can expect them to rise.
And finally insurance. FHA mortgage insurance is expected to rise, especially if there’s another FHA bailout. Flood insurance it off the charts higher in some areas due to the Biggert-Waters Act and FEMA’s rezoning of many flood zone areas. But the one insurance that’s not going up is PMI. Private mortgage insurance is getting a little better with decreasing foreclosure activity.

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Shared by Uros Kralj
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Nat'l Real Estate Post:
In real estate news and mortgage news, it looks as though the McMansion is making a comeback. According to the NAHB, property square footage is on the rise and lot sizes are on the decline. Hey, we’re Americans. That’s how we roll right?
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The Federal Housing Finance Agency delayed plans to raise the base guarantee fee by 10 basis points on all mortgages securitized by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, giving newly appointed FHFA Director Mel Watt more time to evaluate the changes. -- HousingWire
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Yaroslavl, Russia

Shared by Tina En
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Construction won't return to normal this year, but it will strengthen enough to be the main driver of the housing recovery as home price gains shrink, says investment manager Goldman Sachs Asset Management.
Average rates for a fixed 30-year mortgage will rise to 5.5% by the end of 2014, says Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist. Rates have already risen about 1 percentage point in the past year as the economy has strengthened. They'll be pushed up further as the Federal Reserve winds down its $85 billion monthly bond-buying program. -- Julie Schmit in USA Today
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Petra, Jordan

Shared by Toktam Na
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Nat'l Real Estate Post:
Unemployment is at its highest since the 1920's.  When people are unemployed for long periods of time, employers deem them less employable.  That means there are fewer people qualified to buy homes.  The gov't wants to extend unemployment insurance, this means another tax.  The problem with a tax like this is where to get the money. No problem. We’ll just go to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. You know, those two companies that are totally kicking ass right now making more money than any other government agency (thanks to their conservatorship), that a bunch of congress people want to tear down. Yeah, that company.  This tax will be in the form of a g-fee.  That means homeowners will be paying for unemployment insurance.
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Shared by Uros Kralj
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At year-end, single-family starts are up 15% from 2012, according to the Census Bureau.
Meanwhile, multifamily starts fell 18% to a 312,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate in December from a 380,000 rate in November. Multifamily starts are up 25% year-over-year. -- Brian Collins in Origination News
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The real estate market forecast looks ahead for the 12-month period ending Dec. 31, 2014. The forecast covers more than 1,000 counties, 345 metro areas and 13,770 zip codes.
The company expects 5.1% appreciation over the next 12 months, rising from a 4.8% forecast last quarter and marking the sixth consecutive quarter where the index has shown forecast appreciation. -- Brena Swanson in HousingWire

2014, an unknown so make it good!

"There are good days and there are bad days, this is one of them," Lawrence Welk, American musician.
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Winchester Cathederal at Christmas, Hampshire England

Shared by Uros Kralj
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What can we make of the seeming incongruity of indicators in the housing market as 2013 comes to a close?
Mortgage applications recently hit a 13-year low. Existing home sales fell for the third consecutive month – and for the first time on a year-over-year basis in quite some time. Pending home sales also fell for the third consecutive month. But homebuilder sentiment rose significantly, we saw an enormous spike in housing starts, and existing home prices continue to creep up, although more slowly than they rose earlier in the year. --Rick Sharga in REWired
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Shared by Uros Kralj
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The year in review: HW memes revisit the top mortgage finance stories of 2013  http://www.housingwire.com/blogs/1-rewired/post/28409-the-year-in-review-hw-memes-revisit-the-top-news-stories-of-2013
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Sortelha, http://www.flickriver.com/places/Portugal/Guarda/Sortelha/

Shared by Xalima Miriel
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One of the nation’s largest wholesale mortgage lenders is telling its brokers they can no longer negotiate the amount of their fee with borrowers.

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“Borrower-paid compensation will no longer be negotiated and the ‘lender-paid level’ will become a uniform broker compensation level,” Provident Funding Associates says in updating its loan officer compensation policy.
Borrowers can still pay the broker directly, but the amount of the compensation must be the same as lender-paid compensation, according to the new policy that went into effect Jan. 1. - Brian Collins in Origination News
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Barcelona, Spain

Shared by Gia Huy Au Duong
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The coming year may bring an intensely activist and somewhat partisan Federal Housing Finance Agency, a general slowing of the housing market’s growth compared to 2013, and a full-court press election-year push on key issues influencing the housing and investments markets. -- HousingWire
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Nat'l Real Estate Post:
...real estate news and mortgage news we’ve got a new security on the streets. Instead of mortgage backed securities, we’ve now got CEO Stephen A. Schwarzman of the Blackstone Group packaging up rent backed securities. 
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Ceremonial room ceiling of a palace in southern Germany.  Shared by Klaus Herrman