MBA Newslinks Archive

“The home-buying process is such a substantial financial event, and because most borrowers are confused about the ins and outs of the process, it’s natural for them to lean on the wisdom of others. With so many lender and product choices and no easy way to sift through them, tapping a trusted friend, colleague or professional advisor can help to quickly narrow the field and make the decision more manageable.”–MortgageSAT Director Mike Seminari.

“Taken together, these trends suggest that there may be a fundamental shift in the way that young households are approaching first-time home purchases, such as an increased willingness to purchase homes individually or with unmarried partners.”–Jonathan Spader, co-author of a Harvard University study on first-time home buying demographics.

“With anticipated increases in prepayment activity, we saw hits to servicing profitability resulting from mortgage servicing right markdowns and amortization. Nonetheless, the profitability on the production side of the business generally outweighed servicing losses.”–MBA Vice President of Industry Analysis Marina Walsh.

“U.S. Treasury yields were volatile over the course of the week, as the ongoing trade dispute between the U.S. and China continued to generate uncertainty among investors. Rates increased for the first time since the week of July 12, but were still 80 basis points lower than the beginning of the year.” –Joel Kan, MBA Associate Vice President of Economic and Industry Forecasting.

“The decelerating [RevPar] growth, in conjunction with rising labor costs, should result in hotel values remaining generally stable through 2020. For the near term, hotel owners should assume value appreciation to come in the form of asset operating efficiencies and not necessarily from market growth.”–Jerod Byrd, Managing Director and Senior Partner with HVS, Westbury, N.Y.

“Sliding mortgage rates and builder discounts have led to an overall improving sales trend compared to last year’s sluggish pace. Amid strengthening demand for more affordable homes, builders have discounted prices and shifted focus towards more entry-level construction.”–Mark Vitner, senior economist with Wells Fargo Securities, Charlotte, N.C.

“Shrewd homeowners are locking in lower interest rates, which has driven the spike in refinance activity in July. And with the Federal Reserve cutting rates further, we expect to see continued activity as homebuyers are able to stretch their dollar and enter the market.”–Ellie Mae CEO Jonathan Corr.

“Falling long-term interest rates and sustained strength in commercial real estate markets lifted commercial and multifamily mortgage originations during the second quarter.” –MBA Vice President of Commercial Real Estate Research Jamie Woodwell.

“The small moves in rates and refinancing are potentially signs that lenders may be approaching capacity constraints as they continue to deal with the largest wave of refinance activity in three years.”–Joel Kan, MBA Associate Vice President of Economic and Industry Forecasting.

“A market can become highly competitive when buyers agree that home values will increase steeply in the future. If you believe home values will go up hundreds of thousands of dollars in the next five years, you will race to bid five or ten thousand dollars above asking price today. So, even though it may take a decade for Amazon’s HQ2 to grow the size of the Seattle headquarters, attracting high-earners and driving economic growth in the surrounding area, homebuyers and home sellers are already operating under the assumption that there will be strong demand for homes going forward.”–Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather.