MBA Newslinks Archive

“The remodeling industry should see numerous growth opportunities over the next decade. Strong demand for rental housing has opened up that segment to a new wave of capital investment, and the shortage of affordable housing in much of the country makes the stock of older homes an attractive option for buyers willing to in invest in upgrades.”–Chris Herbert, managing director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University.

“Rising rates and nominal home price growth are outpacing the influence of strong income growth, leading to declining affordability for first-time home buyers. However, housing remains as affordable as it was in late 2009.”–First American Financial Corp. Chief Economist Mark Fleming.

“While it’s been tough for homebuyers to buoy existing home sales because of low inventory, it looks like there is much potential for new homes sales to run higher.”–Ralph McLaughlin, chief economist with Trulia, San Francisco.

“My hunch is that the next FHA commissioner should buckle his or her chinstrap.”–Former FHA Commissioner Brian Montgomery, now vice chair of the Collingwood Group, Washington, D.C.

“Clients are telling us it’s harder to find a deal that makes sense as rent growth begins to slow. Borrowers don’t want to make a mistake.”–Gregg Gerken, Executive Vice President with TD Bank, Cherry Hill, N.J.

“Nationally, commercial real estate fundamentals and prices remain strong. That overall strength is expected to continue to support active sales and mortgage markets.”–MBA Vice President of Commercial Real Estate Research Jamie Woodwell.

“Today, one in four workers in the United States are millennials. Adopting relevant technology to engage this rapidly growing segment of our population will improve customer service and our business operations and help us recruit and retain good and creative employees.”–MBA Chairman Rodrigo Lopez, CMB.

“We are seeing improvement in terms of servicing expenses. This is good news, as we’d seen strong increases in servicing expenses in recent years. Servicers are doing their jobs better.”–MBA Vice President of Industry Analysis Marina Walsh.

“Now is a great time to be in the servicing business–when we can enter the waters during relative calmness and plan ahead for the rough waters that will inevitably come. Your team is strategically placed for optimum results. Knowing what lies ahead, having a plan for the future is key to success.”–MBA Chairman-Elect J. David Motley, CMB.

“Following several rounds of healthy, peak-season summer growth, winter gains thus far this season have remained relatively healthy across much of the country. And as prices have continued to climb in the long term during the post-housing crash, the large portion of the housing market that has been frozen in negative equity has shrunk significantly–meaning that an increasingly large portion of previously underwater homeowners may now have the option of entering the market.”–Clear Capital Vice President of Research and Analytics Alex Villacorta.