Statistical Dart Throwing in Favor of Builders
Predicting future trends from past results can generally be quite successful; however, the more variables involved, the less accurate the prediction. That’s why this blog post seems a little bit like throwing statistical darts. Nevertheless, the Mortgage Bankers Association threw those darts, and Bill Conerly provided a nice summary for Forbes. Net net? If death…
Read MoreHow To Improve Your FICO to Get A Better Rate
We love articles from the Motley Fool, because they’re generally quite the opposite of foolish. Yesterday, they came up with 8 things you can do to improve your credit rating — which will almost certainly also improve the interest rate you can get on your mortgage (or any other loan). Most of them are standard…
Read MorePush A Button, Build A House
OK, perhaps you can’t scribble up some notes on your dream mansion, feed the paper into a scanner, and have the home of your imagination pop out — but Big Delta hints at that in the future. Billed as the world’s largest 3D printer, this 40-foot tall behemoth builds houses out of local mud and…
Read MoreConflicting Housing Numbers
All signs recently have been pointing to a sustained housing market, but CNBC reported two conflicting numbers today. Housing starts fell in August 3.0%, which was a larger drop than expected — but it’s mostly been in the Northeast, which fell 33%, according to the attached video. On the other hand, building permits in August…
Read MoreConflicting Housing Numbers
All signs recently have been pointing to a sustained housing market, but CNBC reported two conflicting numbers today. Housing starts fell in August 3.0%, which was a larger drop than expected — but it’s mostly been in the Northeast, which fell 33%, according to the attached video. On the other hand, building permits in August…
Read More14 of Top 100 Markets Overvalued
Fourteen of the top 100 U.S. markets, in terms of home prices, are now “above the long-term fundamental value for that market”. CNBS insists that this is not a bubble, though in the opinion of this writer, the argument — that bubbles ultimately pop, and just because home prices are over valued doesn’t mean that…
Read More[INTERVIEW] Shaky Ground
There’s a new book out by Bethany McClean — Shaky Ground: The Strange Saga of the U.S. Mortgage Giants — published by Columbia Global Reports, and focused on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Kai Ryssdal interviewed Bethany, and it’s available as a podcast. Additionally, the site includes a reasonably lengthy excerpt from the book. Between…
Read MoreAussie’s Don’t Fear Fed — U.S. Housing Too Strong
Boral Limited, a multinational company founded in Australia, focused on building and construction materials, thinks the financial markets are making too much out of any Fed rate hike. According to their CEO, Mike Kane, points out that “consumer confidence is rising, unemployment is low, and the nation’s new housing stock is 40 per cent below…
Read More[ANALYSIS] Why Slow Growth in Housing Applications?
We’ve been reporting for a while that many sectors of the housing market seem to have fully recovered, and almost all are doing well. However, the recovery in mortgage applications through Q1 seems to have stalled. Brena Swanson for Housing Wire gives a nice little summary on the current thinking, providing a completely understandable, short…
Read MoreWinning In The Housing Market without A Home
Normally this blog covers topics directly related to the real estate and mortgage industries, with a few homeowner tips thrown in. However, sometimes it’s good to step a little outside of the same-old same-old. Yesterday, The Street published an article on how to beat the market in September — and their recommendation covers 5 stocks…
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