Credit Convalescence I know don’t know that there’s a firm rule of thumb out there — ultimately, individual lenders decide to make a loan or not based on individual circumstances — but there are some conventions as to how long it takes a would-be borrower to rehabilitate their credit after a short sale. The consensus?...Read More
Housing Market’s “Brussel Sprouts” Edina Realty Regional Manager Terry McDonough gave a terrific talk at City Lakes yesterday about the advantages — and potential pitfalls — of using contracts for deed in today’s housing market. In an environment of zero percent interest rates (“ZIRP”) and lots of stealth home equity (something like 2/3 of those...Read More
Average Payment per Countrywide Victim: $1,595 “When you strike at a king, you must kill him.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson Surveying the latest paltry big bank settlement for predatory lending practices that helped pump up the housing market — before causing it to collapse — it seems obvious that Emerson’s famous line about killing kings has a...Read More
More Hot Air From the White House Is the White House finally getting serious about helping underwater homeowners refinance their mortgages? Not judging by the bond market. Yesterday, mortgage-backed securities issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac jumped in price. Given how refinancing affects these bonds — borrowers who re-finance pay off their expensive loans, reducing investors’ return —...Read More
Contrary to popular perception, cash deals are not without their perils for Sellers. Issue #1? (and #2 and #3): Where is the Buyer’s cash parked — and will it still be there at closing? However, assuming that the Buyer’s proof of funds is from a reputable bank or broker, and the Buyer doesn’t suffer any sudden...Read More
“Your Mileage Points May Vary” Once upon a time, it was (fairly) safe to tell Buyers that the maximum contribution that a Seller could make toward the Buyer’s closing costs was 3%. No more. Here’s the current, updated “cheat sheet,” courtesy of Edina Mortgage’s Keith O’Brien: FHA is 6% regardless of down payment. Conventional is...Read More
