Archives for December 2013

80 – 10 – 10’s now are back… at Mortgage Master Service Corporation!

It’s back… the 80/10/10 mortgage program which allows home buyers to put just 10% down and avoid having private mortgage insurance via a second mortgage/home equity line of creedit.  The second mortgage/home equity line of credit technically does not have to be at 10% with the first mortgage at 80% of the loan to value (sales price). Often times, the mortgages may be structured around conforming loan limits, as long as the total combined loan to value is 90%.

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What May Impact Mortgage Rates this Week: December 30, 2013

Seattle_fireworksWelcome to the last mortgage rate update for 2013! This is another short holiday week. December’s Job’s Report will not be released until next Friday, January 10, 2014.

Here are the economic indicators scheduled to be released this week:

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2014 Predictions for the Seattle Real Estate and Mortgage Trends #SeattleREchat

In this year’s final episode of Seattle Real Estate Chat (we’re coming back in 2014!), Jim Reppond and I review 2013 and make a few prediction for 2014 regarding the real estate market and mortgages in the greater Seattle area.

We will resume our regular scheduling of Tuesday mornings at 10:00 am PST for Seattle Real Estate Chat on Tuesday, January 7, 2014.

Thank you for watching our show – I hope you’ll tune in next year. 🙂

What May Impact Mortgage Rates this Week: December 23, 2014

mortgageporter-economyHappy Holidays! With this being a short week due to Christmas, we may see a bit more volatility with mortgage rates with many traders taking time off for the holidays. Markets will be closing early on Tuesday for Christmas Eve and will be closed all day Wednesday. Here are some of the economic indicators scheduled to be released this week:

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2014 VA Loan Limits for Washington State

2014 VA loan guarantee limits for Washington State have been released.  VA loans do not have “limits” like conforming or FHA loans. They do have limits as to the amount VA loans will guarantee. The loan amounts below reflect what VA will lend up to 100% loan to value. Loan amounts above the limits below have reduced down payments for Veterans who qualify for this benefit.

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Lenders Increasing Extension Fees

I’m receiving notices from a couple  of the lenders we work with that they are temporarily increasing rate lock extension fees due to Fannie Mae’s increased guarantee fees (LLPA) that will hit us in 2014.  An extension fee is an additional cost that may be charged in order to keep a rate locked when the rate lock is expiring.

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New Conforming Price Adjustments for Mortgage Rates

UPDATE: DECEMBER 23, 2013: Incoming Director of the FHFA, Mel Watts has announced that he will delay the increase to conforming price adjustments (aka LLPA or guarantee fees).

This week Fannie Mae revealed conforming price adjustments (LLPA) which will increase the cost for mortgage rates in 2014. This complied with the Fed beginning to pull back on their bond buying program will certainly cause mortgage rates to trend higher.

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What May Impact Mortgage Rates this Week: December 16, 2014

mortgageporter-economyThis week, it’s safe to say that all eyes and ears will be on the Fed as they wrap up their meeting this Wednesday. If they indicate they will pull back on their support of keeping mortgage rates low, then expect to see rates trend higher. We’ll know more on Wednesday! With many traders on vacation during the holiday season, we can also anticipate that the markets may be more volatile than they would typically be.

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