Senators Joe Donnelly (D-IN) and Tom Coburn (R-OK) introduced S. 1828, The Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act in the Senate as a companion to House Bill 1779 of the same name that protects the ability of manufactured home owners to buy, sell and refinance homes. The new guidelines issued […]
The National Association of Home Builders reports builder confidence rose four points in Dec. to 58, where any number over 50 indicates builders see the market as good rather than poor. The Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) is based on current sales conditions, sales expectations and traffic of prospective
Home Builders Confidence Continues Rising Read More
If Congress cannot decide on the feasibility of passing overall housing reform legislation, banking committee leaders from both houses may just pass Federal Housing Authority (FHA) reform as a stand-alone bill, legislation which almost passed in 2012 with bipartisan support. Overall reform might also include the future of Fannie Mae
Separate FHA Reform Bill may Pass Congress Read More
The Home Design Trends Survey reports consumer interest for pedestrian-friendly communities with mixed-use development grew from 45 percent in 2012 to 58 percent this year. Further, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) says preference for more access to recreational activities increased from 40 to 49 percent over the same period,
Demand Rises for Walkable Communities Read More
HomeFinder.com suggests reasons for buying a home before the end of the year include new lending rules which will move debt-to-income ratio requirements higher, possibly making it more difficult to buy property. Additionally, mortgage rates are already up one to two percent, but grabbing a fixed rate mortgage (FRM) at
Lenders Say “Buy Home Now” Read More
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) says mortgage applications for new home purchases dropped 18 percent in November over October, but the size of the average loan continued moving up. As HousingWire tells MHProNews, home loan size has risen over $12,000 to $295,523 since last summer. New home sales fell from
New Home Sales Fall, Loan Size Rises Read More
Following up on a story we posted Dec. 11, 2013 regarding the confirmation of Rep. Mel Watt to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), MHProNews has learned from the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) Rep. Watt has favored measures that require GSEs (government supported enterprises) to support affordable housing. This
New FHFA Head has Supported Duty-To-Serve in the Past Read More
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has revised the loan limit ceiling for single-family mortgages in 2014, reducing it to $625,000 from $729,750. The change will result in approximately 650 counties having lower limits, according to what dsnews.com reports from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). For low-cost housing
Federal Housing Authority Lowering Loan Limits Read More
The Virginia Manufactured and Modular Housing Association (VMMHA) informs MHProNews the implementation of Dodd-Frank regulations by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) that negatively impact the manufactured housing industry will not be delayed as requested by members of the U. S. Senate. CFPB Director Richard Cordray sent a letter to
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Rejects Delaying Dodd-Frank Read More
Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) says for the past three years, Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) has refused to allow any amendments to the Dodd-Frank Act to be enacted, but now Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD), chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, has shown interest in reforms during this session of Congress which
Bi-Partisan Support Exists to Amend Dodd-Frank; For it to Happen Soon are Remote Read More
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is getting feedback from lenders regarding the Qualified Mortgage (QM) rule, and while it may alter some of the guidelines down the road, it will wait until lenders adjust to the new set of guidelines. Speaking to a Women in Housing and Finance gathering,
Qualified Mortgage Guidelines will not Change Initially Read More
In response to Harvard University’s Joint Study on Housing documenting the shortage of affordable rental housing in the U. S., as MHProNews covered earlier, Chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Rick Judson issued a statement emphasizing the importance of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) in
NAHB Supports Harvard’s Affordable Rental Initiatives Read More
Bloomberg businessweek reports a study by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University has determined the availability of less expensive apartments has not kept up with demand. This has lead an added 2.5 million people in four years to pay over 50 percent of their income for housing—28
Study: More Renters Being Hit Hard Read More
Based on a nationwide sampling of 100,000 addresses earlier this year, the U. S. Census Bureau has determined that 66 percent of households in 2013 were family households, down from 81 percent in 1970. As mortgagedailynews.com tells MHProNews, the number of single-person households rose to 27 percent in 2013 from
Household Formation Falling; Mortgage Positions Dwindle Read More
MHProNews has learned overall sales of homes in the Coeur d’Alene Multiple Listing Service (MLS) are up 33 percent over 2012, although some rural areas are showing increases of 70 to 75 percent. The sales of newly-built homes doubled year-over-year, while foreclosures and short sales made up half of total
Home Sales up 33% in Coeur d’Alene Read More
The number of people looking to buy a home in November dropped seven percent from October, but it was less than the 11 percent drop for the same period last year, according to what Redfin tells nationalmortgagenews. Meanwhile, eleven percent fewer people signed offers in Nov. over Oct., but an
Potential Home Buyers Shift Attention to Holiday Shopping Read More
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/First American Leading Markets Index (LMI), which recently replace NAHB’s improving market index (IMI), indicates markets in 54 of the 350 major metro markets returned to or exceeded their last normal levels of economic activity. Based on current permits, prices and employment data, LMI
Housing Markets Slowly Improving Read More
On the heels of ADP’s report that private companies added 215,000 jobs in November, the 30-year, fixed-rate loan, the most popular product for homebuyers, rose to 4.46% from 4.29% last week, according to CNNMoney. The average for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM), often used for refinancing higher interest mortgages, rose
Job Growth Spurs Mortgage Rates Read More
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reports data from the the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Census Bureau indicate sales of newly-built single-family homes rose 25.4 percent in October, following a drop in sales in Sept. of 6.6 percent. Both government reports were delayed by the
New Single-family Homes Spike in October Read More
Marking the 20th consecutive month of yearly increases, home prices in the U. S. increased 12.5 percent in October, compared to last year, according to CoreLogic. The worldpropertychannel reports CoreLogic’s Home Price Index, when including distressed sales, rose just 0.2 percent in October, 2013. Anand Nallathambi, president and CEO of
Home Prices will Moderate in Nov. and Dec. Read More
