Jacksonville Beaches Real Estate

Not even housing inventory crisis can stop homebuyers : On the list of factors preventing potential homebuyers from entering the market, you can mark off rising home prices, dwindling inventory and fierce competition, which all seem to have little effect on the increasing demand for homes. In fact, Redfin’s Housing Demand Index hit an all-new high in May.

Movement Mortgage premieres zero down mortgages for first-time homebuyers : Movement Mortgage announced a new down payment assistance program for first-time homebuyers that allows borrowers to put nothing down on a home. In order make this happen, the lender said it will provide grants up to 3% of a home's sales price, thus creating 97% conventional financing.

Case-Shiller shows home prices jump nearly 6% in March : Home prices increased once again in March, hitting the highest pace in almost three years. Experts point out that while prices cannot rise indefinitely, there is no way to tell when rising prices and mortgage rates will force a slowdown in housing.

Lack of housing supply slows pending home sales in March : Pending home sales dipped slightly in March as low levels of housing inventory created a strain on the market. Low inventory levels are not only holding back home prices, but also creating more competition and increasing home prices. The National Association of Realtors forecasts the rate of home sales for 2017.

Here’s what these companies are doing to increase Hispanic homeownership : Hispanic homeownership continues to fuel the growth of the U.S. housing market, and now several companies have joined the Hispanic Wealth Project with the goal of tripling Hispanic household wealth by 2024. Here is what several companies pledged to do in 2017 to meet that goal.

MBA: Despite flat mortgage apps, purchase loan size reaches new high : Despite another quiet week for mortgage applications overall, average purchase application loan size managed to post a new high, continuing recent trends. As a whole, mortgage applications increased 1.5% from one week earlier. Here’s how the rest of the data came in.

Trulia: Housing inventory tumbles to all-new low : Housing inventory decreased in the first quarter of 2017, hitting an all-new low. But while inventory for starter and trade-up homes is shrinking, premium home inventory is increasing. Trulia explains the reasons for the dwindling inventory, and the new threat rising home prices impose.

Experts: Don’t read too deep into February’s existing home sales drop : Existing home sales came in lowest in February, however experts caution against determining a new trend based on just one month. In fact, they continue to predict a strong home-buying season this spring despite rising home prices, higher interest rates and decreasing inventory.

Homeowners tell all – bigger isn’t always better : Homeowners aren’t satisfied with the size of their home, as bigger isn’t always better. Trulia’s new survey shows that the larger the homebuyer’s current home, the more likely they are to want to downsize. However, this varies widely between generations.

Case-Shiller: Home prices set 30-month high in December : Home prices rose to their 30-month high in December and at their fastest pace in over 2.5 years, according to the latest Case-Shiller results. The Indices’ chairman explains why rates are rising so rapidly and if the speed of increase is a reason for alarm.

New home sales are up, but pace disappoints : New home sales increased in December, but industry experts are not impressed. Given the unusually high temperatures throughout the winter and the high demand for housing, experts expected new home sales to come out with much stronger numbers.

NAR: Existing-home sales jump in January

Follow the link for detailed information. Mortgage Rates Slightly Lower After Fed Minutes

Average 30-year mortgage rates slip again to 4.17%

Foreclosures, seriously delinquent mortgages fall to lowest level since 2007 : The number of homes in some stage of foreclosure and the number of seriously delinquent mortgages are now at levels not seen since late 2007, according to a new report from CoreLogic. What's behind the drop? Read on to find out.

Lack of inventory hindering housing recovery : While the housing market continues to make steady gains, the lack of inventory keeps it from a full recovery. And to make it more difficult, the lack of construction workers isn't helping either.

Mortgage interest rates fall to lowest level in nearly three years : Mortgage interest rates continued their downward trend in the last week, falling again to the lowest level of the year and the lowest level in nearly three years, Freddie Mac’s latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey showed.

Mortgage lending boom? Equifax reports massive increase in home credit : Contrary to some fears that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s new disclosure rule would severely dampen mortgage lending in 2015, a new report from Equifax shows that exactly the opposite took place, as mortgage lending grew by a drastic margin in 2015.

Mortgage rates well below end-of-2015 level for spring home-buying season : Despite increasing for the second week in a row, mortgage rates are still well below levels seen at the end of last year. This is only the second increase this year, making mortgage rates very attractive for the upcoming spring home-buying season.

Hint: FL is on the list. Maybe you should consider refinancing? Top 10 states where you should consider refinancing to save money : Thinking about whether you should refinance or not? If all-time-low interest rates aren't enough to motivate you, here's a list of the top 10 states to save money by refinancing. And if you live in one of the hottest housing markets in America, the answer will likely be a resounding yes.