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Case-Shiller Home Price Indices: Home Prices Grow at a Near-Record PaceU.S home prices grew at a near-record pace in January according to the National S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Index; year-over-year home prices rose by 19.20 percent in January as compared to December’s reading of 18.90 percent. Home prices rose 1.80 percent on a month-to-month basis from December to January.

While home prices continued to grow at near-record rates, home price growth slowed in some areas during  December but picked up in January. Craig M. Lazzara, managing director at S&P Dow Jones Indices, said: “Last fall we observed that home prices, although continuing to rise sharply, had begun to decelerate. Even that modest deceleration was on pause in January.”

The top three cities for home price growth held their places in January. Phoenix, Arizona had the highest pace of home price growth with a year-over-year gain of 32.60 percent; Tampa, Florida reported a year-over-year gain of 30.80 percent. Miami, Florida held third place with a year-over-year home price growth rate 0f 28.10 percent.

All 20 cities tracked by Case-Shiller reported record gains in year-over-year home prices while 16 of 20 cities included in the 20-City Index reported higher home price gains in January than in December.

FHFA House Price Report Shows Strong Growth

The Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, reported that home prices rose by 18.20 percent year-over-year in January. December’s year-over-year growth pace was 17.70 percent for homes owned by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  Home prices rose fastest in the Mountain region, which includes Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico Utah, and Wyoming. Year-over-year home prices rose by 23 percent or more in the Mountain region.

Will Doerner, a supervisory economist at FHFA, said: “So far, the mortgage rate growth has not dampened upward price pressure from intense buyer demand and limited supply.” Low inventories of available homes continue to drive demand for homes, but some economists expect the pace of home sales to drop by as much as 25 percent in response to rising mortgage rates. Analysts expect that low inventories of available homes will sustain rising home prices. Homebuyers can expect to compete for available homes as buyers rush to lock in lower mortgage rates; cash buyers and bidding wars can cause home prices to rise above market value in high-demand markets.

Why Did My Application For A Refinance Get Turned Down?If you want to save money on your home loan, you might want to refinance. During the refinancing process, you could secure a better interest rate on your home loan. You could also withdraw cash from your home’s equity value to cover other expenses. Similar to a regular mortgage application, some refinance applications are denied. Why is this the case, and what should you do next? 

Your Debt To Income Ratio Is Off

One of the most common reasons why an application for a home refinance is turned down is that the applicant has too much debt. The lender will not want to refinance a homeowner who has too much existing debt. If you have credit card debt, car loans, or student loans, you may want to pay down some of this existing debt before you apply for a refinance. 

Your Credit Score Is Too Low

Your credit score is still going to play a significant role in your application for a refinance. If your credit score has gone down since you purchased the house, you may have a difficult time refinancing. You should always request a copy of your credit report and correct any issues on that report before you decide to apply for a refinance. 

Your Home Value Has Gone Down

The lender may also deny your application for a refinance if your home has gone down in value. Your home is used as collateral for the loan. If the home has gone down in value, the lender might be worried that the value of the home may not pay off the balance of the loan in the event you start missing payments. You may have to wait for the home’s value to go back up before you can refinance. 

Work With A Professional Team

If you want to refinance your home, it can be frustrating if your application gets denied. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean you cannot apply again. You should work with a professional team that can take a look at your refinance application, figure out why the application was turned down, and rectify the situation. Sometimes, an application is turned down simply because the lender doesn’t have enough information or the application was not filled out properly.