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IRS Red Flags: What cause an audit?
The chances of being audited depends on many factors – income level, deductions claimed, the type of business you have – and while there’s no sure way to avoid an audit, there are things to do to not draw attention to yourself. JUST THE TOUGH OF AN IRS AUDIT is enough to send most peo
Potential Impacts of Lower Conforming Loan Limits
In the November edition of CoreLogic’s e-magazine MarketPulse, Kathryn Dobbyn looks at the potential impact of lower conforming loan limits on the mortgage market. These limits, which set maximum amounts for conforming loans purchased or guaranteed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae (the GSEs) and are gene
On the Horizon
As in the previous weeks, investors are anxiously awaiting the Fed’s decision regarding tapering. With every dovish word from a Fed official, investors gain hope and markets post gains; with every hawkish comment suggesting a closer tapering, investors lose confidence and markets suffer
Mortgage Rates Back up to Recent Highs
Mortgage rates moved decidedly higher today, bringing most lenders back in line with their highest recent rate sheet offerings from November 12th. In many cases, this may result in a quoted rate being an eighth of a percentage point higher today compared to yesterday, depending on the lender and scenario.&n
Weaker After Data; How Much Should you Blame the Holiday?
Today offers a very interesting set of circumstances to consider for MBS and mortgage rates. First, we can safely assume that rate sheets have been erring conservatively heading into the extended weekend and less-liquid month-end environment. It’s tempting to pass the weakness off as purely a fa
Short Sales Becoming Less Favorable For Lenders
RealtyTrac reports that the nature of distressed property sales is evolving. In its most recent report on market and distressed sales, the company noted that changing economics are increasing the reliance on more traditional third party purchases at foreclosure auctions rather than the lender/borrower negot
The Day Ahead: ADP Employment, New Home Sales, and ISM Services
Yesterday – Data-free day proved frustrating for MBS – Despite Treasury Improvements, MBS lost ground – Lenders repriced in the afternoon, rates at or near 2-mo+ highs – Several potential problems ‘ganging-up’ on MBS, some will expire by Friday Today – Biggest collecti
Should Homeownship Be Part of Your Retirement Plan?
Homeownership used to be considered the American Dream. Most baby boomers grew up with a goal of owning their own home. Now, many members of the younger generation question whether it is a good idea to buy real estate. No wonder -– having watched the housing market collapse five years ago, combined with a d
Archived Mortgage Rate Market Commentary
Historical mortgage-rate commentary. This page previously described a particular period when mortgage rates were rising. Its day-specific observations and quoted rates have been removed because they do not describe current financing terms. Plan with current information A market headline alone cannot tell you
Archived Article About 15-Year Mortgage Terms
Historical article notice. An older article on this URL made mortgage-rate and payment claims that are no longer suitable for current planning. That material has been removed. This page does not quote a current rate, calculate savings, or offer a particular loan term. How to compare loan terms For a comparabl
Honesty is a spiritual quality that cannot be evaluated in terms of money.
There are many practical reasons to practice honesty. It requires far less effort to be truthful than to be deceitful, and in the long term the risks are fewer and the rewards greater. But in today’s complex society, the boundaries of acceptable behavior have been blurred until they are sometimes indistingu
Small Markets Leading Way for 2014 Housing Recovery
Smaller metropolitan areas appear to be leading the country in a return to normal levels of economic and housing activity the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) said today. The associations Leading Markets Index, product in conjunction with First American Title Insurance, shows 54 metropolitan are