I hope you can help me figure this out. I am 69 years old and will turn 70 at the end of the month. I’ve been offered a cash out refinance loan and need to decide whether to take a 15- or 30-year loan...
Tag: mortgage banks
China Home Sales Plunge in July, as Mortgage Revolt Deters Buyers
A nascent two-month recovery in China’s home sales ended in July, as a widespread mortgage revolt over concerns that ailing property developers wouldn’t be able to deliver still-unfinished apartments ...
Housing affordability plunges to lowest level since 2006. The property market’s ‘great slowdown’ is here, Bank of America says
A “great slowdown” is happening in the U.S. housing market, a new report from Bank of America says, as mortgage originations shrink and spending on household items softens. Amid weak home sales number...
Do not leave any paper trail: how a group of sovereign citizens used a phony credit repair business to amass a real estate empire
Bad credit? No problem. A group of alleged scam artists have been charged with running a fraudulent credit repair business and then using their clients’ identities to get mortgages on millions of doll...
Adjustable-rate mortgage vs. fixed-rate mortgage: Which one is better for you?
Hello and welcome to Financial Face-off, a MarketWatch column where we help you weigh financial decisions. Our columnist will give her verdict. Tell us whether you think she’s right in the comments. A...
Paid Off College and the Mortgage? Here’s How to Allocate Your Freed Up Cash.
Retirement savers who’ve paid off their mortgage or have made their last college payment should take a moment to celebrate. Then they should get busy putting their newfound windfall to work. Given th...
Biden Administration Weighs Move to Trim Mortgage Costs as Home Prices Rise
WASHINGTON—The Biden administration is weighing a move to trim mortgage costs for first-time and lower-income buyers, a bid to boost affordability when average home prices are at an all-time high. Pre...
I’m the COO of a mortgage company that’s funded more than $100 billion in loans. Here are the 3 things you need to know about the housing market now
Steve Reich Mortgage rates climbed above 6% last week, according to Bankrate data, with some pros saying they may go higher. (You can see the lowest mortgage rates you may qualify for here.) On top of...
Mortgage prepayments have fallen 62% from a year ago. This is what that says about the housing market.
Ultimately, as long as buyers are able to keep up with their regular monthly payments, fewer people making extra mortgage payments probably isn’t going to have a massive impact on the broader housing ...
I put $200K toward a down payment for a condo unit with my boyfriend. He is on the title, but not on the mortgage. How do I protect my equity investment now?
Dear Quentin, I recently sold my apartment and put the equity earned (over $200,000) toward a new condo unit I own with my partner. My partner — we are not married — is on title, but not on the mortga...
‘I am a 53-year-old single man with very little savings’: I want to take out a 30-year mortgage, but pay it off in 7 years. Is that possible?
I am a 53-year-old single man with very little in savings. I paid off all my credit-card debt a couple of years ago. I have now decided to purchase a home. My rent has increased to the point where it ...
We want to retire in a few years, and have about $1 million saved. Should I move my money to a Roth, and pay off my $200,000 mortgage while I’m at it?
Dear MarketWatch, I’m 64 and my husband is 62. We plan to work until he is at least 65, so three or four more years. We have about $1 million total in various accounts, but my own IRA has $400,000 in...
‘We do not plan on getting married’: I’m moving into my boyfriend’s home. He bought it a year ago and paid off 25% of his mortgage. How do I get a stake in his home that’s fair to both of us?
My boyfriend and I would like to move in together in the next year or so. He bought his house about a year ago, and he has paid off about 25% of it. We both would like for me to gradually become a par...
What the Fed’s Interest-Rate Increase Means for Your Mortgage, Loans, Savings
The Federal Reserve raised its short-term benchmark rate by a half-percentage point on Wednesday, the sharpest increase since 2000, to a range between 0.75% and 1%. Though widely expected, the move wi...
Annaly Capital to Sell Middle- Market Lending Portfolio to Ares for About $2.4 Billion
Text size Ares currently has $314 billion assets under management, up from $25 billion in 2008. Dreamstime Ares Management Corp said Monday that it agreed to buy the middle-market lending portfolio of...
Is a yield curve inversion a foreboding sign for mortgage rates? Does it really signal a recession? Economists weigh in.
For a moment this week, the bond market flashed a signal that some associate with impending recessions. Home buyers need not worry just yet, according to economists. On Friday, the 2-year rate, which ...
I’m 67 and retired with $57,000 left on my mortgage and $600,000 saved for retirement — should I pay off my home now?
I am 67 years old, single and retired at 66. After taxes, I receive $3,100 per month from a pension. After taxes and my Part B Medicare payment, I receive $2,100 per month from Social Security. I have...
My husband and I bought a retirement condo in 2008, and he died two years later. The condo is worth $50,000 more than we paid. Should I sell it now or wait?
Dear MarketWatch, I have a condo in Palm Desert, Calif., that my husband and I were going to retire to. We also have another primary residence in nearby Riverside. We bought the condo in 2008 for $363...
‘I can tolerate him for 7 months — at the most’: My husband and I live apart in the summer. Should I refinance my house and set up a joint savings account?
Dear Quentin, My husband of seven years owns a home in Minnesota, and has a mortgage. I own a home in Florida with no mortgage. We have no savings or retirement accounts. Should I pull my equity from ...
Mortgage Rates Rose Even Higher. Here’s How Much More You’d Pay Now.
New-home sales fell in February due, in part, to the effects of rising mortgage rates on affordability. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Text size Mortgage rates climbed past 4% last week—and their rapid ...
How Will the Fed’s New Interest Rate Policy Affect Real Estate Prices?
Text size Rising mortgage rates will further restrict housing affordability. Brandon Bell/Getty Images About the author: Clare Losey is an assistant research economist at Texas A&M University’s Te...
Standard Deduction 2021-2022: How Much Is It?
The standard deduction is the amount taxpayers can subtract from income if they don’t break out deductions for mortgage interest, charitable contributions, state and local taxes and other items separa...
Why Did Mortgage Rates Fall Again? How Ukraine and Russia Affect Housing.
Text size The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to 3.76% this week. Dreamstime.com Mortgage rates fell for a second consecutive week after Russia’s invasions of Ukraine triggered a fl...
Scorned Treasury Bonds Could Be Good Bet After Fed Boosts Rates
Rarely has there been such unanimity of opinion among both Federal Reserve officials and the cadre of analysts who track and try to predict their future moves. Monetary policy will be tightened with a...
Hot Housing Market Keeps Home Foreclosures at Bay
The U.S. moratorium on home foreclosures ended nearly a year ago, but the sizzling housing market is still protecting many delinquent mortgage borrowers from losing their homes. The pandemic that wipe...