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Tag Archives: Investors

Commentary: What’s in Store for Housing in 2014, Part 2

Despite recent gains, which some of us believe are more of a mirage than an oasis, the economy still isn't creating enough good-paying full-time jobs to drive a full recovery in the housing market. At the same time, stricter lending requirements--and a lending environment I believe is going to get more challenging before it gets easier--are the other major headwinds that could slow down housing. While most forecasts are calling for a slight uptick in purchase loans in 2014, it's easy to build a scenario that goes terribly wrong.

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2014 Forecast: The Year of the Repeat Buyer Awaits

As prices continue rising in the new year--albeit at a slower pace--investors will begin to ease back from the purchase market, but repeat home buyers will be there to pick up the slack, according to Trulia's predictions. "2013 was the year of the investor, but 2014 will be the year of the repeat home buyer," said Jed Kolko, chief economist at Trulia. Other changes to the market in the new year include lower affordability, "less frenzied" home-buying, and a shift in the rental market from single-family homes to urban apartments.

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Feature: Changing the Game

Technology and the housing finance sector work together in a cyclical manner: As the industry evolves, tech companies transform to match that change. In turn, with more tools available to them, today's leading enterprises are creating innovative strategies to take advantage. Writer Phil Britt contributed to _MReport's_ August edition with this piece, which explores the various ways mortgage companies can leverage technology to enhance their operations--and how the tech providers themselves are blazing a trail.

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Refinance Challenges Expected for CRE Segments

In the years leading up to the economic downturn, lenders became more aggressive and eased requirements in order to increase volume and satisfy investor demand for securitized commercial real estate products. Loans originated in 2004 and 2005 generally had a lower loan-to-value (LTV) ratio than those originated in 2006 and 2007. Since the majority of these loans have ten year terms, the 2004 through 2007 loans will come due in the next three years.

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U.S. Economic Improvement to Outpace Global Growth in 2014

Global economic growth will increase from 2.5 percent this year to 3.3 percent in the new year, with the U.S. economy growing 2.6 percent, up from 1.7 percent this year, according to IHS Chief Economist Nariman Behravesh and IHS Chief U.S. Economist Doug Handler. Europe's recovery "will proceed, but at a very sluggish pace," with growth reaching 0.8 percent, up from -0.4 percent this year. Meanwhile, the dollar will gain strength as the Fed tapers its stimulus while other central banks continue theirs, according to IHS.

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Uncertainty to Permeate New Year Despite Some Regulatory Clarity

The new year will bring some clarity to the housing market and likely some loosening of credit, though an air of mystery does still surround some aspects of the industry, according to FBR's outlook for 2014. With Mel Watt, a former Democratic senator from North Carolina, taking the helm at the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and three openings at the Federal Reserve, some uncertainty persists despite some clarity surrounding Qualified Mortgages (QM) and other regulations in the housing industry.

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Survey Explores Shopping Patterns Among Homebuyers

The National Association of Realtors sent out a national survey in July, 2013 to buyers and sellers who made a transaction at some point in the last year. Among other findings, the survey showed increased use of online resources throughout the process. The first step in the process for 42 percent of buyers was searching online for properties. Use of the Internet to search for homes rose slightly to 92 percent. Eighty-eight percent of buyers purchased their home through an agent or broker--a share that has steadily increased from 69 percent in 2001.

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U.S. Commercial Real Estate to Bloom as More Jobs Return

Research experts at Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) expect a "clear path to stronger performance" for commercial real estate (CRE) in 2014. Reviewing what they call "surprising upsides" in investment sales volume over the last year, JLL's top researchers say they expect the factors driving 2013's growth--an improving lender environment, heightened risk appetite, and the arrival of investors in secondary markets--are expected to continue to move the sector forward. As far as U.S.-specific growth is concerned: "It all comes down to jobs."

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Feature: A Peek Inside Successful Lending Shops

What does it take to be a successful originator in the new age? While some firms bend over backwards to keep their strategies under wraps, a few are willing to open up a little bit on the subject. In MReport's September cover story, contributor Sandra Lane talked to the leading minds at Mortgage Master, Equity Loans, and Guardian Mortgage, among others--all of whom agreed to let readers take a peek into their shops and glean the secrets of their success.

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