Tag Archives: Investors

While the common mantra for real estate is location, location, location, an expert at private equity investment firm Siguler Guff & Company says commercial real estate investors should be focused on "timing, timing, timing." With real estate markets historically moving in cycles, the investment boutique says there are great opportunities between the valuation of a property at the bottom of the cycle and the value of that property when it comes to the top.

Alliant National Title Insurance Company, a title insurance underwriter that partners with independent agents, announced the hiring of Katherine Kitty Stevens, Esq. as VP of Florida agent training and business development.

Freddie Mac released Thursday its Primary Mortgage Market Survey, which shows the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) falling to an average rate of 4.13 percent (0.8 point) for the week ending October 24, down from 4.28 percent and the lowest level in about four months. "Mortgage rates slid this week as the partial government shutdown led to market speculation that the Federal Reserve will not alter its bond purchases this year," explained Frank Nothaft, VP and chief economist for Freddie Mac.

Platinum Data Solutions, a technology provider specializing in collateral evaluation and quality, has launched all-new upgraded scoring functionality for RealView, its configurable engine that processes and analyzes appraisals for compliance and completeness.

Marking 19 consecutive months of appreciation, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index rose 0.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted monthly basis in August. On a yearly basis, the index is up 8.5 percent. Of the nine census divisions, FHFA detected the greatest monthly price increase in the Mountain division, where prices increased 1.3 percent in August. The greatest monthly decrease took place in the South Atlantic division, where prices declined 0.5 percent.

Redfin's Real-Time Bidding Wars report shows 58.3 percent of offers written by Redfin agents across the country faced bidding wars in September, down from 60.5 percent in August. Last September, 62.7 percent of offers faced competing bids. With competition diminishing, Redfin has also observed a fall in the number of homes selling at above asking price. On average across all tracked markets, buyers paid 0.4 percent below asking price (compared to 0.3 percent in August).

Depressed construction activity is expected to continue weighing down both housing and the larger economy, Freddie Mac predicts in its latest Economic and Housing Outlook.

Mortgage Contracting Services (MCS) announced that Paul Lee has been named CFO.

The Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey shows loan application volume fell a seasonally adjusted 0.6 percent for the week ending October 18.

While the government works toward GSE reform, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW), a financial services provider; says reform for the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) should also be a top concern.