Current market rates
Where are mortgage rates now? Check out our weekly interest rate update to track the latest market rates.
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Category: Finance
Using the yield spread to forecast recessions and recoveries
The yield spread indicates the likelihood of a recession or recovery one year forward.
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Tax Benefits of Ownership: The Mortgage Interest Deduction
This updated excerpt from the forthcoming edition of Tax Benefits of Ownership covers the basics...
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Press Release: Q3 2020 Buyer Purchasing Power Index rises due to historically low interest rates
The BPPI was +10.6 at the end of Q3 2020.
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Homebuilders’ Housing Opportunity Index declines
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is sounding the alarm about declining housing affordability.
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Prepare now for the return of real estate speculators
Expect to hear more about speculators over the next two-to-three years.
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DBO Bulletin Digest September 2020
The September 2020 DBO Bulletin focuses on new tenant and landlord protections and regulatory assistance for communities impacted by California wildfires.
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How the Fed’s new policy stance impacts housing
The Fed’s new policies are a fun thought experiment, but what changes will they actually bring?
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Orange County housing indicators
View these Orange County regional charts for details on current activity and forecasts for its local housing market.
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Jobs move real estate
California’s employment market finally reached a full recovery in 2019, only to plunge in 2020.
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Additional refinancing fees delayed
The Adverse Market Refinance Fee has been delayed until December 2020, and interest rates sigh in relief.
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Brokerage Reminder: Prop 13 – transactions excluded from reassessment
This week’s Broker Reminder looks at Prop 13 and transactions excluded from reassessment.
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DBO Bulletin Digest August 2020
The August 2020 DBO focuses on continuing safety compliance for coronavirus (COVID-19), the California Residential Mortgage Loan Act, additional loan accommodations related to COVID-19 and imposter scams.
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MIP, PMI, or neither?
This chart compares the costs and benefits of default insurance demanded by lenders on mortgages with LTVs exceeding 80%, and suggests the optimal financing path for homebuyers.
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ARMs are unattractive in 2020 as FRM rates fall
Use these charts to compare the average ARM rate with the 30-year FRM rate.
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DBO Bulletin Digest July 2020
The July 2020 DBO Bulletin focuses on safety compliance for coronavirus (COVID-19), the Responsible Small Dollar Loans Pilot Program and assessment rates.
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The unequal property tax burden on Black and Latinx households
Black and Latinx households pay higher property taxes. Why? And how does this impact California’s housing market?
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Property Appraisal and Mortgage Approval
The lender’s appraisal of a property on receipt of a borrower’s mortgage application, and later approval to fund
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Guidance for the LIBOR transition
The time is now for financial institutions to begin planning the transition away from the LIBOR.
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Press Release: Q2 2020 Buyer Purchasing Power Index rises due to historically low interest rates
The Buyer Purchasing Power Index (BPPI) rose to +10.5 in the second quarter of 2020.
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