As the fix-and-flip market faces a lack of demand and higher costs, prices for these transactions are slipping and investors are taking a more cautious approach. That’s the conclusion of the 2025 Fix and Flip Market Index released Monday by fix-and-flip lender Kiavi and John Burns Research & Consulting. The newest edition of the report […]
Home flippers express caution over rising costs, low resale demand Read More »
The number of homeowners who can reduce their monthly payments by refinancing hit a multi-year high as mortgage rates continue to weaken, new industry data found. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to 6.17% the last week of October, and as a result, the number of highly qualified refinance candidates, homeowners with at least a 720
Refi opportunities hit 3-year high as rates ease Read More »
Last week, housing inventory levels decreased noticeably, while our weekly pending sales showed a notable increase compared to the same period last year. Was the decrease in inventory primarily due to the seasonal decline in housing stock, or did the increase in demand contribute to lowering the inventory unmbers? Let’s dive into this weekend’s tracker
Housing inventory falls as demand picks up Read More »
The second-lien market is entering a new growth cycle, and Deephaven is helping lead the conversation. With projections exceeding $60 billion in originations for 2025, second liens have moved from a niche product to a mainstream financing tool for both homeowners and investors. U.S. homeowners collectively hold $35 trillion in home equity, and roughly 85%
After a month of consecutive drops, mortgage rates ticked back up this week, following the 10-year Treasury. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.22%, up five basis points from last week’s mild drop of two basis points to 6.17%. according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market survey. The 30-year rate was 6.79% a year ago. “On
Mortgage rates bounce back up after month of drops Read More »
Treasuries fell after the US government signaled that larger auction sizes are on the horizon, while signs of economic resilience hurt the odds a Federal Reserve interest-rate cut in December. Treasury Department officials, unveiling their plans for financing the US government deficit over the November-to-January period, said they’d begun “to preliminarily consider future increases,” even
Treasuries fall as supply outlook compounds anxiety about Fed Read More »
The odds that the Federal Reserve will cut benchmark interest rates again in December are still high — but not as high as they were before last week’s cut. As of Monday, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch tool, 70% of interest rate traders are anticipating another 25-basis-point pullback after the Fed’s final meeting of
Fed interest rate cut odds drop amid inflation concerns Read More »
Analysts at Bank of America Securities say they are in the minority in believing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should return to serving as the main backstop buyers of agency mortgage-backed securities. BofA Securities has said the return of the GSEs as major MBS purchasers “would be welcomed in managed form, particularly given their retained
Fed, not GSEs, should be mortgage securities backstop: BofA Read More »
Investors are bracing for Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to lean more toward shorter maturities in the government’s funding mix to keep down long-term yields amid a mounting debt burden. Wall Street dealers expect Bessent to signal as soon as Wednesday, when his department releases a quarterly statement on debt sales, that issuance in the $30
The shift to shorter-dated US debt is only getting started Read More »
The unsung hero of the housing market in 2025 has been the improvement in mortgage spreads, because without the spreads improving as much as they have, mortgage rates would not have gotten near 6% this year. I forecast that mortgage spreads should improve by 0.27%-0.41% this year, from a 2.54% average in 2024, giving mortgage
Mortgage spreads hit lowest level in years, keeping rates near 6% Read More »