Bob's Coto Blog

Foreclosures stories dominate the national housing news. It seems at least one foreclosure-related story makes its way to the front page or the nightly news every week. But for as much as the foreclosure filing statistics can be astounding -- over 300,000 homes were served last month alone -- the...

The mortgage lending landscape changes a lot. Rates and guidelines are in constant flux, and it creates preparedness challenges for buyers that aren't paying in cash. The loan you get today won't always be the loan you get tomorrow. Because of how frequently bank rules are changing, it can be har...

The economy's improving but lending standards are not. Nationally, banks are making mortgage approvals harder to come by. Underwriting guidelines are tightening. The data comes from the Federal Reserve's quarterly survey to its member banks. The Fed asks senior bank loan officers around the coun...

Here's the way the process usually works. A listing comes on the market deliberately underpriced at $199k and attracts 15-20+ offers - the highest of which is probably $225k. That offer is then submitted to the lender who spends the next couple of months processing the offer - including asking a...

Mortgage markets improved last week on domestic jobs data and international banking concerns. The news triggered buying in the bond market and, as a result, conventional, FHA and VA mortgage rates improved for the 4th consecutive week. Mortgage rates are now at a 6-week low but probably shouldn't...

Here's an article from today's Rismedia.com: By Jim Gallagher RISMEDIA, ( Rismedia.com ) February 6, 2010—(MCT)—If you have a good job and good credit, the next few months might be a good time to go house hunting. Fence-sitters take the risk that Congress may let a rich tax credit expire, and tha...

As mortgage lenders tighten approval standards nationwide, the importance of a good credit score is rising. Credit scores not only make the difference between a mortgage approval and mortgage turn-down, but they also play a large role in determining your actual mortgage note rate. In this 3-minut...

In a news-heavy week, mortgage markets improved last week, adding to a 3-week rally. But, given last week's data and domestic story lines, it's surprising that rates actually fell. The Federal Reserve said the economy continues to strengthen Consumer Confidence pushed to a 2-year high 4th Quarter...

The Federal Open Market Committee voted to leave the Fed Funds Rate within its target range of 0.000-0.250 percent. In its press release, the FOMC noted that the U.S. economy “has continued to strengthen”, that the jobs markets is getting better, and that financial markets are supportive of growt...

A "Housing Start" is a privately-owned home on which construction has started. It's an important gauge of housing health because it tracks new housing stock nationwide. In December 2009, starts fell by nearly 7 percent. The news is mildly disappointing but not too bad. The likely cause for the Ho...