According to the Realtors Confidence Index from the National Association of Realtors, 61% of first-time homebuyers purchased their homes with down payments below 6% in 2017. Many potential homebuyers in Louisiana believe that a 20% down payment is necessary to buy a home and have disqualified th
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07/18/2018
At some point during the mortgage process, the contract interest rate (the one that ends up on the Promissory Note–the most official document stipulating the terms of repayment) must be “locked.” This means that there is an agreement between the borrower and the lender regarding what the contrac
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07/13/2018
Since the creation of the Veterans Affairs (VA) Home Loans Program, over 22 million veterans have achieved the American Dream of homeownership with a VA home loan. Many veterans in Louisiana looking into buying a home do not know the details of the program and therefore do not take advantage of t
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07/06/2018
Loans guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs surged by 50% in the fiscal year ended September 30. According to one report, the department guaranteed almost 540,000 loans in fiscal year 2012, the most since 1994. Compared with five years ago, VA volume is up some 300 percent. About 338
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10/22/2012
Home prices continue to rise nationwide. According to the Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller Index, home prices rose 6.9% between the first and second quarter of 2012, the largest quarter-to-quarter gain since the home-value tracker’s 1987 inception and another signal that the housing market is in r
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09/17/2012
Foreclosure pipelines are re-filling nationwide. According to data from RealtyTrac, a national foreclosure-tracking firm, the number of foreclosure filings dipped below 192,000 in July 2012, a 3 percent decrease from the month prior. RealtyTrac defines a “foreclosure filing” as any foreclosure-re
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08/29/2012
Mortgage rates have been on steady decline in Louisiana since the start of 2012 as uncertainty for the future of the Eurozone and questions about the soundness of the U.S. economy have led investors into mortgage bonds in droves, lowering the 30-year fixed rate mortgage to its lowest point in his
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08/29/2012
The market for newly-built homes remains strong. As reported by the U.S. Department of Commerce, 372,000 new homes were sold in July on a seasonally-adjusted, annualized basis. A “new home” is a home that can be considered new construction. July’s New Home Sales report highlights what today’s buy
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08/29/2012
Mortgage markets booked major losses last week after European leaders spoke of their determination to preserve the European Union. Mortgage rates jumped Thursday and Friday as investors sold positions of relative safety, including bonds, and moved their money into stock markets. Mortgage rates cl
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07/31/2012
In Washington, D.C. today, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) begins a 2-day meeting, its fifth of 8 scheduled meetings this year. Mortgage rates are expected to change upon the FOMC’s adjournment. Rate shoppers and home buyers of Shreveport and Bossier City would do well to be alert. The F
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07/31/2012
