Elena Zimina's Real Estate

CALIFORNIA PENDING HOME SALES A MIXED BAG IN SEPTEMBER, C.A.R. REPORTS Source: C.A.R. Pending home sales results varied across California in September, decreasing statewide and in Southern California, but increasing in the Central Valley and San Francisco Bay Area, according to the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ (C.A.R.). All regions recorded year-over-year improvements, though. Making sense of the story Statewide pending home sales decreased in September, with the Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) decreasing 1.5 percent from a revised 112.4 in August to 110.8 in September, based on signed contracts. The month-to-month decline was better than the average August- to-September loss of 3.4 percent observed in the last seven years. On an annual basis, statewide pending home sales were up 10.9 percent from the revised 99.9 index recorded in September 2014. Pending sales have been increasing on a year-over-year basis since September 2014 and have seen double-digit increases fo...

Millennials are less likely than baby boomers to identify milestone life events that could affect their credit, according to a new survey released by TransUnion. In fact, less than half of millennials surveyed could cite specific major life events that could negatively or positively affect credit, such as divorce (40 percent compared to 57 percent of boomers) or the death of a spouse (26 percent compared to 48 percent of boomers). According to the survey, consumers of all ages are generally unprepared for life events from a credit perspective because they don’t check their scores before or after the life event. Only 49 percent of all respondents said they checked their credit when planning for or experiencing a milestone, such as marriage, having a child, or becoming unemployed. Respondents were only slightly more likely to check their credit when taking out a loan than they were when preparing for other life events. Fifty-eight percent indicated they did check their credit when apply...

While 92 percent of Americans surveyed have researched prices online before purchasing an item, only 30 percent said they look for better prices when shopping for major financial loans, such as a mortgage, according to LendingTree. Only 14 percent comparison shop loan products. LendingTree found that about 32 percent of homeowners looked at only one mortgage rate before buying their home. Roughly 18 percent stated they never looked for better rates or prices on loans.

Calif. median home price: August 2015 :  California: $493,420 Calif. highest median home price by region/county August 2015: San Francisco, $1,242,650 Calif. lowest median home price by region/county August 2015: Siskiyou, $153,330 Calif. Pending Home Sales Index : August 2015: Increased 12.8 percent from a to 112.8 Calif. Traditional Housing Affordability Index : Second Quarter 2015: 30 percent (Source: C.A.R.) Mortgage rates: Week ending 9/24/2015 (Source: Freddie Mac) • 30-yr. fixed: 3.86% fees/points: 0.7% • 15-yr. fixed: 3.08% fees/points: 0.6% • 1-yr. adjustable: 2.53% Fees/points: 0.2%

CA PENDING HOME SALES TEMPER IN AUGUST BUT STILL RECORD 10TH STRAIGHT ANNUAL INCREASE Source: C.A.R. California pending home sales declined in August but remained strong, marking 10 straight months of year-over-year gains, according to the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.). In a separate report, California REALTORS® responding to C.A.R.’s August Market Pulse Survey saw a drop in sales with multiple offers compared with July, as market competition cooled down toward the end of the home-buying season. Making sense of the story The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) rose 12.8 percent on an annual basis to 112.8 in August, based on signed contracts. The August 2015 index was up from the 100 index recorded a year ago and marked the 10th straight month of year-to-year gains and the seventh straight month of double-digit advances. On a monthly basis, statewide pending home sales in August fell 8.7 percent on a month-to-month basis. The PHSI was down from the 123.6 index in ...

TALKING POINTS … Total mortgage application volume surged 13.9 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ended Sept. 18 versus the earlier week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). Refinance applications, which are most rate-sensitive, increased 18 percent from the previous week. Purchase applications rose 9 percent to their highest level since June 2015. They are now 27 percent higher than the same week one year ago. Mike Fratantoni, MBA's chief economist, commented, “We saw significant rate volatility last week surrounding the [Federal Reserve’s] meeting, and rate declines toward the end of the week likely drove applications from both prospective home buyers and borrowers looking to refinance.”

Best Annual Improvement Since 2005 MCLEAN, VA--(Marketwired - Sep 23, 2015) - Freddie Mac ( OTCQB :  FMCC ) today released its updated  Multi-Indicator Market Index® (MiMi®)  showing the U.S. housing market continuing to slowly stabilize with one additional state, Rhode Island, and four additional metro areas entering their outer range of stable housing activity: Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Phoenix, Arizona; and Albany, New York.  The national MiMi value stands at 81, indicating a housing market that is on its outer range of stable housing activity, while showing an improvement of +0.93% from June to July and a three-month improvement of +2.99%. On a year-over-year basis, the national MiMi value has improved +6.17%. Since its all-time low in October 2010, the national MiMi has rebounded 37%, but remains significantly off from its high of 121.7.  News Facts: Twenty-nine of the 50 states plus the District of Columbia have MiMi va...