Welcome to the FREEandCLEAR Blog! Our blog offers unique insights on the latest mortgage market news and trends. We also use our blog to shine a spotlight on important topics that are shaping the real estate and mortgage markets including housing affordability, socioeconomic developments and financial literacy. We are always adding interesting features to the FREEandCLEAR Blog so sign up below to receive our Mortgage Market Update and other posts or check back frequently.
Housing Starts RocketPOSTED: Tuesday May 19, 2015
A key report that reflects the strength of the housing market is the monthly Housing Starts report released jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development. The Housing Starts report includes two pieces of data: starts and permits. A housing start is counted when construction […]
Housing Market Index Slow But SteadyPOSTED: Monday May 18, 2015
The National Association of Home Builders Housing Market Index is one of the key housing market statistics that we track at FREEandCLEAR. The Housing Market Index incorporates factors such as current and expected new home sales and interest level from potential new home buyers. It is important to highlight that the index focuses on new […]
Rising Rates Slow Mortgage AppsPOSTED: Wednesday May 13, 2015
At FREEandCLEAR, we follow the Mortgage Bankers’ Association (MBA) mortgage applications index which measures both purchase and refinance applications for mortgage lenders across the country. An increase in the MBA applications index reflects an increase in mortgage applications while a decrease in the index reflects a decline in mortgage applications. The slow climb in […]
Purchase Applications Creep UpwardPOSTED: Wednesday May 06, 2015
At FREEandCLEAR, we follow the Mortgage Bankers’ Association (MBA) mortgage applications index which measures both purchase and refinance applications for mortgage lenders across the country. An increase in the MBA applications index reflects an increase in mortgage applications while a decrease in the index reflects a decline in mortgage applications. Although the composite mortgage […]
Mortgage Applications Cool DownPOSTED: Wednesday April 29, 2015
At FREEandCLEAR, we follow the Mortgage Bankers’ Association (MBA) mortgage applications index which measures both purchase and refinance applications for mortgage lenders across the country. An increase in the MBA applications index reflects an increase in mortgage applications while a decrease in the index reflects a decline in mortgage applications. The mortgage applications index […]
Pending Home Sales Continue Upward TrendPOSTED: Wednesday April 29, 2015
The National Association of Realtors pending home sales index tracks the number of existing homes that went into contract to be sold. When a home seller and buyer agree to the price and terms of a home sale, they sign a contract that outlines the transaction details and the property is said to be “under […]
Homeownership Hits 26 Year LowPOSTED: Tuesday April 28, 2015
According to a recent report from the U.S. Commerce Department, the rate of homeownership hit a 26 year low of 63.8% in the first quarter of 2015. The 63.8% figure represents a slight drop compared to the 64.5% homeownership rate reported by the U.S. Census Bureau for 2014. The homeownership rate peaked at 69.0% in […]
Home Prices FirmPOSTED: Tuesday April 28, 2015
There are two primary measures of housing prices that we track at FREEandCLEAR: the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index, which uses certain nationwide mortgage activity to track home prices and the S&P / Case-Shiller Home Price Index, which tracks home prices in 20 U.S. metropolitan markets. Both indices are reported on a […]