Mortgage trends in 2013

Agent Publishing (where I am the managing editor) took a look at its stories in 2012, along with the data, and reported on the five biggest real estate trends to watch for in 2013. The big ones include rising home prices, rising rents, dwindling REO and short sales, and an increase in first-time homebuyers, however, any mortgage trends were left out.

Now, it’s extremely difficult to predict where mortgage rates will go. In the 1980s, interest rates were at about 15-16 percent; pre-housing bubble they decreased to about 7 to 8 percent, and both of those were good housing markets. Also, with the latest news regarding the last-minute dodging of the fiscal cliff, the MID is safe (well, for now…). With all the data pointing upward, what loans will be the most common in 2013? What governmental changes or other factors will affect the products consumers can use?

I sent a survey to several lenders in the Chicagoland area lenders, and so far, predictions for loans that will be most common this year are split between conventional and FHA loans. I found that interesting, especially regarding FHA loans, because FHA-approved buildings seem to be shifting.

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