by ISTMagents | Feb 21, 2024 | Blog
The Word On The StreetHopes for early 2024 interest rate cuts fade with January data releases Reports vs Expectations “The housing market matters, if for no other reason than it’s the primary source of U.S. household wealth, regardless of income or status....
by ISTMagents | Nov 19, 2023 | Blog
NEW FHA GUIDELINES ACCEPT ACCESSORY DWELLING INCOME The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Federal Housing Administration (FHA) rolled out a new policy in late October expanding accessing to FHA mortgage financing for homes that include...
by ISTMagents | Nov 1, 2023 | Blog
POWELL ANNOUNCES NOVEMBER RATE SKIP, MAINTAINING FEDERAL FUNDS RATE Fed Chair Jerome Powell announced at 2PM today that rates would not increase this month. Per the FOMC statement: “Recent indicators suggest that economic activity expanded at a strong pace in...
by ISTMagents | Jul 27, 2023 | Blog
Who's Buying Homes in the U.S.?Breaking down the home buying market by generation In this time of high interest rates and low inventory, cash-flush Boomers have emerged as the market leaders. Baby Boomers now represent 39% of American home buyers, according to an NAR...
by ISTMagents | Jul 27, 2023 | Blog
You're a first-time homebuyer in DCIs finding a home you love in a neighborhood you love, with a short commute and good investment value impossible? Nah. What may seem like a daunting task can be achievable by following a few guidelines and breaking the process down...
by ISTMagents | Jul 26, 2023 | Blog
Fed Hawks Force Interest Rates Higher Despite Declining Inflation Following today’s FOMC meeting, Fed Chair Jerome Powell announced another key interest rate increase in spite of the recent pullback in inflation. The Federal Reserve raised the benchmark rate by .25%...
by ISTMagents | Jun 15, 2023 | Blog
FED SKIPS JUNE RATE HIKE, SIGNALS MORE 2023 HIKES A “Skip” was the next step in the Fed’s fight against inflation at June’s FOMC meeting. Federal Reserve officials held the benchmark rate steady for the first time since March 2022, but...
by ISTMagents | Jun 15, 2023 | Blog
EXPANDED DEFERMENT PROGRAM BEGINS JULY 1 2023 Homeowners Can Take Mortgage Deferment July 1 2023 Starting July 1st, homeowners struggling to pay mortgages can take advantage of an expansion of the Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae deferment policy. Payment deferral allows...
by ISTMagents | May 30, 2023 | Blog
WHY THE DC REAL ESTATE MARKET ISN'T TAKING A DIVEDOWN, BUT NOT OUT At a time when DC real estate is typically racking up significant price increases with each bidding war. and market activity is at its annual peak, the outlook for late spring is about as sunny as...
by ISTMagents | Mar 26, 2023 | Blog
Updated April 2024 | The Isaacs Team Redrawing school boundaries and feeder patterns is always a contentious process.How will parents and the market react in 2023-24, years in which the market is already adversely impacted by higher interest rates, the threat of...
by ISTMagents | Mar 24, 2023 | Blog
FHA MORTGAGE INSURANCE PREMIUM DROP The Biden Administration’s reduced Mortgage Insurance Premiums (MIP) for FHA home loans took effect this week. With rates rising once again, DC home prices continuing an upward climb, the possibility of rate cuts beginning in...
by ISTMagents | Mar 20, 2023 | Blog
MAKING SENSE OF MORTGAGE RATES TODAY Seems like it should be simple, but one attempt at searching ‘today’s mortgage rates’ will turn up many conflicting results. How can you check to see what your rate would be today? Refer to Matt Graham’s Mortgage News Daily Post. I...
