Must-read research for anyone marketing to the wealthy.

Correcting a ‘no-cost refis are a scam’ article on Zillow.

Once upon a time, you could have a 10 minute phone call with a lender and get a mortgage funded within 10-20 days. Now loan approvals are back to normal. And by normal, I mean painstaking—as the loan approval process should be. But it doesn’t have to be miserable for the borrower. I’m linking below [...]

Rates are up .25% in the past three weeks, and this chart offers perspective. It uses Freddie Mac data that’s the source for weekly rate headlines. The October 2011 bar is a month-to-date average through today. Below the chart is a required reading list for rate watchers. CLICK CHART TO ENLARGE. ___ Further reference: -Mortgage [...]

Here’s an updated chart showing new rate lows touched briefly in the past week. As of today, the 2011 average rate for single family home loans to $417k is 4.54% with 0.7 points—this is the number in the 2011 bar. The record low is also shown below the chart. CLICK CHART TO ENLARGE. ___ Further [...]

Rates held under 4% again last week. The link shows how rates closed Friday in the three mortgage price tiers: loans to $417k, to $625k, and to $2m. But rates change in real time. Example: they rose and fell .25% last week as Eurozone optimism did the same and U.S. home prices, jobless claims, and [...]

Below is a slide show and infographic showing results from today’s Trulia survey on whether housing is still part of the American Dream. Short answer: yes, but consumers have legitimate concerns (see slide 7). Also, here’s a good infographic from last summarizing recent housing surveys. Click image for original KCM Blog post.

I woke up this morning with the “and then…” scene from Dude Where’s My Car in my head. Word of advice: don’t try the “and then” game at home, it’s not as funny in real life. Which of course you know if you’ve gotten a mortgage in the past few years. The documentation checklists from [...]

The August refi boom continues as rates bounce around near record lows. This is happening because rates drop when bond prices rise, and investors continue to regard mortgage bonds as a safe haven from a weak U.S. economy, Europe’s debt crisis, and ironically, the U.S.’s downgrade. There’s always a rush to lock rates on dips, [...]

Marketwatch’s top housing reporter Amy Hoak just wrote a good consumer primer on the current refinance market. I’m quoted in the story and my discussion with Amy also prompted me to write some more detailed refinancing tips last week. Here are the links: -Refinancing Window Reopens For Some (Marketwatch) -August Refi Boom: Consumer Tips (TheBasisPoint) [...]