Spring is the optimum time to sell a home. Here are 10 things you can do to improve the odds that your home will stand out among the sea of new listings flooding the spring-time real estate market: 1) Wash windows inside and out / polish all mirrors Sparkle is free, and sparkle […]

We’re bringing back the Mortgage Market Minute. In this video I talk Case-Shiller, Countrywide eliminating option arms on the wholesale side, and Wells Fargo whacking LTV’s in California.
Bear with us as we get back up to speed and stay tuned for more video from Blown Mortgage.

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Big hat tip to reader Don for sending this along. Wells Fargo has named nearly every California county a “Severely Distressed Market” which requires LTV reductions of 5% for any conforming loan over 75% LTV and also eliminates financing over 75% LTV for any non-conforming loan. The Wells Fargo Mortgage Express product (which […]

Downtown Toronto Taxes are highest in Country!

Even before Toronto announced its latest property tax hikes yesterday, Toronto took the dubious honour for having the highest property taxes in Canada, according to a detailed report issued by the city of Edmonton. Together with Ottawa, Brampton, Hamilton and London, Ontario municipalities take five of the top six […]

Here’s the latest Fast Facts update from the SFAR. Updates are provided almost weekly and each week is a different sector of the market (ie. Condos, Single Family Homes, 2-4 unit dwellings, etc.).

Check back next week for more statistics..
Fast Facts […]

Hat tip to good friend of Blown Mortgage, Chris, for sending this along:
US Bank is eliminating its 100% financing product on the wholesale channel as of tomorrow.
No word on whether this is a regional or nation-wide change nor if it’s been eliminated from the retail channel.
Countrywide out of Option ARMs, 100% disappearing. We’re definitely […]

Real estate markets across Canada posted solid gains over the past decade, and the economic fundamentals remain in place for continued, but more moderate growth. Between 1997 and 2007, average home prices in Canada almost doubled, to C$307,265 ($304,705) in 2007 from C$154,606 in 1997, for a 7.1 percent annually compounded rate of return, according […]

Canada economy to slow, risks to downside - IMF (Reuters) Canadian economic growth will slow to 1.8 percent this year and there is a risk of an even sharper downturn as weakness in the U.S. economy spreads beyond the housing sector, the International Monetary Fund said in a report on Monday. After growing about 2.5 […]

Financing Means used by a buyer to acquire an immovable. Financial resource, often in the form of a mortgage loan provided to the buyer by a financial institution for the purchase of an immovable (see Mortgage loan).
Fonds d’indemnisation du courtage immobilier Body created under the Real Estate Brokerage Act, to which all real estate brokers […]

Countrywide appears to be eliminating the Option ARM, at least from the wholesale channel.  Another sign of the tightening taking place at the beleaguered lender in an attempt to finalize the Bank of America purchase earlier this year.  How do I know they are eliminating the Option ARM (known commonly as the neg am or […]