Blog - JVM Lending

Higher Interest Rates Did Not Slow Housing Appreciation; WHY?

March 14, 2022/in Interest Rates, Our Blog

A surge in home prices continues despite the fact that interest rates have climbed significantly – and will likely continue to climb at least in the near term. So, the question is, why do prices continue to surge in the face of higher rates? Two Reasons: (1) High demand because of demographics; and (2) Low inventory.Read More

Cold Feet In The Face of Uncertainty (Take The Money & Run)

March 11, 2022/in Mortgage Industry, Our Blog

In the early months after COVID hit in 2020, I wrote numerous blogs about the strong likelihood of the economy and the housing market bouncing back. My reasoning was based on strong demographic demand, a shortage of inventory, the press’s propensity to make crises seem worse than they are, and America’s overall resilience in general (as we had bounced back from many other crises amazingly fast).Read More

Inflation & Rates Increase But Industry Experts Still Bet On Low Rates

March 10, 2022/in Interest Rates, Our Blog

The current surge in commodity prices such as wheat, nickel, copper, and oil is fostering doom and gloom predictions – of mass shortages and runaway inflation. So, in light of that, why is Raoul Pal, the founder and CEO of “Real Vision” buying bonds in a bet that interest rates will fall? Pal thinks higher prices will crush demand and that a recession is looming.Read More

Watching A Company Implode; Ego, Hubris, INABILITY TO LISTEN OR ADJUST

March 9, 2022/in Mortgage Industry, Our Blog

“As if things couldn’t get more ridiculous at the online mortgage lender Better Mortgage, where 900 people were laid off over a Zoom call this past December, the company reportedly issued another wave of layoffs by inadvertently notifying employees via its payroll app.” This is a quote from The Verge in an article posted yesterday. […]Read More

VA Loans Are Much Easier Now – No More Clear Inspection Reports!

March 7, 2022/in Our Blog, VA

VA loans are the best loans on the market – given their very low rates, the lack of mortgage insurance, the lack of loan limits, and the ability to put 0% down. Their biggest drawback, however, was the fact they required full pest inspection reports, and that all “Section I” items (and some Section II […]Read More

How To Finance In-Law Units; Flight To Safety Again

March 4, 2022/in Our Blog, Real Estate

CA recently passed a bill (SB9) that eases zoning restrictions and makes it far easier for homeowners to add extra units to their properties. These units are known as Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), Granny Units, or In-Law Units. Per the WSJ, there are some 2.5 million single-family homes in California that are eligible to have […]Read More

Elon Musk’s #1 Success Trait (We All Have It)

March 3, 2022/in Our Blog, Self Education

When my wife Heejin and I started building the JVM Team, our biggest competitors were several members of a coaching group called The Core. It is a great program that focuses on team building, delegation, non-stop prospecting, accountability, lead-tracking – and most importantly – COMPETITION. The Core members know each others’ production numbers and income […]Read More

Rate Match Guarantee! Beware of POINTS! Rates: Sticky Down/Slippery Up

March 2, 2022/in Interest Rates, Our Blog

We now have a Rate Match Guarantee at JVM. If borrowers bring us a valid rate quote on a formal Loan Estimate before their rate is locked, we will match that quote. Our only exceptions will be for some portfolio jumbo loans offered by some of the major commercial banks.Read More

“Private” Mortgage Insurance vs. FHA Mortgage Insurance – Huge Difference!

February 28, 2022/in FHA, Our Blog

I recently blogged about three options to eliminate Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI), and I received several notes asking why I did not mention FHA Mortgage Insurance. By the way, I love reader-feedback, so please keep it coming – as it often makes for great blog fodder! I didn’t cover FHA Mortgage Insurance because I was […]Read More

How The Ukraine/Russia War Is Impacting Rates

February 25, 2022/in Interest Rates, Our Blog

I wrote a blog last week about the potential impact that a Russian invasion into Ukraine would have on rates, and it was one of my most viewed blogs ever. In light of that interest, I am doing a brief follow-up blog to review what actually happened in light of the invasion yesterday. IMPORTANT NOTE: […]Read More

8 Ways Parents Can Help Their Kids Buy Homes

February 24, 2022/in Homebuying, Our Blog

Parents frequently ask about the best options for helping their kids buy homes, so I thought I’d set out a few in this blog. If kids have sufficient income to qualify themselves and only need cash, a willing parent should simply “gift” the necessary funds for the down payment and closing costsRead More

How Sky-High Stock and Bitcoin Prices Distort The World (Labor Force Participation)

February 23, 2022/in Our Blog, Self Education

I personally know several men under 50 who have “retired” or left the labor force because their Bitcoin and crypto holdings have made them feel wealthy enough to do so. These guys of course are not unique as there are thousands (maybe millions) of other people who have done the same.Read More

Attention Nervous Homebuyers: Rates Likely to Fall! Dr. Lacy Hunt Explains

February 21, 2022/in Interest Rates, Our Blog

Even though rates are still lower than where they were in 2018 (and for much of the last 10 years), homebuyers are still often very upset that rates have climbed so much in recent months. We frequently remind readers that homebuyers stress too much about rates in any case because so few of them keep their loans as long as they think they will (usually less than 7 years).Read More

$40,000 Dog! Rates Hit 3-Year High! Mortgage Stocks Might Be A Buy – Now :)

February 18, 2022/in Interest Rates, Our Blog

Rates Hit 3-Year High! That was the headline in the WSJ today – so I want to remind agents and borrowers alike to get “Re-Approved” because higher rates mean higher payments. Read More

Cryptocurrency & Mortgage Financing – Things To Be Aware Of

February 17, 2022/in Homebuying, Mortgage Industry, Our Blog

We recently had a borrower liquidate funds after a flurry of trades – resulting in demands for YEARS of bank statements by the underwriter (because she’s required to “source” every dollar that goes into a transaction)Read More

Why Russia/Ukraine War Drums Impact Mortgages & Real Estate So Much!

February 16, 2022/in Mortgage Industry, Our Blog

Interest rates were trending upward before news surfaced that NATO believes Russia is still likely to invade Ukraine (because so many Russian troops are amassed at the border). When the news surfaced, rates dropped sharply in response.Read More

When Will Rates Fall?

February 14, 2022/in Interest Rates, Our Blog

I had an acquaintance who was a very successful regional homebuilder in the 1990s and early 2000s. By early 2005, he was so certain we were in a housing bubble that he started to short the major homebuilders (Lennar, Toll Brothers, Pulte, etc.). By “shorting,” he was betting that stocks would fall.Read More

Why The NASDAQ Impacts Homebuying So Much

February 11, 2022/in Financial Planning, Mortgage Industry, Our Blog

After the 2008 meltdown, a borrower told me how sad she and her husband were because they lost $250,000. They bought their home in the 1990s for $300,000 and watched it appreciate to $1 million by 2006ish. Interestingly, they pulled cash out every 18 months to buy boats, jet skis, new cars, and vacations.Read More

How Much Have Rates Risen? Will They Fall?

February 10, 2022/in Interest Rates, Our Blog

Last year at this time, the average conforming 30-year fixed-rate was about 2.7%, per Freddie Mac. Currently, the average conforming rate is over 3.7%. So, rates have risen a full 1% now over the last 12 months.Read More

The Fed Does Not Set Interest Rates! I Got Slapped Down Twice!

February 9, 2022/in Interest Rates, Our Blog

This is a quick reminder that the Fed does not set long-term interest rates! The Fed only sets the short-term “Fed Funds” rate– or the rate that banks charge each other to borrow money overnight. The Fed can influence long-term rates with its comments, with its partial control over the money supply, and with its […]Read More

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