This Week's Mortgage Rates: August 29, 2011 - 08/29/11 01:44 PM
Last week was another volatile week for mortgage rates. Wall Street alternately sought risk and shunned it, causing mortgage-backed bonds to rise and fall rapidly.
There was a lot to move markets, too, including banking concerns across Europe, inflation figures within the U.S., and a public speech by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke.
Conforming rates in Arizona rose to their highest levels of the week Wednesday afternoon, then receded into the weekend. 3
0-year fixed rates remain above their all-time lows set 2 weeks ago. 5-year ARMs are at all-time lows.
This week, mortgage rates figure to be equally jumpy. As well as … (0 comments)

Best Places To Live In The U.S. (2011 Edition) - 08/25/11 05:40 PM
CNNMoney recently released its Best Places To Live 2011 list.
The annual survey is based on data from Onboard Informatics. Using Quality of Life factors such as education, crime and "town spirit", and focusing on towns with between 8,500 and 50,000 residents, the CNNMoney survey ranks the country's best "small towns".
To be eligible, towns must be have a median household income greater than 85 percent, and less than 200 percent of the state median income; must not be a categorized as a "retirement community"; and must be racially-diverse.
From a list of 3,570 eligible towns nationwide, Louisville, Colorado was ranked #1.
… (0 comments)

Mortgage Rates Don't Move With The Fed Funds Rate - 08/19/11 05:28 PM
Last week, at its 5th scheduled meeting of the year, the Federal Open Market Committee voted to leave the Fed Funds Rate in its target range near zero percent. The Fed Funds Rate has been near zero percent since December 2008 and, in its official statement, the FOMC pledged to leave the Fed Funds Rate untouched for at least another 2 years. This doesn't mean mortgage rates will be untouched for 2 years, though. Mortgage rates and the Fed Funds Rate are two different interest rates; completely disconnected. If mortgage rates and the Fed Funds Rate moved in tandem, the chart … (0 comments)

Foreclosures Down? - 08/16/11 01:31 AM
 
Foreclosure activity continues to slow.
According to RealtyTrac, a national foreclosure-tracking firm, the number of foreclosure filings nationwide fell 35 percent as compared to July 2010, a statistic suggesting that the housing market continues to improve.
"Foreclosure filing" is a catch-all term encompassing default notices, scheduled auctions, and bank repossessions.
Filings fell to a 44-month low in July 2011.
For all the improvement, though, activity remains concentrated in just a few states. More than half of all bank repossessions last month occurred in just a handful of states.
In July, 6 states accounted for 52% of activity.
California : 19% of … (3 comments)

Mortgage Rates Drop After U.S. Credit Downgrade - 08/09/11 02:02 PM
Mortgage rates continue drifting downward in Arizona, despite -- or because of -- a ratings downgrade on long-term U.S. government debt. Standard & Poors issued a single-notch downgrade after Friday's market close, from AAA to AA+.
Of the roughly $9.4 billion in publicly-held U.S. debt, 72 percent is long-term (i.e. with duration of 2 years or longer).
U.S. short-term debt was not downgraded.
When an entity -- government, business, or other -- is cited for a credit downgrade, it means that the risk of lending money to that entity has increased. In theory, higher risk should lead to higher borrowing costs and … (0 comments)

Mortgage Rates This Week : August 8, 2011 - 08/08/11 06:09 PM
Mortgage markets were especially volatile last week, taking rate shoppers in Arizona on a roller-coaster ride. The week's news schedule was full. It included debt ceiling debates, jobs figures, and ongoing maneuverings within the Eurozone.
Each story a material impact on mortgage rates and, as a result, rates varied wildly from day-to-day.
Throughout the early part of the week, mortgage rates fell.
Monday, bond markets improved as leaks of the congressional debt ceiling agreement surfaced. Investors approved of the accord's general terms and bought U.S.-backed debt to prove it. Tuesday, when the final agreement was reached and the terms were made public, … (0 comments)

Mortgage Rates Plunge to New 2011 Lows - 08/05/11 03:15 PM
 

Mortgage rates in Arizona plunged to new 2011 lows this week. 
According to Freddie Mac's weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey, the national, average 30-year fixed rate mortgage fell to 4.39% this week -- the lowest 30-year fixed reading since November 18, 2010.
The 0.16 drop from last week is the largest one-week rate drop in more than 2 years, and, although the 30-year fixed remains above its all-time lows from November 2010, two other benchmark products made new records this week.
Both the 15-year fixed rate mortgage and the 5-year ARM are reporting lower than at any time in … (0 comments)

Closing At The Start Of September? Watch Out For Labor Day. - 08/04/11 12:47 PM
 
Home sales have heated up, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.
More homes are going under contract this summer in Arizona than went during the winter or spring seasons. Many of these homes are scheduled for late-August/early-September closings. 
If your home is among them, plan ahead. 
Like for the rest of the U.S. workforce, Labor Day is a popular vacation time in the real estate, title and mortgage industries. Closings come together more slowly when the parties involved are on holiday. In addition, when issues arise, they are often slower to resolve because not everyone is "present". 
Therefore, if you're under … (1 comments)

Mortgage Rate Strategy For July's Jobs Report - 08/03/11 07:10 PM

At 8:30 AM ET Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the July 2011 Non-Farm Payrolls report. Mark it in your calendar. If you've been watching mortgage rates fall to new all-time lows this week and fear a mortgage rate reversal, Friday could be the day.
The monthly Non-Farm Payrolls data can swing a big stick in mortgage markets. More commonly called "the jobs report", Non-Farm Payrolls details the U.S. workforce, providing sector-by-sector analysis of workforce, as well as the national Unemployment Rate.
The jobs report affects mortgage rates because of how important jobs are to the U.S. economy. … (0 comments)

Mortgage Rates on the Move? - 08/01/11 07:05 PM
Mortgage markets improved last week as the U.S. debt ceiling debate continued on Capitol Hill. Bonds traded in a range Monday through Thursday before breaking higher Friday morning.
30-year fixed conforming mortgage rates improved in Arizona last week, falling to levels just north the product's all-time low set in November 2010.
5-year ARMs improved last week, too. The benchmark adjustable-rate mortgage's average national rate is now tied with its all-time low, also set last November.
This week, the direction of mortgage rates depends on two events:
The resolution of the U.S. debt ceiling debate, due Tuesday The July Non-Farm Payrolls report, due Friday … (0 comments)

 


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