Spring Market Optimism - 05/11/12 05:19 AM
Spring Market Optimism    
The spring season usually brings an increase in buying and selling to the real estate market, and housing experts are mostly optimistic that this spring will be even better than recent years. Some signs are already there: Housing inventories are declining, housing affordability is at record highs, rates on home loans are at all-time lows, and the job market is improving. Existing-home sales have been edging up in recent months, and for-sale housing inventories were at nearly 2.4 million units in December, reaching its lowest point since 2005, according to National Association of Realtors® data.NAR's Chief … (1 comments)

Agency Eases Refi Guides - 05/10/12 08:13 AM
Agency Eases Refi Guides 
Freddie Mac has eased its underwriting formulas to boost the number of homeowners who qualify for the government's home loan refinancing program. Changes made last year to the government-backed refinancing program and fully implemented in mid-March were designed to make it easier for homeowners who are current on their home loans to refinance and secure a lower interest rate, even if they owed more on their home loans than their homes were worth.The reformatted program, commonly known as HARP 2.0, opened eligibility to homeowners who owe more than 25% more on their home loan than the value … (2 comments)

Good News Pause? - 05/07/12 06:05 AM
Good News Pause?      
It is obvious based upon the numbers we have seen in the past month that the economic recovery is not getting stronger. This does not mean that the economy will not heat up later this year, but at this time the recovery is remaining tepid to say the least. While many would love to see the economy get stronger more quickly, there are certain advantages to a steady and unspectacular pace of recovery. What are these advantages? For one, we will be less subject to rises in oil prices with the economy on a more even … (2 comments)