What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : September 26, 2011 - 09/26/11 06:01 PM
Mortgage markets improved last week as the Federal Reserve provided new market stimulus and the Eurozone continued to grapple with Greek's sovereign debt issues.
Conforming mortgage rates fell last week overall, dropping for the second straight week.
For rate shoppers, the best day on which to lock a mortgage rate last week proved to be Thursday.
Fresh off the Federal Reserve's Wednesday afternoon announcement that the group will launch a $400 billion program in support of longer-term bonds, mortgage rates fell. This occurred because mortgage rates are based on the price of mortgage-backed bonds, and mortgage bonds are a beneficiary of … (0 comments)

Building Permits Rising Nationwide; Housing Starts To Follow - 09/23/11 03:03 PM
Single-Family Housing Starts fell for the second consecutive month, dropping to a seasonally-adjusted, annualized 417,000 units in August 2011. A "Housing Start" is defined as a home on which ground has broken. We shouldn't put too much faith in the findings, however. Although housing starts were lower last month, as noted by the Census Bureau, the margin of error in the August Housing Starts report exceeded the actual result. From the official report: August's Published Results : -1.4% from July August's Margin of Error : ±10.3% from July Therefore, August's Housing Starts may have actually increased by up to +8.9% from July, … (3 comments)

A Simple Explanation Of The Federal Reserve Statement (September 21, 2011 Edition) - 09/23/11 02:57 PM
Wednesday, the Federal Open Market Committee voted to leave the Fed Funds Rate unchanged within its current target range of 0.000-0.250 percent. The vote was 7-3 -- the second straight meeting at which the FOMC adjourned with as many 3 dissenters. Prior to that last meeting, there hadn't been 3 FOMC dissenters since 1992. In its press release, the Federal Reserve presented a dour outlook for the U.S. economy, noting that since its last meeting in August: Economic growth "remains slow" Unemployment rates "remain elevated" The housing sector "remains depressed" The Fed also said that there are "significant downside risks" to … (0 comments)

Homebuilder Confidence Stays Flat - 09/20/11 04:49 PM

Homebuilders are feeling worse about the market for new homes nationwide.
With construction credit tight and competition from foreclosures increasing, the National Association of Homebuilder's Housing Market Index slipped 1 point in September, falling to levels just below the index's 12-month average.
The HMI measures homebuilder confidence nationwide. It's the result of 3 separate homebuilder surveys, each designed to measure a specific facet of the homebuilder's business.
How are market conditions for the sale of new homes today?  How are market conditions for the sale of new homes in 6 months? How is prospective buyer foot traffic? Each component survey showed … (0 comments)

Choosing A 15-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage Over A 30-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage - 09/19/11 09:00 PM

It's not just 30-year fixed rate mortgages that are posting all-time lows these days. The 15-year mortgage has been plunging, too.
If you've ever considered a 15-year loan term, it's a terrific time to talk to your lender. According to Freddie Mac's weekly mortgage rate survey of roughly 125 U.S. lenders, at 3.30 percent, the 15-year fixed rate mortgage is at its lowest point in history.
The 3.30% rate doesn't come for free, however. Based on average loan term nationwide, borrowers choosing to "go 15" should expect to pay 0.6 discount points at closing. 1 discount point is equal to 1 … (0 comments)

Annual Foreclosure Filings Down For 11th Straight Month - 09/15/11 06:27 PM

On an annual basis, foreclosure filings fell last month. As compared to August 2010, last month's foreclosure filings dropped 33 percent. "Foreclosure filing" is a catch-all term, comprising default notices; scheduled auctions; and bank repossessions.
The study was published by foreclosure-tracking firm RealtyTrac and this month's report reveals a slowing rate of foreclosure within each of the Top 10 most foreclosure-heavy states.
All news is not good, however. 
On a monthly basis, foreclosure filings spiked, led by a surge in default notices. Default notices made their biggest one-month jump since August 2007 on the way to a 9-month high last month. Default … (0 comments)

Capitalize On Low Interest Rates In Overlooked Places - 09/14/11 03:16 PM

It's no secret. Rates are low right now. And, it's not just mortgage rates, either -- all types of rates are scraping rock-bottom. Borrowing rates, lending rates and savings rates are at or near their all-time lowest levels.
As a homeowner , one way to take capitalize on today's low rates is to apply to refinance your home. But there are other ways to take advantage, too.
In this 5-minute piece from NBC's The Today Show, you'll learn of a half-dozen ways to exploit the current rate environment, including:
Refinance a car loan from a high rate to a low rate, … (3 comments)

Adjustable-Rate Mortgages Starting To Adjust Higher - 09/14/11 12:53 AM

For the first time in a year, homeowners with adjusting mortgages are facing rising mortgage rates. The interest rate by which many adjustable-rate mortgages adjust has climbed to its highest level since September 2010, and looks poised to reach higher.
This is because of the formula by which adjustable-rate mortgage adjust.
Each year, when due for a reset, an adjustable-rate mortgage's rate changes to the sum of fixed number known as a "margin", and a variable figure known as an "index". For conforming mortgages, the margin is typically set to 2.250 percent; the index is often equal to the 12-month … (3 comments)

In your opinion, what is the most common myth that home buyers or sellers think about real estate agents and how they operate? - 09/14/11 12:46 AM
Sellers and buyers often times think that a real estate agent is only trying to have a quick easy sale of their home. That there is nothing more to the transaction than the transaction itself! This couldn’t be further from the truth and agents know that this manner of working is the easiest way to choke off future business. Real Estate agents depend on the referrals of their past clients. The clients’ happiness is paramount to the transaction and the future success of the agent is dependent on clients’ satisfaction! Happy customers who send their friends and relatives to an agent … (3 comments)

What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : September 12, 2011 - 09/12/11 11:58 AM
Mortgage markets improved last week as a weakening Eurozone and questions about the U.S. economy sparked a global flight-to-quality. Conforming and FHA mortgage rates improved for the second week in a row.
The storylines should sound familiar by now. They are the same ones that have dictated the path of mortgage rates since April 2011. As a result, according to Freddie Mac, mortgage rates nationwide are now at an all-time low.
Not in 50 years of tracking mortgage rates has pricing been so favorable.
Last week's holiday-shortened week didn't begin well for rate shoppers. Rates moved higher on the expectation of additional … (0 comments)

Home Affordability Still Tops Nationwide - 09/12/11 11:53 AM
Home affordability slipped slightly last quarter, dragged down by rising mortgage rates and recovering home prices nationwide.
The National Association of Home Builders reports a Q2 2011 Home Opportunity Index reading of 72.6. This means that nearly 3 of 4 homes sold last quarter were affordable to households earning the national median income of $64,200.
Q2 2011 marks the 10th straight quarter -- dating back to 2009 -- in which the index surpassed 70.
Prior to 2009, the index had never crossed 70 even one time.
However, we must remember that the Home Affordability Index is a national survey. From region-to-region, … (1 comments)

As Jobs Tally Fades, Mortgage Rates Fall - 09/08/11 10:09 PM

The U.S. economy is no longer adding new jobs.
Last Friday, in its monthly Non-Farm Payrolls report, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the U.S. economy added exactly zero new jobs in August as the national Unemployment Rate held steady at 9.1 percent.
Despite the "zero" reading, the jobs figures were in the red. This is because the BLS issued revisions to its June and July figures that adjusted the two months of data down by 58,000 jobs.
Economists had expected a monthly reading of +75,000. Their estimates missed.
The weaker-than-expected jobs data fueled a stock market sell-off that … (1 comments)

What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : September 6, 2011 - 09/06/11 05:02 PM
Mortgage markets improved last week on a weak jobs report, expectation for new market stimulus, growing evidence of a global economic slowdown. Rates were especially volatile, too, with the long Labor Day Weekend looming.
Overall, conforming mortgage rates improved for the first time in 3 weeks. On a product-by-product basis, though, mortgage rates are faring differently.
According to the Freddie Mac weekly mortgage rate survey, last week, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage was unchanged but the 15-year fixed rate mortgage and the 5-year ARM fell.
The 5-year ARM is at a new all-time low for qualified borrowers.
A drop in 5-year ARM … (0 comments)

Home Values Rose In June 2011 - 09/06/11 04:51 PM

Has housing turned the corner for good?
The June 2011 Case-Shiller Index reading posted strong numbers across the board, with each of the index's 20 tracked markets showing home price improvement from May.
Some markets -- Chicago and Minneapolis -- rose as much as 3.2 percent.
The rise in values is nothing about which to get overly excited, however. The Case-Shiller Index is just re-reporting what multiple data sets have already shown about the summer housing market; that it was stronger than the spring market, and that a recovery is underway, but occurring locally, at different rates.
For example, the June … (1 comments)

With The Jobs Report Looming, Mortgage Rates May Rise - 09/06/11 04:48 PM

If you're shopping for a mortgage rate, today may be a good day to lock one down. That's because Friday morning, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will release its Non-Farm Payrolls report for August 2011.
The "jobs report" tends to have a big influence on mortgage bonds and mortgage rates.
The jobs report is a monthly issuance, providing sector-by-sector analysis of the U.S. workforce. It also report the national Unemployment Rate.
Wall Street expects the August Non-Farm Payrolls data to show 75,000 jobs created in August, down from 117,000 in July; and it expects that the Unemployment Rate will remain unchanged … (1 comments)