Real estate blog entries tagged with mortgage interest rates by Lew Corcoran, Real Estate Agent, Home Stager, & Photographer (Better Living Real Estate, LLC)

Home : Blogs : Lew Corcoran : The 'Home Matters' Blog : Tag "mortgage interest rates"

mortgage interest rates: The Mortgage Minute - May 19, 2008 - 05/18/08 02:49 PM

Looking Back
Interest rates ended up moderately after what had looked like a good week. Stronger than expected Housing Starts (+8.2% in April) erased all the gains from earlier in the week.
In other news, the price of single-family homes dropped 7.7% nationwide in the first quarter of ‘08. This was the largest year to year drop since the NAR started compiling statistics in 2002.
The median sales price for a single-family home fell to $196,300, down 4.8% from the last three months of 2007. This data is skewed somewhat by high end homes that are suffering from higher rates for jumbo mortgages (above $417,000).
… (0 comments)

mortgage interest rates: Mortgage Market Watch - May 12, 2008 - 05/12/08 01:13 PM

Mortgage Commentary
We saw rates shed a few basis points last week. We don't expect that to continue, especially with oil prices rising along with inflation concerns. Inflation concerns - what with oil trading at $120 a barrel - appear to be behind the pressure.
Try as they might, mortgage bonds are having a hard time offering us lower rates. With the economic news mostly stable and price pressure fresh in everyone's mind, there's little reason to expect any sort of strong downturn for mortgage rates anytime soon. In fact, some slight upward pressure is in place at the moment, and … (1 comments)

mortgage interest rates: The Mortgage Interest Rate Lock Advisory - May 12, 2008 - 05/11/08 10:04 PM

Current Rates*:
30 Year Fixed - 6.125% with Zero Points Jumbo 30 Year Fixed - 7.50% with .5 Points 15 Year Fixed - 5.625% with Zero Points FHA /VA 30 Year Fixed - 6.125% with Zero Points *Rates and fees accurate as of 5/9/08. Rates and fees subject to change without notice. This is not an advertisement for the purposes of the Truth-in-Lending Act or Regulation-Z. Terms and conditions apply. For qualified borrowers. Not a promise to lend. Interest rates are based on numerous economic, financial and credit based factors that adjust daily. In addition, lenders can vary on qualification criteria from program to program. … (0 comments)

mortgage interest rates: The Mortgage Minute - May 12, 2008 - 05/11/08 10:24 AM

Looking Back
The swelling tides of higher mortgage interest rates started to recede last week as investors waded back into the waters.
Fannie Mae reported a $2.2 Billion loss for the first quarter, and issued a warning of a "severe weakness" in the housing market. They also predicted a 7-9% nationwide drop in home prices. Fannie CEO Daniel Mudd told investors "right now we are in the belly of the cycle."
Looking Forward
Economists for the National Association of Realtors are predicting flat home sale numbers during the next few months with a chance for a pickup over the summer, depending on the availability of … (0 comments)

mortgage interest rates: Mortgage Market Watch - May 5, 2008 - 05/05/08 11:12 PM

Mortgage Commentary
Rates ticked down slightly last week. As a reaction, we expect rates to tick back up. Inflation concerns still permeate the economy, especially as summer approaches and energy and food prices skyrocket. To ensure adequate returns on investment, mortgage investors will demand higher rates.
This week is very light in terms of economic releases scheduled to be posted. There are actually three reports scheduled that are worthy of addressing, but none of them are considered to be highly important to bonds and mortgage rates.
In addition to this week's economic data, we also have Treasury auctions that can influence … (0 comments)

mortgage interest rates: The Mortgage Interest Rate Lock Advisory - May 5, 2008 - 05/05/08 06:33 AM

PLEASE READ: Effective 5/5/2008, one of the largest Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) companies will no longer provide mortgage insurance for loans with less than a 5% down payment. Look for other companies to follow shortly. This will leave FHA as the only 3% down payment loan around. For the most part, 100% financing is already gone with very short list of exceptions. If you have questions or are confused about what types are financing are still truly available, please give me a call.
Current Rates:
30 Year Fixed - 6.125% with Zero Points Jumbo 30 Year Fixed - 7.50% with .5 … (0 comments)

mortgage interest rates: The Mortgage Minute – May 5, 2008 - 05/04/08 09:44 PM

Looking Back
Mortgage interest rates ended last week up slightly following some stronger than expected employment data on Friday.
The Fed lowered the overnight lending rate another 0.25%, making 7 straight drops since September 2007. Analysts are forecasting that this could be the last decrease, and predict possible hikes in the fall.
In other news - all bad - the number of vacant homes homes in the US hit a record high of 2.9%, up over 100,000 units in the last 12 months. Foreclosures are up 112% over the first quarter of 2007. The nation's largest lender, Countrywide, reported losses of $893 million in the first … (0 comments)

mortgage interest rates: Mortgage Market Watch - April 28, 2008 - 04/28/08 01:51 PM

Mortgage Commentary
We have plenty of economic news this week including the Consumer Confidence Index, first quarter's GDP and a Fed meeting. Wednesday should be the biggest mover for rates. Since the market already expects the Fed to cut rates and GDP to show a very small annual increase, any deviation from expectations will likely push mortgage rates higher.
The first report comes late tomorrow morning when the Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) for April will be released. This Conference Board index is a key indicator of future spending by consumers. The group surveys 5000 consumers from across the country about their … (0 comments)

mortgage interest rates: The Mortgage Interest Rate Lock Advisory - April 28, 2008 - 04/27/08 10:44 PM

PLEASE READ: Effective 5/5/2008, one of the largest Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) companies will no longer provide mortgage insurance for loans with less than a 5% down payment. Look for other companies to follow shortly. This will leave FHA as the only 3% down payment loan around. For the most part, 100% financing is already gone with very short list of exceptions. If you have questions or are confused about what types are financing are still truly available, please give me a call.
Current Rates*:
30 Year Fixed - 6.25% with Zero Points Jumbo 30 Year Fixed - 7.625% with .5 … (0 comments)

mortgage interest rates: The Mortgage Minute – April 28, 2008 - 04/27/08 10:42 PM

Looking Back
Mortgage interest rates rose again last week on better than expected earnings reports and decreased expectations as to the size of this week's Fed rate cut. Many now believe that they will only cut the rate by 0.25%, instead of the 0.50% from earlier predictions.
New home sales plunged 8.5% in March over the previous March, while sales of existing homes were down 2.0% over the same time frame.
Looking Forward
Look for investors to be keying on the Federal Open Market Committee (The FED) meeting Tuesday and Wednesday. While most are expecting another 1/4% rate cut, there is a … (1 comments)

mortgage interest rates: Mortgage Market Watch - April 21, 2008 - 04/21/08 11:09 PM

Mortgage Commentary
Rates kept their slight upward trend last week. We don't expect any improvement this week either. With inflation concerns growing and oil prices skyrocketing, investors will demand more for their money in the near-term, which means higher rates. Don't expect significant relief as summer approaches. Lock in your rate as soon as possible.
March's Durable Goods Orders will be posted early Thursday morning. This report gives us an indication of manufacturing sector strength by tracking orders for big-ticket items at U.S. factories. Current forecasts call for a small increase in orders. A smaller than expected increase could help boost … (1 comments)

mortgage interest rates: The Mortgage Interest Rate Lock Advisory - April 21, 2008 - 04/20/08 10:58 PM

PLEASE NOTE: Effective 5/5/2008, one of the largest Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) companies will no longer provide mortgage insurance for loans with less than a 5% down payment. Look for other companies to follow shortly. This will leave FHA as the only 3% down payment loan around. For the most part (with very short list of exceptions) 100% financing is already gone. If you have questions or are confused about what types are financing are still truly available, please give me a call.
Current Rates*:
30 Year Fixed - 6.25% with Zero Points Jumbo 30 Year Fixed - 8.0% with Zero … (1 comments)

mortgage interest rates: The Mortgage Interest Rate Lock Advisory - April 14, 2008 - 04/18/08 07:06 AM

Current Rates*:
30 Year Fixed - 6.0% with Zero Points Jumbo 30 Year Fixed - 7.625% with Zero Points 15 Year Fixed - 5.625% with Zero Points FHA / VA 30 Year Fixed - 5.875% with Zero Points*Rates and fees accurate as of 4/11/08. Rates and fees subject to change without notice. This is not an advertisement for the purposes of the Truth-in-Lending Act or Regulation-Z. Terms and conditions apply. For qualified borrowers. Not a promise to lend. Interest rates are based on numerous economic, financial and credit based factors that adjust daily. In addition, lenders can vary on qualification criteria from program to … (0 comments)

mortgage interest rates: Mortgage Market Watch - April 14, 2008 - 04/14/08 02:08 PM

Mortgage Commentary
We saw rates come down slightly last week, leaving the door open to lock in a good rate this week. Much remains to be seen however, as this week brings us several relevant market reports as well as the start of the earnings announcements. We will likely see swings back up in rates. If you haven't done so, get you rate locked in now.
This week brings us the release of six relevant economic reports for the bond market to digest. We are also heading into corporate earnings season which could lead to fluctuations in the stock markets. If … (0 comments)

mortgage interest rates: Mortgage Market Watch - April 7, 2008 - 04/07/08 10:40 PM

Mortgage Commentary
Rates remained fairly steady last week. We hope, as many analysts do, that they remain steady this week as well. However, since rates are on shaky ground, any negative news could push them higher in a flash. This week brings us the release of only two relevant economic reports in addition to the minutes from the last Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting and a Treasury auction. Both of the relevant reports are scheduled for release later in the week, so the most movement in rates may come the latter part of the week.
The final release of the … (0 comments)

mortgage interest rates: The Mortgage Interest Rate Lock Advisory - April 7, 2008 - 04/06/08 02:00 PM

Current Rates*:
30 Year Fixed - 5.875% with Zero Points Jumbo 30 Year Fixed - 6.75% with Zero Points 15 Year Fixed - 5.50% with Zero Points FHA /VA 30 Year Fixed - 5.875% with Zero Points*Rates and fees accurate as of 4/4/08. Rates and fees subject to change without notice. This is not an advertisement for the purposes of the Truth-in-Lending Act or Regulation-Z. Terms and conditions apply. For qualified borrowers. Not a promise to lend. Interest rates are based on numerous economic, financial and credit based factors that adjust daily. In addition, lenders can vary on qualification criteria from program to program. … (0 comments)

mortgage interest rates: Mortgage Market Watch - March 31, 2008 - 03/31/08 07:52 PM

Mortgage Commentary
Rates inched up a bit last week. We don't expect a huge swing in rates this week either, but we do expect them to creep up some more. As the economy shows signs of weakening, inflation concerns will likely push rates north. Get your rate locked as soon as possible.
This week is light in terms of the number of economic reports scheduled for release, however, two of the three reports that are scheduled to be posted are considered to be of high importance. With important data being posted only tomorrow and Friday, we should see several days of … (0 comments)

mortgage interest rates: The Mortgage Interest Rate Lock Advisory - March 31, 2008 - 03/30/08 09:05 PM

Interest rates are based on numerous economic, financial and credit based factors that adjust daily. In addition, lenders can vary on qualification criteria from program to program. If you like the rate today, the safe bet is to lock. Even if rates improve, they wouldn't improve enough in the short term to make you cry about it. But if you are an ardent market bear, and accept the risk of negative mortgage headlines, and believe the economy will just get more bad news next week, and you have the money to risk, you may benefit from floating. Just remember, it always … (0 comments)

mortgage interest rates: The Mortgage Interest Rate Lock Advisory - March 24, 2008 - 03/24/08 03:54 AM

mortgage interest rates: The Mortgage Interest Rate Lock Advisory - March 17, 2008 - 03/16/08 11:41 PM

Related Links: