Michael LaFido's (sellmorerealestatetoday) Blog

A Simple Explanation Of The Federal Reserve Statement (March 16, 2010 Edition) Today, the Federal Open Market Committee voted 9-to-1 to leave the Fed Funds Rate unchanged, in its target range of 0.000-0.250 percent. In its press release, the FOMC noted that the U.S. economy "has continued to str...

  Today, the Federal Open Market Committee voted 9-to-1 to leave the Fed Funds Rate unchanged, in its target range of 0.000-0.250 percent. In its press release, the FOMC noted that the U.S. economy "has continued to strengthen" and that the jobs markets "is stabilizing".  It also said that busine...

A Rate-Locking Strategy For Today's Fed Meeting   The Federal Open Market Committee adjourns from a scheduled 1-day meeting today, its second of the year.  The FOMC has held the Fed Funds Rate in a target range of 0.000-0.250 percent since December 16, 2008, and the voting members of the Fed are...

15-Minute Fixes For Around The Home Home maintenance is an ongoing project. There's always something to do around the house, or something to fix. The problem is, you may not have the time, or the skills, to get it done yourself. In this 4-minute piece from The Today Show on NBC, you'll see some ...

  The Federal Housing Finance Agency has extended the government's Home Affordable Refinance Program by 12 months. HARP's new end date is June 30, 2011. Originally known as Making Home Affordable, HARP aims to help homeowners refinance their mortgage who may otherwise be ineligible because of fal...

Foreclosures Per Capita | February 2010 According to foreclosure-tracking firm RealtyTrac, foreclosure filings topped 300,000 for the 12th straight month last month as 1 in every 418 U.S. homes received a foreclosure filing. It's a small improvement from January and a just 6 percent increase ove...

  If your mortgage is set to adjust this year, the smart move may be to let it. Today's conforming mortgages are adjusting lower than ever before -- as low as 3 percent.  It may not be what you expected when you signed for your ARM several years ago. The reason why ARMs are adjusting lower is bec...

7 Weeks Remain To Find A Home, Claim Up To $8,000 In Tax Credits   In November, Congress extended and expanded the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit program to include a subset of "move-up" buyers -- homeowners that have owned and lived in their home for 5 of the last 8 years. The credit ranges u...

  Fewer homes went under contract in January as the housing market continues to limp through the winter months. According to the National Association of Realtors®, the Pending Home Sales Index fell to its lowest level in 3 quarters this January. By contrast, in October 2009, the index had touched...

Tying Friday's Jobs Report To Rising Mortgage Rates Conforming and FHA mortgage rates have improved over the last 10 days, but that could all change this Friday with the release of February's Non-Farm Payrolls report. Non-Farm Payrolls is the official name of the government's monthly jobs report...