economic data

How To Know If Your Adjustable Rate Mortgage Will Adjust Lower

April 9, 2009

When conforming mortgages adjust, they’re often tied to an interest rate index called LIBOR. LIBOR is an acronym for London Interbank Offered Rate. But what LIBOR stands for isn’t as important as the role it plays

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Current Mortgage Rates for the week of April 6 2009

April 6, 2009

Mortgage markets were up-and-down last week as rates fell Monday and Tuesday before surging higher from Wednesday through Friday. In some case, after touching all-time lows, conforming mortgage rates added a half-percent in the second half of the week, ruining some homeowners’ chance to refinance

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By The Time You Read About Low Mortgage Rates, It Was Already Too Late To Get Them

April 3, 2009

Thursday morning, homeowners in different parts of the country awoke to find similar-sounding newspaper headlines: Rates on 30-year mortgages sink to 4.78%, a new low ( LA Times ) Mortgage rates at record low for 2nd week ( Miami Herald ) Mortgages hit another record low ( San Francisco ) The underlying story was that Freddie Mac’s weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey showed the lowest, average 30-year fixed rate mortgage in its 38-year, rate-tracking history. Once again, however, the headlines came too late for homeowners.

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New Home Sales Figures Show Unexpected Improvement

March 26, 2009

The national housing market got its third piece of good news in 3 days: Monday: Existing Home Sales up Tuesday: Home values appear higher nationally Wednesday: New Home Sales up And although national real estate statistics are irrelevant to the local markets in which real estate transactions happen, to a country of would-be and wanna-be home buyers, repeated positive news on housing can be a strong signal that it’s time to get off the sidelines. At least, that’s what the data is showing us. According to an industry trade group, first-time home buyers accounted for half of all sales of previously-owned homes.

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Watch Out For Mortgage Rates When Gas Prices Rise

March 25, 2009

Don’t look now but oil prices are climbing. This should worry today’s home buyers and would-be refinancers because some of the same forces that helped to push crude past $50 for the first time in 4 months also cause mortgage rates to rise

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The Federal Reserve Is Meeting And What It Means To Your Mortgage Rate

March 17, 2009

The Federal Open Market Committee begins a scheduled, 2-day meeting today to discuss the country’s monetary policy. As is custom, the group will issue a press release to the markets upon adjournment.

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Real Estate Investments: Some Words of Guidance

March 13, 2009

“Most of the biggest real estate fortunes were not made in good times, but in bad times like this” Barbara Corcoran reminds us in this talk with NBC . It’s important perspective for Americans wondering how to invest in foreclosed properties without losing their cash or their credit rating. In the 4-minute interview, Corcoran quips on the basics and the essentials of foreclosure investing, “Everyone who loses their shirt loses it somewhere else.” “Every big shark started small.” “The house on the corner sets the tone for the block.” She also lends some personal perspective to rent rolls, the cost of losing a tenant, and finding a good business partner.

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The Half-Truth Of The Headline “1 In 8 U.S. Homes Are Late Paying Or In Foreclosure”

March 10, 2009

USA Today ran this 2008 Foreclosures By State heatmap last week, reminding us of a simple truth: Headline statistics can be misleading. According to data compiled by RealtyTrac, 1 in 8 U.S. homes were in various stages of default or delinquency at the end of 2008

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What High Unemployment Numbers Mean to your Mortgage Rates

March 9, 2009

Mortgage markets improved last week with investors’ renewed aversion to risk. To the benefit of home buyers, as major stock indices touch 12-year lows , investors are moving investible cash to the bond market.

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From The IRS : The First-Time Homebuyer Credit Form

March 4, 2009

As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the IRS has officially released Form 5405 — better known as the First-Time Homebuyer Credit Form. True to tax code standards, the 10-field form is accompanied by 3 pages of instructions. Form 5405 is a helpful, go-to resource for home buyers with questions about the tax credit.

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How does Consumer Spending Affect Mortgage Rates?

March 2, 2009

Mortgage markets worsened last week, taking interest rates with them. A steady drip of sour economic news plus concerns about the banking system outmuscled Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke’s congressional testimony in which he said the recession would likely end later this year. Overall, mortgage rates have risen in 9 of the last 12 trading days.

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How will the Uncertainty about the Stimulus Package Effect Mortgage Rates?

February 23, 2009

Traders brushed off Tuesday and Wednesday’s passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the President’s mortgage relief plan, respectively. It showed how unsure markets remain about the stimulus package and its probable impact on the economy

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How The Stimulus Bill Indirectly Lowered Mortgage Rates

February 18, 2009

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was signed into law Tuesday in Denver, Colorado.

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Wouldn’t You Know It? As Consumer Confidence Falls, Home Sales Rise

February 16, 2009

Consumer Confidence fell this month for the first time in three months , reflecting Americans’ concern for the economy, housing, and the financial system. The reading isn’t much of a surprise given our collective exposure to a near-constant stream of negative news

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Forget The Dow Jones: How The Treasury’s Economy Revival Outline Helped Mortgage Rates

February 11, 2009

His speech was much anticipated, but it was what Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner didn’t say Tuesday that caused mortgage markets to improve. Mostly it was because of “safe-haven” buying. Safe-haven buying is when investors move cash to the safest investments possible for fear of losing their money elsewhere.

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Signs of rebirth in the Economy not Translating to Mortgage Rates

February 9, 2009

Despite a weakening employment outlook for Americans, the economy flashed signs of a rebirth last week. It wasn’t enough to reverse the recent mortgage rate trend, however

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Explaining What The Federal Reserve Did In Plain English (January 28, 2009 Edition)

January 29, 2009

The Federal Open Market Committee voted to leave the Fed Funds Rate unchanged today. It remains within a target range of 0.000-0.250 percent. In its press release , the FOMC reiterated most of the key points from its December 2008 statement, including: The U.S

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An Interactive Chart For Home Values

January 21, 2009

The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index is a popular measure of domestic home prices, released monthly. The index reports on the largest 20 U.S.

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How To Shop For Mortgages In A "Vacation Week"

December 30, 2008

Mortgage markets are like any other market — in order for goods to change hands, a buyer and a seller must first reach an agreement to “trade” at a specific price point. In general, the more buyers and sellers there are for a particular item, the easier it is to find that “fair value” and make the deal. An abundant number of buyers and sellers often creates a liquid market in which assets — in this case, mortgage bonds — can be sold rapidly with minimal loss

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Looking Back And Looking Ahead : August 11, 2008

August 11, 2008

In a week packed with mortgage news and economic data, mortgage rates swung hard in both directions last week before settling into the weekend slightly higher across the board. Adjustable-rate mortgages worsened more than their fixed-rate counterparts and both broke a two-week streak in which mortgage rates had improved. But, if we look at all of the […]

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