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Mortgage Rates Drop – AGAIN
Posted by Rich Johnson | Leave A Comment »
The announcements are everywhere that mortgage rates are still going down. If this isn’t a sign from the universe that it may time to consider buying or refinancing your current home, then what is?
After a brief surge north of 4 percent last month, mortgage rates have settled down, near their lowest levels of all-time.
According to Freddie Mac’s weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey, for applicants willing to pay 0.7 discount points plus a complete set of closing costs, the average 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate fell to 3.88 percent this week.
0.7 discount points adds $700 to your mortgage closing costs for each $100,000 borrowed.
Mortgage rates are down this week on “safe haven” buying. The move is triggered by Wall Street’s concern that Spain and Italy will have trouble servicing their respective sovereign debt. In response, investors are selling risk-heavy assets and using the proceeds to purchase U.S. government-backed bonds.
This creates demand for mortgage bonds which, in turn, pressures mortgage rates lower.
The storyline is similar to what transpired in Greece last year, and, at least for now, it gives home buyers reason to cheer. So long as economic uncertainty remains, mortgage rates may stay low.
Of course, like all things in real estate, though, mortgage rates are local. Rates offered by banks varied by region.
Freddie Mac’s survey of 125 banks showed the following regional breakdown :
- Northeast Region : 3.88% with 0.8 discount points
- West Region : 3.85% with 0.8 discount points
- Southeast Region : 3.91% with 0.8 discount points
- North Central Region : 3.89% with 0.6 discount points
- Southwest Region : 3.90% with 0.8 discount points
The best mortgage “deals” are currently available to North Central Region residents. The most expensive loans are for those in the Southeast.
Relative to history, though, all mortgage rates look inexpensive. Conforming 30-year fixed rate mortgage rates have never been as low as they are today. It’s a bonus for home buyers because cheap mortgage rate yield cheap mortgage payments. Home affordability remains near all-time highs.
If you’re unsure of whether now is a good time to buy or refinance, the answer is yes. Talk to your loan officer to review your mortgage options.
Related Posts: Area Information, Area Statistics, Buyers, Coastal Living, Condos & Townhomes, Financial news, Home Loans, Housing Analysis, Industry Updates, Interest Rates, Investment Properties, Mortgage News, Mortgage Rates, Real Living Lifestyles
Tax Tips : What To Do With Your Tax Refund
Posted by Rich Johnson | Leave A Comment »
Do you have plans with your tax return? Maybe instead of spending your return on that new bike you have been eyeing, you should consider putting some into something that will benefit you in the long run. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it too – just make sure you come up with a game plan before you hit the mall.
The typical U.S. taxpayer will receive roughly $3,000 in federal income tax refunds this year — an average of $250 per month. So, what would you do with an extra $250 monthly? This segment from NBC’s The Today Show offers some advice.
Whether you’ve already filed your annual taxes for 2011, filed an extension, or will squeak by on the deadline, you could probably be doing more with your taxes. The above video shares some tips. It’s four minutes of solid insight on tax refunds, tax withholdings, and reducing your household’s overall “bad debt”. There’s something for everyone.
Among the points covered in the tax refund piece :
- Consider changing your personal payroll exemptions so your 2012 refund is $0
- Remember that refunds are not “free money” — it’s your money. Spend wisely.
- Use your tax refund to fund retirement accounts
Advice is also shared about how to use your tax refund to fund a reserve account, or emergency fund. As a homeowner or home buyer , applying tax refunds to a savings accounts in this manner can go a long way. When you’re a homeowner, maintenance costs can be sudden and unexpected. A furnace can explode, for example; or, a roof could spring a leak. Having money set aside for crisis is essential.
Having a savings account will also improve your household’s long-term financial stability.
As a reminder, in most years, federal income tax is due April 15. However, with Tax Day falling on a Sunday and with the federal government closed for a holiday the following Monday, U.S. taxpayers nationwide get a reprieve until Tuesday, April 17, 2012.
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Pending Home Sales Index Remains Strong Into Spring
Posted by Rich Johnson | Leave A Comment »
The housing market took a step back in February, but remains near post-recession highs.
According to data from the National Association of REALTORS®, February’s Pending Home Sales Index slipped 0.5 percent from the month prior, to 96.5.
The Pending Home Sales Index is a monthly report which measures the number of homes under contract to sell, but not yet sold, nationwide.
The index is benchmarked to a value of 100, the average level of home contract activity in 2001, the first year that pending home sales data was analyzed. It also happened to be a year of historically-high levels of home contract activity. Therefore, a Pending Home Sales Index reading of 100 suggests a strong housing market nationwide.
The index has read north of 90 since October 2011.
On a regional basis, February’s Pending Home Sales Index varied :
- Northeast Region: -0.5 percent from January 2012
- Midwest Region : +5.7 percent from January 2012
- South Region : -3.3 percent from January 2012
- West Region : -2.6 percent from January 2012
Mild weather may have helped the Midwest Region last month but even regional data can only tell us so much. Like everything in real estate, housing data must be local to be relevant.
Throughout the South Region, for example, the area in which contract activity fell most on a monthly basis, there are states which performed better than the regional average, and states which performed worse. Furthermore, even within those states, there are some cities which over-performed, and others which underperformed.
It’s why we can’t put too much stock in national housing news. Buyers don’t buy nationally — they buy locally.
Today’s home buyers and sellers , therefore, should look beyond the national Pending Home Sales Index and into local market drivers. The Pending Home Sales Index can paint a broad picture of the U.S. housing market but for data that matters to you specifically, it’s not as widely helpful.
To get relevant, timely local real estate data, talk to a Real Living real estate professional.
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Related Posts: Housing Analysis, Market Trends, Real Estate News, Real Living Lifestyles
Loans For Underwater Homeowners : HARP 2.0 Now Available
Posted by Rich Johnson | Leave A Comment »
The new, revamped HARP program is now available nationwide. It was officially released Saturday, March 17, 2012 by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
HARP is an acronym. It stands for Home Affordable Refinance Program. HARP is the conforming mortgage loan product meant for “underwater homeowners”. Under the HARP program, homeowners can get access to today’s low mortgage rates despite having little or no equity whatsoever.
HARP is expected to reach up to 6 million U.S. homeowners who would otherwise be unable to refinance.
HARP is not a new program. It was originally launched in 2009. However, the program’s first iteration reached fewer than 1 million U.S. households because loan risks were high for banks, and loan costs were high for consumers.
With HARP’s re-release — dubbed HARP 2.0 — the government removed many of HARP’s hurdles.
In order to qualify for HARP, homeowners must first meet 3 qualifying criteria.
First, their current mortgage must be backed either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Loans backed by the FHA or VA are ineligible, as are loans backed by private entities. This means jumbo loans and most loans from community banks cannot be refinanced via HARP.
- To check if your loan is Fannie Mae-backed, click here.
- To check if your loan is Freddie Mac-backed, click here.
The second qualification standard for HARP is that all loans to be refinanced must have been securitized by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac prior to June 1, 2009. Mortgages securitized on, or after, June 1, 2009 are HARP-ineligible.
There are no exceptions to this rule.
And, lastly, the third HARP qualification standard is that the existing mortgage must be accompanied by a strong repayment history. Homeowners must have made the last 6 mortgage payments on-time, and may not have had more than one 30-day late within the last 12 months.
If the above three qualifiers are met, HARP applicants will find mortgage guidelines lenient overall :
- Refinancing into a fixed rate mortgage allows for unlimited loan-to-value
- The standard 7-year “waiting period” after a foreclosure is waived in full
- Except in rare cases, home appraisals aren’t required for HARP
Furthermore, HARP mortgage rates are on par with non-HARP rates. This means that HARP applicants get access to the same mortgage rates and loan fees as non-HARP applicants. There’s no “penalty” for using HARP.
To apply for HARP, check with your Samuel Scott Financial Group loan officer today.
Related Posts: Mortgage Guidelines, Mortgage News, Real Estate News
A Simple Explanation Of The Federal Reserve Statement (March 13, 2012)
Posted by Rich Johnson | Leave A Comment »
Tuesday, the Federal Open Market Committee voted to leave the Fed Funds Rate unchanged within its current target range of 0.000-0.250 percent.
For the fourth consecutive month, the Fed Funds Rate vote was nearly unanimous. Just one FOMC member dissented in the 9-1 vote.
The Fed Funds Rate has been near zero percent since December 2008. It is expected to remain near-zero through 2014, at least.
In its press release, the Federal Reserve noted that the the U.S. economy has “expanded moderately” since the FOMC’s January 2012 meeting, adding that growth is occurring despite “strains in the global financial markets” that pose “significant downside risks” to long-term outlooks.
The Federal Reserve now expects moderate economic expansion through the next few quarters and a gradual easing in the national Unemployment Rate.
The Fed also noted that :
- The housing sector remains “depressed”
- Labor conditions have “improved further”
- Household spending has “continued to advance”
With respect to inflation, the Fed said that rising oil and gasoline prices will “push up” inflation temporarily, but not over the long-term.
At its meeting, the Federal Reserve neither introduced new economic stimulus, nor discontinued existing market programs. The Fed re-affirmed its intentions to hold the Fed Funds Rate at “exceptionally low” levels through late-2014, and to buy mortgage-backed bonds in the open market.
Immediately following the FOMC’s statement, mortgage markets worsened slightly, pressuring mortgage rates higher.
The FOMC’s next scheduled meeting is a two-day event slated for April 24-25, 2012.
Related Posts: Federal Reserve, Interest Rates, Market Trends, Mortgage News, Real Living Lifestyles
