Home Sales Up
December 21, 2011 by admin
Filed under Positive Real Estate
Existing-Home Sales Continued to Climb in November
Existing-home sales rose again in November and remain above a year ago, according to the National Association of Realtors(R). Also released today were periodic benchmark revisions with downward adjustments to sales and inventory data since 2007, led by a decline in for-sale-by-owners.
Although rebenchmarking resulted in lower adjustments to several years of home sales data, the month-to-month characterization of market conditions did not change. There are no changes to home prices or month’s supply.
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Short sales occur when lenders allow homes to be sold for less than what’s owed on the mortgage. Few homes are selling. After previous recessions, housing accounted for at least 15 percent of US economic growth. Since the recession officially ended in …
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Low Interest Rates Record Lows
- Image via Wikipedia
Interest rates continue to hit new lows. The 15-year FRM averaged 3.72 percent (0.7 point), dropping from 3.75 percent last week. The 5-year adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) came in at 3.47 percent this week (0.6 point). It was 3.52 percent last week.
Frank Nothaft, VP and chief economist for Freddie Mac, explained, “The 12-month growth rate in the core price index for personal consumption, which the Federal Reserve closely tracks, has been drifting lower over the past six months ending in August and suggests inflation is running at a tepid pace at best. This allowed mortgage rates to ease.” http://www.dsnews.com/articles/mortgage-rates-continue-descent-hitting-new-record-lows-2010-10-07
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Mortgages Lowest Since 1950
October 8, 2010 by admin
Filed under Mortgages, Positive Real Estate
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Thirty-year fixed mortgages slipped to 4.27 percent this week, the lowest on records dating back to 1971, from 4.32 percent last week.
A drop in interest on 15-year loans to 3.72 percent from 3.75 percent, meanwhile, was the lowest on records dating back to 1991. Freddie Mac also reported that the five-year adjustable-rate mortgage fell to 3.47 percent from 3.52 percent last week, and the one-year ARM dropped to 3.40 percent this week from 3.48 percent.
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Mortgage Refinancings Soar to Highest Level Since May 2009
- Image by Jim Linwood via Flickr
The Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday its refinancing index jumped 17% to 4676.70 in the week to Wednesday, soaring to the highest since May 2009. The four-week average increase rose to 3.2%. This abrupt spike is a sign that mortgage rates have fallen far enough to incentivize a new wave of refinancing from homeowners. According for Freddie Mac, the average rate for a 30- year home loan dropped to 4.4A% last week.
This wave could also be a great sign for the U.S. economy as a whole, not just the housing market. Morgan Stanley estimates that if 50% of mortgages in mortgage-backed bonds are refinanced, it would free up $46 billion a year for consumers. $46 billion is more money than the last extension of unemployment benefits.
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Lenders Cushion Loan Pricing After Spike in Refinance Demand
August 20, 2010 by admin
Filed under Positive Real Estate
- Image by wallyg via Flickr
Los Angeles, Calif. (VOCUS)
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its results to its Weekly Survey. This survey covers over 50% of all U.S. residential mortgage loan applications taken by retail mortgage bankers, commercial banks, and thrifts. This extremely accurate data gives economists a great look into the consumer demand for mortgage loans. This trend of increasing refinance applications implies consumers are seeking out a lower monthly payment, a fairly predictable assessment. But, the long term effects of this action paint a better picture.
If these consumers are actually able to reduce their monthly mortgage payments they will increase their disposable income, or their “spending money”, giving them the opportunity to spend that spending money which would in turn revitalize the economy. This would create more consumer spending or even allow debtors to pay down personal liabilities like credit cards. This effect could spiral to astronomical proportions because as the more people spend their surplus disposable income, the better the economy gets and the lower the mortgage payments are, creating the effect all over again.
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EXPAND HOME AFFORDABLE REFINANCE PROGRAM TO 125 PERCENT LOAN-TO-VALUE
The Federal Housing Finance Agency has authorized Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to expand the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) to homeowners who are current on their mortgage payments from the present loan-to-value ratio ceiling of 105 to 125 percent. With these expanded refinance opportunities, qualified borrowers whose mortgages are currently owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be allowed to refinance those loans according to the terms of the Home Affordable Refinance Program established earlier this year.
“I am pleased to join Secretaries Donovan and Geithner in announcing this expansion of the Obama Administration’s Making Home Affordable program,” said FHFA Director James Lockhart. “The higher LTV refinancings will allow more homeowners to strengthen their finances by taking advantage of lower mortgage rates. The Enterprises are also incenting these borrowers to combine a lower mortgage rate with a faster amortization schedule, which will enable them to get ‘above water’ on their mortgages more quickly. This program could assist many homeowners who otherwise would have difficulty refinancing due to declining house prices,” Lockhart said.
