By Kevin Chiu Troubled by high long term unemployment worries, financial markets set the stage for another drop in mortgage rates this week, sending rates to a new historic record low. The average 30-year fixed rate home mortgage dropped to 3.89%, down from 3.91% last week, according to Freddie Mac. Mortgage interest rates are at… Continue reading Mortgage Rates Set New Record Low
Category: Housing Market
Refinancing Underwater Mortgage Program Proposed
By Mike Colpitts Following weeks of rumors and speculation, President Barack Obama said he would be sending Congress a proposal to provide refinancing for underwater homeowners that will save borrowers up to $3,000 a year during his State of the Union Speech last night. The announcement could not have come with better timing. Mortgage applications… Continue reading Refinancing Underwater Mortgage Program Proposed
Mortgage Rates Tick Lower
By Kevin Chiu Mortgage rates, already at their lowest levels on record, ticked a single basis point lower on the fixed rate 30-year mortgage, according to Freddie Mac. The weekly survey showed that the heavily watched mortgage average edged slightly lower to 3.88% to a new all-time record low. However, the shorter 15-year fixed rate… Continue reading Mortgage Rates Tick Lower
Where to Move, Get a Job & Buy a Home in 2012
By Mike Colpitts The hard hit economy is mending in some areas of the U.S., while other regions continue to suffer through the dregs of a housing market still in a downturn. But among all the places that are on the mend there are a handful of fairly solid cities where you might just want… Continue reading Where to Move, Get a Job & Buy a Home in 2012
Home Affordability Reaches 1971 Level
By Mike Colpitts Homes are more affordable to purchase than they have been since 1971 as a result of falling home prices, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Despite record low mortgage rates, the downward trend in home values is sustained in the majority of the U.S. The best housing… Continue reading Home Affordability Reaches 1971 Level
Cash Buyers Pushing Home Prices Lower
By Mike Colpitts Cash buyers are putting undue downward pressure on home prices, and sending the values on homes much lower than would otherwise be developing, according to a survey by Campbell Inside Mortgage Finance. The firms Housing Pulse Tracking Survey is taken monthly. The December survey also showed that many of the purchasers are… Continue reading Cash Buyers Pushing Home Prices Lower
The Next Big Real Estate Boom Includes Oil
By Mike Colpitts The next big real estate boom might not be in such a pretty place – unless you consider shale formations of grey crumbling rock a thing of beauty. But an unlikely region of the remote northern U.S. holds a fortune for America’s future. It’s the biggest oil discovery since Prudhoe Bay, Alaska… Continue reading The Next Big Real Estate Boom Includes Oil
Dirty Money Trail From Wall Street to Main Street
By Mike Colpitts The dirty money trail left in the wake of the financial crisis leads from Wall Street to Washington, D.C. all the way to Main Street. No other single factor has had as much of an impact on the collapse of the U.S. housing market as members of Congress lining their pockets with… Continue reading Dirty Money Trail From Wall Street to Main Street
Housing Market Bottoms Hit as Home Values Escalate
By Mike Colpitts Following years of hard times, declining home values and a record volume of foreclosures, the housing market is finally hitting the bottom in at least some U.S. cities, and it can’t come soon enough for plenty of others. North Dakota, South Dakota and parts of Texas are booming with oil and natural… Continue reading Housing Market Bottoms Hit as Home Values Escalate
Real Estate Sales Jump to End Year Higher
By Mike Colpitts The year ended with a bang in real estate as existing home sales jumped 5% in December to end 2011 with the third straight month of higher sales, according to the National Association of Realtors. Low mortgage rates and lower home prices pushed sales to a seasonally adjusted rate of 4.61 million… Continue reading Real Estate Sales Jump to End Year Higher