Monthly Archives: December 2009

More positive signals from housing — home values are still on the rise. According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, after posting its first quarterly increase since 2007 this past September, the Home Price Index rose by another 0.6 percent … Continue reading →

It’s not only the real estate markets that differ from town to town — the Cost of Living does, too. Insurance costs, tax bills and just plain, day-to-day living will dent a household budget differently depending on where that household … Continue reading →

Mortgage markets made a 4-day losing streak last week on thin holiday volume and overall economic optimism. It was awful news for rate shoppers because mortgage rates were higher every day last week. The holiday-shortened week marked the third out … Continue reading →

One day after November’s Existing Home Sales report blew away estimates, the Census Bureau’s related New Homes Sales report failed to impress. A “new home” is a home that is newly-constructed; not bought as a resale. In a lackluster showing, … Continue reading →

Home resales are soaring. For the 4th consecutive month, the Existing Home Sales report revealed what today’s buyers and sellers already know — there’s a lot of buyer activity right now. Existing Home Sales surged 7-plus percent in November, posting … Continue reading →

Mortgage pricing worsened Monday, driving mortgage rates to their highest levels since October. The day’s action was drastic, too. Some banks issued as many as 3 rate sheets Monday — each worse than the preceding and one reason why rates … Continue reading →

Mortgage markets improved last week as pricing followed a roller coaster-like pattern. After touching a 6-week high Tuesday, rates rallied to weekly lows Thursday, and then jumped back higher Friday. Despite the improvement last week overall, mortgage pricing remains significantly … Continue reading →

Housing Starts jumped last month as builders got back to business. It’s a telling sign for the economy, but bad news for next season’s sellers. With more homes coming online, home prices may be slow to rise nationwide. A “Housing … Continue reading →

The Federal Open Market Committee voted to leave the Fed Funds Rate within its target range of 0.000-0.250 percent. In its press release, the FOMC noted that the U.S. economy “has continued to pick up”, that the jobs markets is … Continue reading →

Fannie Mae raised the bar for mortgage applicants this past weekend. Getting approved for a home loan just got harder. In its official announcement, Fannie Mae says the updates minimize long-term lending risks. If that’s the case, this won’t be … Continue reading →