Understanding the Mortgage Market
Mortgage markets are like any other market, in order for goods to change hands, a buyer and a seller must first agree 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 […]

It Might Be On Your Radar
As mortgage rates have fallen (and risen) in the past couple of weeks, there are a lot of Iowans considering refinancing their home.  I want to go on the record and say, don’t just lock it in and close it.  It’s all about timing.  If you lock out of emotion […]

Taking Action
When it comes to mortgage rates, sometimes it’s better to “act now”.  For clarification, it is no longer the time to “act now”.
On Tuesday, mortgage rates fell to their lowest levels in 4 years. It happened because the Fed said it would “employ all available tools” to resuscitate the economy.  Not because they cut […]

Let me save you some time and money.
The Fed does not control mortgage rates.  Not at all.  The Fed can do many things to influence the economy, but one of those things they control is NOT mortgage rates.  Influence, yes.  Control, no.
Let me explain.
What Does The Fed Control?
Now that I’ve established the Fed doesn’t control […]

Trying To Time The Real Estate Market?
Don’t.  You may think that you’re going to get a home while it’s at the ‘bottom’.  Here’s the thing though, are you considering what your overall cost of ownership would be?  More importantly, do you know what is going on in the mortgage market today that will impact you […]

The Big Question
Should you pay points when getting your mortgage?
It’s a question that does not have one right answer (even though some people are convinced otherwise).  To be able to determine if you should pay points, I think there are a few things you must know.  This post is intended for you to determine what […]

The most asked question I first get from my clients is “What is your mortgage rate?”  They are of course, assuming every consumer gets the same mortgage rate. A very common misconception. I hope after reading this, you’ll have a better understanding of why each rate quote is a […]

Wow. This week will be an interesting one. Often, mortgage rate movement comes down to one or two pieces of news a week. It looks as though this week’s news will be the Core Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Friday. CPI is one of the Fed’s favorite ways to monitor inflation. […]

What in the World Are You Talking About Tyler???
   
I’m sure you won’t be surprised when I say that Fannie Mae has decided to (again) tighten their underwriting criteria.  Starting June 1st, 2008 they will begin underwriting loans with DU (standing for Desktop Underwriter) version 7.0.  I wanted to give you a quick update of what I know […]

So What’s a Trigger Lead?
It’s no surprise that the major credit bureaus sell your personal information. One new form they’ve figured out how to make money is known as a “trigger lead”. A trigger lead is acquired when you apply for a home loan. As soon as your credit is pulled for […]