The Best And Worst Cities For Commuters

February 17, 2010

According to the Census Bureau, 2.8 million people commute to work 90 minutes or more each day, in each direction. Now, your daily commute may not be as long, but time spent in cars, trains and buses is time away from work and from family.

Read the full article →

Data Returns This Week, Expect the Mortgage Market to Move

February 15, 2010

Surprise! Weather Has an Impact Too. Some of the week’s more important releases include: Housing Starts and Building Permits (Wednesday) The release of the last month’s FOMC Minutes (Wednesday) Business and consumer inflation figures (Thursday and Friday) Believe it or not, nasty weather may have impacted last month’s Housing Starts reading so pay closer attention […]

Read the full article →

Without Hard Data Released Last Week–Rates Went Up

February 15, 2010

Mortgage markets worsened last week on general profit-taking in the U.S. bond market, combined with talk of a coordinated rescue effort for Greece and its debt burden. Mortgage-backed bonds sold off, causing conventional and FHA mortgage rates to rise.

Read the full article →

How Does Consumer Confidence Relate to Higher Home Prices?

February 12, 2010

Consumer Sentiment has been on the rise since last February and it’s something to which home buyers should pay attention. The affordability of your next home may hinge on consumer confidence.

Read the full article →

So You Think Iowa’s Foreclosures Are Bad?!

February 11, 2010

For as much as the foreclosure filing statistics can be astounding — over 300,000 homes were served last month alone — the prevalence of foreclosures depends on where you live.

Read the full article →

Mortgage Insurance on FHA Loans IS Increasing

February 10, 2010

Because of how frequently bank rules are changing, it can be hard for laypersons to distinguish between mortgage fact and fiction of what’s coming next. Recently, we saw this with respect to FHA home loans.

Read the full article →

Mortgage Approvals Are Getting More And More Scarce

February 9, 2010

The economy’s improving but lending standards are not. Nationally, banks are making mortgage approvals harder to come by. Underwriting guidelines are tightening.

Read the full article →

Look to the Global Market for Changes in Rates This Week

February 8, 2010

Sometimes, No News IS Good News There’s very little domestic news to move rates this week so keep an eye on the global market for similar stories like what we saw last week.  Or, if you’re not sure what to look for, just give me a call or send me an email and I’ll be […]

Read the full article →

Global Events Played a Key Role in Lowered Rates Last Week

February 8, 2010

Mortgage markets improved last week on domestic jobs data and international banking concerns. The news triggered buying in the bond market and, as a result, conventional, FHA and VA mortgage rates improved for the 4th consecutive week.

Read the full article →

Seven Ways To Protect Your Credit Score For Better Mortgage Rates

February 5, 2010

Credit scores not only make the difference between a mortgage approval and mortgage turn-down, but they also play a large role in determining your actual mortgage note rate. In the 3-minute piece, the NBC Today Show talks about 7 ways that homebuyers ruin their credit — often by accident.

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →