Mortgage Rates & Trends

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, refinance mortgage applications accounted or approximately 66% of all mortgage applications in early October. With near-historic current mortgage rates, the lure of lowering their monthly mortgage payments in order to save hundreds of dollars per mon...

Last week, government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announced the suspension of foreclosure evictions through January 3, 2010. During the holidays, homeowners and any tenants living in foreclosed properties owned by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will not be subjected to eviction....

With a mortgage rate of 5.5% on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage being hailed as a 40-year low just a few short years ago, current mortgage rates continue to flirt with record lows today. It has been said time and time again that if you're considering refinancing or delving into the world of homeown...

As the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke is perhaps the most influential person on the planet in terms reshaping not only the American economy, but the global economy as a whole. The 56-year-old former economics professor at Princeton has been tabbed by Time magazine as the "Person of...

According to a report by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW), the nation's largest full-service investment bank specializing exclusively in the financial services sector, mortgage originations are expected to decline by at least 16% in 2010. There are two major reasons for this prediction: the $8,000 ...

In just under three weeks since the end of November, the 10-year treasury yield has increased to 3.56% from 3.21%. All indications point to the 10-year treasury yield continuing to increase, so significantly higher mortgage rates are looming on the horizon. Regardless of this recent increase, cu...

There are a few options if you owe more than your home is worth although not all may be preferred options.   1. Find out if Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac own your mortgage.  Both of these agencies allow for refinancing your current 1st mortgage up to 125% of the value of your home.    Fannie Mae has...

Although current mortgage rates are increasing, a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is still available below the 5% threshold. The same 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was available between 4.5% and 4.625% less than two weeks ago. Since the end of November, mortgage rates began to rise rather steadily. Ho...

What exactly is house flipping? House flipping is when a buyer purchases a house that is in need of some work, renovates it, then turns around and sells it - or flips it - quickly for a profit. The flipping process can be applied to any asset, but is most commonly utilized in reference to real e...

Although they do not constitute closed deals, the impressive 3.7% increase in signed contracts to purchase homes in October certainly indicates the housing market is on the mend. If this increase is not enough proof the housing market is rebounding, then the National Association of Realtors' rep...